SPAM or not SPAM, that is here the question

[Miraculix]

Please Note:
I am painting the following scenario as a hypothetical example.


Your Job:
Identify the Spam Scenario(s)


Consider the following EXAMPLE:

Let's assume that Peter maintains a web site where people come to post their gmail invites. People come and post stuff like "If you want a gmail invite, just email me at xxx@xxx.com". Further assume that Peter makes no money of the web site. It's stricly non-commercial.


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Scenario 1: Peter visits a public forum and he emails 1 member he can find, who is asking for a gmail invite to visit his web site.


Question:
Spam or not Spam?

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Scenario 2: Peter visits a public forum and sends a BCC to 25 members he can find, who are asking for a gmail invites to visit his web site.

Question:
Spam or not Spam?


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Scenario 3: Peter visits a public forum and sends an email to 2001 members within 24 hours who are asking for gmail invites to visit his web site.

Question:
Spam or not Spam?

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Scenario 5: Peter visits multiple forums and sends email to 10000 members within 24 hours who are asking for gmail invites to visit his web site.

Question:
Spam or not Spam?

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Scenario 6: Peter enables Google Adsense on his site, visits a public forum and sends an email to 1999 members within 24 hours who are asking for gmail invites to visit his web site.

Question:
Spam or not Spam?

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Scenario 7: Peter enables Google Adsense on his site, visits a public forum and sends an email to 10000 members within 24 hours who are asking for gmail invites to visit his web site.

Question:
Spam or not Spam?

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Just identify the spam scenario(s).


Thank you for your time and participation!


Good luck,

Miraculix

[drzoid]

Spam in all seven cases IMHO, except MAYBE for the first, but this arguable.

[mmj]

Could you please define exactly what you mean by the phrase, 'asking for a gmail invite to visit his web site'?

Does this mean that he finds somebody who has posted asking for a gmail invite, and he sends this person an email asking them to visit his website? Does the email itself contain a gmail invite? If the email does not contain a gmail invite, then he would be sending them an unwanted email (they only want an email with a gmail invite) and therefore it can be considered spam.

[Miraculix]

>Does this mean that he finds somebody who has posted asking for a gmail invite, and >he sends this person an email asking them to visit his website?

YES! And the email itself does not contain a gmail invite.

Initially I was planning on saying:
For these hypothetical scenarios, please assume that gmail invites are sent manually from email to email and not via google interface (I am assuming that's the way it is, I dont have gmail). But I thought it would confuse people, therefore I left it out. Further gmail invites is a variable here. You could use anything... just trying to make it realistic.

So what is your opinion? Spam in all 7 cases as well?

Regards,

Miraculix

[mmj]

The google interface does indeed have an interface from which you send the invite. You do not have to copy and paste manually. If you really want the invitation code, you can send the invitation to yourself (at your other email address) and then just copy and paste the link you get.

My opinion would be that yes, it is spam in all 7 cases. The problem with spam is not that a person receives a single unwanted email - the problem is that a person is just as likely to receive hundreds of unwanted emails from different sources every day. Every single unwanted email only contributes a small amount to the problem, but this does not allow a spammer to justify their spamming by saying 'it is only one unwanted email, it does not add to the problem much', because that is precisely what the problem is made up of.

Some may see it that since you are pretty sure that the recipient would like a gmail invite and the site you're advertising is a service for getting gmail invites, then it is targetted enough not the be spam. However, I would say that regardless of how targetted the email is, it is still spam as long as it is unwanted. Even though it is only a small inconvenience and there is a slight chance they would be interested in your web site, lots of small inconveniences combine together.

I must say however that definitions and perceptions of what spam is, and the issues surrounding it, differ between people.

[Miraculix]

"However, I would say that regardless of how targetted the email is, it is still spam as long as it is unwanted."

Quick question:
So the definition of "unwanted e-mail" within your context would be, any type of e-mail the person has not opt-in for, correct?

[mmj]

Yes, I would say an unwanted email is an email from somebody who you don't already have a relationship with and which you did not ask for or invite, though especially if it advertises a product or service.

[drzoid]

So the definition of "unwanted e-mail" within your context would be, any type of e-mail the person has not opt-in for, correct?

Not in any case. It fully depends on the context surrounding it. If the primary intent of the email is to advertise something then I would consider it as Spam.

[Citizen Craig]

Vising a forum and posting invites could be acceptable depending on the forum I guess...

but emailing these subscibers is SPAM...

My advise? Join some safelists
e.g

Google Groups
Yahoo Groups
Safe List

etc...

[Miraculix]

If the primary intent of the email is to advertise something then I would consider it as Spam.

What if the primary intent is to inform? What about a survey?

[drzoid]

What if the primary intent is to inform? What about a survey?

As I said it fully depends on the background the email was sent on. Inform, advertise, mention, whatever .... these are just words. If your intention to contact someone was to promote your site and drag visitors to it, then it is Spam. If its just a favour you are trying to do I wouldnt necessarily call it Spam, however then you can also simply refer this person to the one with the invitation.