Subject: A reply to a spammer [was RE: Open to a new way of meeting.]

From: "Arik Baratz" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 11:12:05 +0200

Hello

I've taken my time to reply to a spammer with a valid email address. I'm interested at your thoughts. His original email is below.

--- snip ---

Hello Mitch

I make it a practice to never answer UCE (=unsolicited commercial email), but I will make an exception in your case, the reason being that this is obviously an address from an expensive database, which contains the name of the company I work for and my first name along with my email. I have to say I don't see that many around. And this is the first UCE  for this address.

I am a netizen (= citizen of the internet) from way back, at 1994. Back then, there were nearly no commercial companies on the internet, and the ones that were (IBM, Intel) were too big and successful to engage in illegal activities such as mass mailing, address harvesting and the like.

Since then naivety has all but disappeared. You cannot open a web page (there was no web in 1994) without having some pop-up ads intrude on your experience. If you dare write a message on a UseNet forum, your email address will, without a doubt, get into spammers databases.

And since I was an early participant, my home email address (not this one) is everywhere. And I get a lot of UCE (= unsolicited commercial email). Tons of it. I get as many as 50 useless, annoying messages a day. And that's after I have taken some extreme measures to reduce the amount. It used to be much higher.

Now, as a 'UCE veteran', I tend to see the pattern in the UCE I receive. There's the sex site ads, there's the animal sex site ads, there's the viagra and viagra-substitutes ads, there's the 'enlarge your member' ads, there's the 'speed up your internet' ads, and there are the Nigeria money laundering schemes and the various MLMs. Oh yes, and the 'work from your home' and 'repair your credit' ones.

These are all low-life companies trying to push me stuff I don't want, don't need, or better not. If I get an email from the occasional legit company (such as yours), believe me Mitch, THEY ARE IN BAD COMPANY.

Moreover, if a respectable company like WebEx has to resort to UCE in order to get more business, it must be in BAD shape. Would you publish WebEx on the 'sex ads' page of a tabloid? I hardly think so. But that's precisely what you do when you send me UCE.

Therefore, Mitch, the fact that you have sent me this email greatly reduces my incentive for doing business with your company, without ever visiting your website and without thoroughly reading your email!

Take care Mitch, and please remove my email address - [email-masked] - from any future mailings. TIA (=thanks in advance). You can reply to this specific email, if you wish.

-- Arik

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 9:45 PM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Open to a new way of meeting.

"WebEx is a natural fit. The ability to conduct online meetings and share applications, presentations and browsers allows our users to take full advantage of the benefits of the web."
- Gloria Chen, Director of Strategy, Adobe.com

Dear Arik,

I manage your territory area at WebEx, and I am focused on providing companies like Vidius, Inc. with our market leading service for conducting Real Time Meetings over the Web. I was researching your web site today and believe our web-based meeting center would be a "natural fit" for Vidius, Inc..  
I
 ncrease Vidius, Inc.'s communication effectiveness while decreasing your cost of Sales, Training and Support with online meetings through WebEx Communications.
 
* Show PowerPoint presentations on-the-fly with anyone in the world
* Train customers or employees on new products from their desk
* Review, annotate or modify contracts or other documents with anyone, anywhere
* Perform product demonstrations in real-time without leaving your desk
* Show prospects important information or live demos on your website
* Support your remote employees and customers faster and more effectively

All of this is accomplished without the need for IT to host any hardware or software - all you need is a browser and a phone.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to speaking with you to determine if WebEx is a "natural fit."

Please reply to this email with a time that works for you to discuss the many opportunities WebEx has to offer. Arik, if you are not the correct contact at Vidius, Inc. to speak with, could you please direct me to the proper person? Thank you for your time.

Mitch Vanderwall
WebEx Corporate Solutions
Powering Real Time Meetings on the Web! 
WebEx Communications, Inc.
2868 Prospect Park Drive, Suite 310
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 
(916) 636-8007 direct
(866) 545-8498 x8007 toll free
(916) 636-8076 fax 

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