[thelist] re: spam?

[Robert Hanson]

Chris, your point is well taken.  I did say "make this friendlier" so
hopefully it was not just the wording that threw you off; that if you got
an email that conveyed this info (regardless of how it was worded) you'd
still can it.

I'm sort in in the same situation as the other writer who started this
thread (Alex).  I'd like to build traffic to my site by doing the
following:
1) locate a website I know my visitors would be interested in, because the
site has the same subject matter as my site.
2) Place a link on my site, to their website.
3) Send a email to the owner of the website.   Tell them about my link to
their site.  If they want, I will position my link more prominently if they
put a link to me on their site.
4) That is it - nothing else.  No action *required* on the other website
owner's part, but mutual benefits if they do.

The sites I want to list on my page are all commercial sites, while my site
is non-commercial.  I do think it makes a difference when the site you're
writing to is a commercial site.

Comments?




"chris at martiantechnologies.com" <chris on 10/12/2004 10:32:33 AM

To:    Robert Hanson <rhanson at mva.com>
cc:    thelist at lists.evolt.org

Subject:    Re: [thelist] re: spam?


Robert

[..]

> I have added a link on my site to your site, and over the past 3 weeks
have
> directed 13,000 unique visitors to your site.  If you appreciate the
> additional traffic, please put a link on your site back to mine.  If you
> do, I'll make sure the link to your site remains prominently placed on my
> site's home page.  If you decide not to, I'll be forced to remove the
link,
> and you will lose the additional 6,000 visitors a week that I have been
> providing.  Please let me know the url of the page with my link by
Friday.

If I received this in my inbox, I would ignore it and block any further
emails from the domain. I may report the organisation from which it
originated to the relevant authorities or watchdog organisation.

Even if through some lapse in judgement I didn't take the above cited
 action, I would want to see who exactly these 13,000 "unique visitors"
 were, and I would want to know exactly what they did on my site. Having
 13,000 car enthusiasts click on a link described as "Aston Martins for
 FREE!!!!!" and being sent to my automated dairy equipment website is
 nothing more than a foetal DoS. Deadlines and threats only serve to
 alienate your organisation from anyone to whom you see fit to send an
 email like this, and
 will certainly not benefit your business in any conventional manner.

Regards

Chris Marsh