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

[Ron Thigpen <rthigpen AT nc.rr.com>]

Roger Austin wrote:

> Shea Tisdale wrote:
> > In 2000 direct marketing sales were 1.71 trillion dollars and accounted
> > for almost 10% of the US Economy. 

> Where did those figures come from? I find it difficult to

> believe that the telemarketing scum is 10% of the GDP. What
> in the world is included in that figure?

I don't know where those figures came from, but I do know that direct 
marketing includes much more than just telemarketing.  I'd guess those 
numbers likely originated with the DMA trade group.  The DMA was the 
complaintant in the court action.

<cite src="http://www.the-dma.org/aboutdma/whatisthedma.shtml";>
What Is the Direct Marketing Association?

The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) is the largest trade 
association for businesses interested in direct, database, and 
interactive global marketing, with about 4,700 member companies from the 
United States and 53 foreign nations on six continents.

Founded in 1917, its members include catalog companies, direct mailers, 
teleservices firms, Internet marketers, and other at-distance marketers 
from every consumer and business-to-business segment - both commercial 
and nonprofit - as well as companies that provide supplies and services 
to marketers.
</cite>

--rt