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Dear Networker:
 
I am sending this note to you because you have recently "spammed" me--
that is, you have sent unsolicited email to me as well as a large
number of other people.
 
You might have sent some sort of well-meaning charitable note, such as the
one asking that recipients send postcards to Craig Shergold or some other
dying child. You might have sent a chain letter promising wealth and sex
if I pass it on, or dire consequences if I "break the chain." You might
have sent a cookie recipe. You might have replied to somebody who spammed
you, and sent the note to all the thousands of original recipients. Or,
worst of all, you might have sent an advertisement or some form of
proselytization.
 
But, whatever you sent, it was quite unwelcome.
 
Spamming is one of the most disturbing practices on the Internet these
days. Its affects on all, from spammer to spammee to innocent bystander,
are almost universally harmful, and quite often terribly devastating.
First, you created a tremendous load on the 'net when you sent your note.
If your message was of typical length and sent to a typical number of
recipients, you generated dozens of megabytes of network traffic with your
initial message alone; the overloaded 'net certainly does not need this
extra burden.
 
You also have undoubtedly sparked countless pointless conversations on
many email lists and Usenet discussion groups, some of which might very
well temporarily or permanently render those forums useless to their
participants. Such babbling also is quite capable of generating orders of
magnitude more traffic than the original message--maybe even gigabytes,
the equivalent of millions of pages of text.
 
And you are making your site a prime target for the unscrupulous but
unfortunately popular practice of "mailbombing"--repeated automated
mailing of multiple-megabyte files until the recipient account, machine,
or network is overwhelmed.
 
You have cost many people time and money. Some people even pay for each
message sent to them based on the size of that message, regardless of if
they wanted the message, or even read it; others still have slow network
connections that might not even display text as fast as one could read it.
 
You may have violated your acceptable use agreement with your service
provider and be subject to loss of access privileges.
 
And you are undoubtedly the recipient of a number of messages such as this
one, which cannot be a pleasant experience.
 
Very likely, your message was well-intentioned. You didn't know any
better, or thought the people you sent the message to would get a kick out
of it, or thought it was an acceptable use of the 'net, or just plain
didn't think. Rest assured, however, that the practice of spamming is most
unwelcome and universally frowned upon--or worse.
 
If you feel the urge to distribute a message in a similar manner in the
future, just don't. Instead, take the time to find out who wants to hear
what you have to say. Send personal notes to individuals you know. Search
for forums that discuss your topic; you will find your most receptive and
enthusiastic audience already assembled for you. Start your own discussion
group and advertise its creation in the proper manner. But please, however
you tell the world what you feel it must know, do it responsibly, and in a
manner that does not bring us all grief.
 
Sincerely,
 
b&
 
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--
[log in to unmask], Arizona State University School of Music
 net.proselytizing (write for info): Protect your privacy; oppose Clipper.
 Voice concern over proposed Internet pricing schemes. Stamp out spamming.
 Finger [log in to unmask] for PGP 2.3a public key.