What qualifies as spam?

[brandon184]

A friend of mine who owns a small financial firm recently asked me the following question, to which I could not come up with a bona-fide answer...

He has requested a list of local, provincial (he lives in Canada), email addresses. He doesn't know these people, but wants to send them mass emailings. He has previous sent mass MAILINGS (snail mail), but isn't satisifed with the results he has recieved, since he usually has to spend at least a few hundred bucks every time he does a bulk mailing.

He says the emails WILL contain;

-> Useful, legitmate financial information. (ie. Investment tips, etc.)
-> Instructions for unsubscribing to the message, if the recipient desires to do so.
-> His contact information (snail mail, phone #, etc.)

He says his emails will NOT contain;

-> Links enticing people to go to any website.
-> Illegal information.
-> Requesting of $$, or ANYTHING of that sort.
-> Anything involving a scam.

He wasn't too sure what his ISP's policies were for sending thousands of emails per month, and I told him he probably wouldn't be allowed to do that - and he'd have to either contact a service provider that would allow him to do it for a nominal fee, or pay extra to his current provider to allow him to do it. I told him I wasn't too sure if whether or not he was doing was considered actual SPAM, but I told him I'd look into it and get back to him. I also told him to call his ISP, let them know what he wants to do - and see what they have to say. He also had the emails set up in his address book, which I told him he should probably end up setting up some sort of database.

Your opinions & information would be useful. Is this spam? Is there anything he should look out for? I'd like to give him a lot of information, as per he would probably really appreciate it!

Thanks!

- Brandon
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[Sohgin]

Yes I believe that is SPAM. I'm not sure of the official definition but I've always considered SPAM to be mail that I did not sign up for but is sent to me with the intent of selling a product. He should probably contact a lawyer to have him/her look over it and see if it conforms to the law. The unsubscribe link is good. However if he starts talking about selling those e-mail addresses to other companies flick him in the ear until he changes his mind.

[brandon184]

No, he's probably one of the most honest people I've ever met.

I just read on a website that;

"SPAM is often confused with unsolicited commercial email." .. But, it didn't specify whether or not "unsolicited commerical email" was illegal, or not. He's not really selling anything, he's just sending emails with useful financial tips.

- Brandon
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[fatal xception]

If I didn't give them my e-mail address, it's spam.

Another thing, most times that "Unsubscribe" link doesn't work. I never use it because it proves they have a valid e-mail address.

[I_W]

Who cares whether the sender is honest or not???

I consider SPAM anything that I DID NOT SPECIFICALLY REQUEST.

Sort of like those computer controlled calls that come at meal time. Or those piles of junk mail that appear in the mailbox that I stuff into any postpaid reply envelope and hope the source of postal spam has to pay more than just first class postage to get it back and then toss it out for me. (Years ago some colleagues and I at a firm where we had a ready source of lead bricks that we used for radiation shielding sliced a piece off a brick and sent it back to a postal spammer in their postpaid envelope. It must have weighed a pound or more and still fit in the envelope when it was reinforced with tape.)

Like many, I DO NOT do an "unsubscribe" to SPAM. It's asking for the sender to add you to his/her list of "hot addresses" because he or she then knows that it's a valid address.

Where, pray tell, is this potential SPAM source going to get the list of addresses? From some other SPAMMER???

How does one "request" a list of e-mail addresses?

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If this reply sounds negative, it's meant to be. Warn him that no matter how good his intentions are it is likely that a majority of recipients will consider him a source of SPAM and if they are like me and most of my friends, that immediatley puts him and his firm on the list of firms and people with whom they will NEVER do business.

[brandon184]

Take it easy, bud.

He showed me that most of his local directories make the addresses available on the internet, in chopped up lists.

- Brandon
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[brandon184]

Does anyone have any informative links that explain that spam is illegal, and why?

- Brandon
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[brandon184]

Here's something to ponder...

I consider SPAM anything that I DID NOT SPECIFICALLY REQUEST.

If I send you an email right now, you will not have requested it. You would consider that spam?

I'm just bringing this up, because from I see with a lot of these websites that I'm bringing up - nothing really says its illegal. And I have yet to find a legitamite definition of what can be considered as spam.

Also - This guy was thrilled with the fact that he could get useful financial info, personally out to hundreds of local people for a low, nominal fee. When I (essentially) break his heart and tell him that he probably shouldn't do it - is there anything that I can suggest to him, that he could do? He loves the new-found fact that he can harness the extreme power of computers & technology, but he only wants to reach local people. (Province-wide). Suggestions for that are also appreciated.

- Brandon
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[Warthog]

If I didn't give them my e-mail address, it's spam.

According to this logic, the following statement would be true:

If I didn't give them my house address, it's spam.

Right?

But you (and I) get tons and tons of junk mail, probably a lot more than junk email, per day.

Although I don't like spam just like the next guy, if I only get it ONCE, it's no big deal, but when I get one from Universitydegrees.com every other day, I get pissed.

I think he is a legit guy and if I was him, I'd do it.

Warthog

[brandon184]

This is just something I am really torn on...

-> The email addresses are of local people (his targeted area)..

-> He's offering legitimate, financial advice. He's an investment guru, so he can just let all this information go. And if people are interested in what he has to say, they can contact him. He introduces himself in his emails, and offers the person the chance to unsubscribe - if they are already dealing with another firm, are happy with their current portfolio, or just don't want it.

-> He's not requesting anything. There's no links that people have to click on. He's not sending something that people can relate to a "Earn $1,000,000 in 30 days!" message.

-> He wouldn't send more than 200 emails a month. (Not 200 emails per person, 200 emails to 200 different recipients every month... ).

The ONLY problem here is that the recipient wouldn't have requested the message.

- Brandon
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