FC: Vault.com admits sending bulk unsolicited email: "It's not spam!"

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Globix.net: Vault.com has admitted to sending unsolicited bulk email in 
probable violation of your acceptable use policy. 
(http://www.globix.net/acceptable_use_policy.php) Please let me know what 
actions you choose to take.

Everyone else: This is another nice attempt at redefining what spam is, 
just as we saw the Direct Marketing Association do earlier this week 
(http://www.politechbot.com/p-04958.html). We can argue about definitions 
at the margins, and there are some borderline cases, but most reasonable 
people would agree that bulk unsolicited email sent by automated means is 
spam. The fact that there's a possible human (who may or may not reply) on 
the other end does not make a difference.

(Bonus tip at identifying spam: The spammer refuses to identify where they 
got your email address. Saying, as Vault.com does below, that "we have a 
machine" that scraped it from an unnamed web site is telling.)

-Declan

---

From: "valmailing" <valmailing () staff vault com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Subject: Re: Thanks
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 19:02:11 GMT
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Sir,
The real definition of spam is if a company wants to market a product.  WE 
are not marketing a product-we are asking employees to participate in our 
surveys. In spam, we would not be emailing eachother this way-a spam is a 
machine that doesn't respond back like i do.
We know who our contacts are-if they're not interested, we do not mail them 
anymore. If they do participate we offer them information that we do have 
on employers of their interest for free.
If you are interested, and I hope you are, below is the 
link:http://www.vault.com/go/to.jsp?place=27182

Thanks,
Val

Declan McCullagh writes:
> So this is spam, right? It's bulk unsolicited email, and you harvested my 
> email address from the web or similar source, right?
> -Declan
> At 06:46 PM 7/17/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> > Dear Declan,
> > Thanks for responding back to us.  Vault collects employee contacts 
> > through various internet search engines.  If we are interested in a 
> > particular company, we have a machine that grabs all the emails that are 
> > on the web.
> > For example if you are in someones guestbook, or participated in an 
> > online advertisement, or perhaps a discussion, our machine will grab your 
> > email address and name.
> > Just to remind you,we are in no way affiliated with any other company.
> > All responses are anonymous.  Please view the links I gave you in the 
> > last email to look at the content of the surveys.  You will be helping 
> > thousands of job seekers make the right career decisions.
> > Declan McCullagh writes:
> > > From what source did you obtain my email address?
> > > -Declan
> > > At 06:25 PM 7/17/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> > > > Dear Declan,
> > > > Thanks for responding back to us. Vault is continuing to collect 
> > > > information about numerous employers-that is why we are emailing you to 
> > > > participate in our surveys on Mail-Well.  Through your valuable 
> > > > information, you are helping thousands of future Mail-Well job seekers 
> > > > make right career choices. I hope you do participate.
> > > > Thanks again,
> > > > Val
> > > > Declan McCullagh writes:
> > > > > Why are you sending me these messages?
> > > > > It looks like spam to me.
> > > > > At 10:08 AM 7/17/2003 -0400, you wrote:
> > > > > > Dear Declan,
> > > > > > Early this month, I sent you a link to a brief (one-page) anonymous 
> > > > > > survey on
> > > > > > Mail-Well, web-based at http://www.vault.com/go/to.jsp?place=27182
> > > > > > As you know, Vault continually collects information on top employers 
> > > > > > like Mail-Well in
> > > > > > order to help job seekers make informed career decisions.
> > > > > > To demonstrate how these surveys really work, I'm now sending you a 
> > > > > > link to our
> > > > > > employee surveys on Microsoft submitted recently by professionals 
> > > > > > like you -
> > > > > > please click
> > > > > > http://www.vault.com/companies/company_main.jsp?product_id=342&co_pag 
> > > > > > e= 10 &gs=19836
> > > > > > (make sure you've got the whole link, ending with 19836). Your link 
> > > > > > will work
> > > > > > through midnight (EST) on Sunday, July 20.
> > > > > > One of those surveys (the second one) is our May contest Winner ($500 
> > > > > > cash
> > > > > > prize). We'll be sending info on our June contest winners later this 
> > > > > > week.
> > > > > > We are offering our survey contributors one-week free access to all 
> > > > > > available
> > > > > > surveys on their company and on two more companies of their choice, 
> > > > > > provided
> > > > > > that such surveys exist. Please indicate your companies of choice if 
> > > > > > you decide
> > > > > > to fill out a new survey - http://www.vault.com/go/to.jsp?place=27182
> > > > > > You can share your thoughts on your previous employers as well.
> > > > > > Monthly contest runners-up will continue to receive their free annual
> > > > > > subscription to all Vault career content.
> > > > > > Sincerely,
> > > > > > Val Hadjiyski
> > > > > > Vault
> > > > > > "Vault has a winner on its hands. Recommended for libraries and 
> > > > > > institutions
> > > > > > providing career research support... a comprehensive source for all
> > > > > > career-related informational needs."
> > > > > > - Library Journal, 2002
> > > > > > *****
> > > > > > To unsubscribe from Vault mailings, please click
> > > > > > http://209.10.50.154/util/unsubscribe.cfm





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