Roch and I seem to be waging a spam battle on the local front. Today’s email brings us an offer to unsubscribe by email with “remove” in the subject line. A company offering me an online subscription should certainly know better. It’s local – the Triad Business Journal – and I like Doug Copeland and everyone else there. This isn’t personal. It’s technology and in many cases, it’s the law. Use the right tools for the right job.
Technical incompetence aside, why did people get “signed up” for this email without their knowledge or consent?
As you imply, it would be one thing if this was a solicitation to keep it up all night or to help some befuddled Nigerian official settle an unclaimed million dollar estate, but this is from people we know. It is the equivalent of Doug Copeland or Bob Kober running ringing our door bells and running away every morning. It’s beyond annoying. It’s rude and its continuation, either with the principals’ complicity or ignorance, is a big red flag about their understanding of modern media.
In this particular case, I used to subscribe to the print Business Journal so I suppose that there is a “prior business relationship” to fall back on for CANSPAM rules. However, that’s the letter of the law, not the spirit, as you point out in your comment. I’m receiving WAY more list email than I’ve ever signed up for and unless there’s a “safe” or reputable unsubscribe, I’m not doing it. So that leaves me only reporting each organization to the proper authorities. And I do it every single time I believe there’s no way I signed up for the list.
Yeah. I get the above email also but to my work place. And while I do have a print subscription, the annoying fact of the matter is that ever since I won 40 Leaders under 40? That’s about when I started to get the emails. To work. Because when you are nominated, that’s the email that is requested. Ick.
That’s okay though. As far as my work is concerned, that organization got blacklisted in the junk mail a long time ago.
Nothing against Business Journal, but there are dos and don’ts of newsletters and marketing. Very clear, and concise rules that if you operate within the boundaries (of which I don’t think their tech people realize they are not), and you get blacklisted? Good luck ever getting off those lists.
Sue, I am not much of a blogger and am just finding the posting on my January 13 email to you. I believe I sent you an editorial we’d run in our paper commenting on a bunch of national publications using the Triad as the poster child for the recession. In that note I also suggested you send Triad success stories to our editor.
I did send that note to a bunch of folks. You were included not because of a “prior business relationship,” but because we are friends or at least acquaintances. I picked each person that I sent it to individually from my address book because I knew them and felt like they were opinion leaders in the Triad.
Yes, my note did offer you and others a few free copies of The Business Journal, and the “signature” on my emails does offer recipients the chance to subscribe, but the purpose of the email was to advance the cause of our region. I wish you’d included that in the message you copied and posted.
Anyway, I have taken you out of my address book. I hope we are still friends.
We take spamming very seriously. If anyone is getting emails from us and do not wish to, please let me know.
Doug