14 Apr
1998
14 Apr
'98
11:35 p.m.
On Tue, 14 Apr 1998, Jack Peacock wrote:
But consider, what kind of response rate do spammers
get? Now junk
snail mailers have to actually pay per piece, although at a reduced
rate. They have to make the junk mail attractive to readers so they can
get a high enough response rate to justify the mailing. Maybe we need
the same mechanism for mass commercial postings. In other words, the
ISP specifies in the terms of service that mass commercial mailings (aka
spam) are charged at the same mailing rates as the local post office,
something around 20 cents per item. Now you have a legal means to get
back if the ISP catches a spammer, because they are liable for the
contracted costs.
There is already something like this. It's called "Cyberpromo".
And just to bring it back on topic...when consumer PCs
came out (IBM,
PET, Atari, Apple, etc.) those of us who built and used "real" micros
(S-100s of course) lamented that fact that the microcomputer market was
being overrun by large corporations bent on destroying the laissez-faire
market of the mid 70s. Sound familiar?
Basically, as all things that enhance the lives of humans (like
computers), the Internet has long since reached its critical mass and has
evolved to the point that it is now a basic and necessary business tool.
We can lament the fact that it will never be the spam-free, perhaps
close-knit community it used to be, but that's the price of progress. I
think to wish back the old days is folly. The internet now is far more
useful than it has ever been, and will only continue to evolve in a
positive direction.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
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