Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Michael S Czeiszperger <czei AT webperformanceinc.com>]

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On Thursday 13 December 2001 03:07 pm, you wrote:
> the problems i'm having are people scouring the net for any resume and
> sending me commercial email without my
> interest/consent/knowledge/opting-in/etc.
>
Yup, that's what everyone's complaining about.

> i have never posted my resume on monster.com or any of its billion
> derivatives amd the only online copy of my resume resides on ibiblio - not
> exactly a common place for "high-traffic job shopping" to take place (a la
> dice.com).
>

There are programs you can purchase that will "harvest" email address from 
USENET groups and web pages. Even if you're just on a mailing list, the 
mailing lists posts are sometimes gatewayed onto a web site where your email 
address can be harvested. If your email address is listed anywhere on the web 
you will get spam.

> while i see the advantages of services like spamcop.net (i am not a
> user of this service), i wonder just how effective they really are
> -and-
> if you are not simply participating (more so) in the propogation of junk
> mail across the internet. (i.e. instead of deleting one spam, a half-dozen
> more have been spawned).
>
Spamcop does a good job for me. YMMV. For example, spammers almost always 
fake their headers. When spamcop encounters an email with fake headers, its a 
very good bet its spam. It also looks for identical email sent to several of 
its members. If hundreds of its members are getting email with the same 
subject from the same email address and ISP, and one of them reports it as 
spam, it'll get marked as spam for you too.

Once spamcop has identified an email as spam, it gives the sender a chance to 
respond by sending a reply email. If the email was legitimate, the sender 
will just click on the email to unlock it. Giant spam generating software 
will just ignore the reply.

While this generates extra email, I don't see this as much of an issue. After 
all, if it was "bad" to use too much bandwidth people would be discouraged be 
sending around pictures and sound files. Mainly the problem with extra emails 
is using bandwidth for a stupid purpose.

> either way goes, it is the 21st century and already one of our best
> technologies has been encumbered by the classic social idiot; some
> thick-headed fool who thinks they can "get rich quick" by hopping on the
> latest fad.
>

I  would argue that older technologies such as the printing press, radio, 
television, and the telephone have alread been taken over by thick headed 
fools with money and connections. Now every thick headed fool has the 
opportunity to communicate.

- -- 
Michael S Czeiszperger
czei AT webperformanceinc.com

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