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FC: Vault.com admits sending bulk unsolicited email: "It's not spam!"
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 15:35:57 -0400
Globix.net: Vault.com has admitted to sending unsolicited bulk email in
probable violation of your acceptable use policy.
(http://www.globix.net/acceptable_use_policy.php) Please let me know what
actions you choose to take.
Everyone else: This is another nice attempt at redefining what spam is,
just as we saw the Direct Marketing Association do earlier this week
(http://www.politechbot.com/p-04958.html). We can argue about definitions
at the margins, and there are some borderline cases, but most reasonable
people would agree that bulk unsolicited email sent by automated means is
spam. The fact that there's a possible human (who may or may not reply) on
the other end does not make a difference.
(Bonus tip at identifying spam: The spammer refuses to identify where they
got your email address. Saying, as Vault.com does below, that "we have a
machine" that scraped it from an unnamed web site is telling.)
-Declan
---
From: "valmailing" <valmailing () staff vault com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Subject: Re: Thanks
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 19:02:11 GMT
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sir,
The real definition of spam is if a company wants to market a product. WE
are not marketing a product-we are asking employees to participate in our
surveys. In spam, we would not be emailing eachother this way-a spam is a
machine that doesn't respond back like i do.
We know who our contacts are-if they're not interested, we do not mail them
anymore. If they do participate we offer them information that we do have
on employers of their interest for free.
If you are interested, and I hope you are, below is the
link:http://www.vault.com/go/to.jsp?place=27182
Thanks,
Val
Declan McCullagh writes:
So this is spam, right? It's bulk unsolicited email, and you harvested my
email address from the web or similar source, right?
-Declan
At 06:46 PM 7/17/2003 +0000, you wrote:
Dear Declan,
Thanks for responding back to us. Vault collects employee contacts
through various internet search engines. If we are interested in a
particular company, we have a machine that grabs all the emails that are
on the web.
For example if you are in someones guestbook, or participated in an
online advertisement, or perhaps a discussion, our machine will grab your
email address and name.
Just to remind you,we are in no way affiliated with any other company.
All responses are anonymous. Please view the links I gave you in the
last email to look at the content of the surveys. You will be helping
thousands of job seekers make the right career decisions.
Declan McCullagh writes:
From what source did you obtain my email address?
-Declan
At 06:25 PM 7/17/2003 +0000, you wrote:
Dear Declan,
Thanks for responding back to us. Vault is continuing to collect
information about numerous employers-that is why we are emailing you to
participate in our surveys on Mail-Well. Through your valuable
information, you are helping thousands of future Mail-Well job seekers
make right career choices. I hope you do participate.
Thanks again,
Val
Declan McCullagh writes:
Why are you sending me these messages?
It looks like spam to me.
At 10:08 AM 7/17/2003 -0400, you wrote:
Dear Declan,
Early this month, I sent you a link to a brief (one-page) anonymous
survey on
Mail-Well, web-based at http://www.vault.com/go/to.jsp?place=27182
As you know, Vault continually collects information on top employers
like Mail-Well in
order to help job seekers make informed career decisions.
To demonstrate how these surveys really work, I'm now sending you a
link to our
employee surveys on Microsoft submitted recently by professionals
like you -
please click
http://www.vault.com/companies/company_main.jsp?product_id=342&co_pag
e= 10 &gs=19836
(make sure you've got the whole link, ending with 19836). Your link
will work
through midnight (EST) on Sunday, July 20.
One of those surveys (the second one) is our May contest Winner ($500
cash
prize). We'll be sending info on our June contest winners later this
week.
We are offering our survey contributors one-week free access to all
available
surveys on their company and on two more companies of their choice,
provided
that such surveys exist. Please indicate your companies of choice if
you decide
to fill out a new survey - http://www.vault.com/go/to.jsp?place=27182
You can share your thoughts on your previous employers as well.
Monthly contest runners-up will continue to receive their free annual
subscription to all Vault career content.
Sincerely,
Val Hadjiyski
Vault
"Vault has a winner on its hands. Recommended for libraries and
institutions
providing career research support... a comprehensive source for all
career-related informational needs."
- Library Journal, 2002
*****
To unsubscribe from Vault mailings, please click
http://209.10.50.154/util/unsubscribe.cfm
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