IETF RUN Working Group Sally Hambridge / Intel
draft-ietf-run-adverts-00.txt Donald Eastlake 3rd
March 1998
$$$$$ MAKE ENEMIES FAST $$$$$
or
How to Advertise Responsibly Using the Internet
Abstract
Contrary to popular belief, the Internet did not spring
fully-clothed from Zeus's head, but it did grow like kudzu. This
growth engendered a large new user population some of whom are
more than willing to use the Internet in ways for which it was
never intended. This seems to be especially true about people
who are new to the Internet and see it as the perfect advertising
vehicle. Those people are sure to "make enemies fast" by sending
mass unsolicited mailing or posting advertisements heedlessly
to news groups. This document gives some guidelines and advice
about how to advertise responsibly using the Internet.
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet Draft. Internet Drafts are working
documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its Areas,
and its Working Groups. Note that other groups may also distribute
working documents as Internet Drafts.
Internet Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six
months. Internet Drafts may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted
by other documents at any time. It is not appropriate to use
Internet Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than
as a "working draft" or "work in progress."
Please check the I-D abstract listing contained in each Internet Draft
directory to learn the current status of this or any other Internet
Draft.
It is intended that this document will be submitted to the IESG for
consideration as a standards document. Distribution of this document
is unlimited.
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1. Introduction
A lot of the population which is new to the Internet think that the
Internet "old guard" (defined as anyone who was using the Internet
before the invention of web browsers) are diametrically opposed to
using the Internet for advertising. This is not true. But in
general, Internet culture opposes use of the network in irresponsible
ways and this usually includes people who advertise by sending
unsolicited information to Netnews groups and Internet mailing lists.
People who "spam" mailing lists and Netnews groups depend on the
cooperative nature of the Internet protocols as they were developed
during times when there were no Internet advertisers. The protocols
do not associate costs with volume of messages sent. Although it
makes the Internet an attractive medium for advertising (because it
seems cheap), it really shifts the cost from the sender to the
recipient. The recipient pays for connectivity, for the cost of
downloading the message, for disk space, and for the time needed to
deal with the mail. The sender bears a very small fraction of the
overall cost. This is why many Internet citizens have come to think
of receiving unsolicited mail as "theft of service". It has also come
to be called "Internet Pollution."
There is money to be made through Internet advertising (although
surveys show that selling stuff on the Internet is not as rewarding as
selling routers and network connections - as it was more rewarding
during the Gold Rush in California to sell shovels and Levis(R).)
This document recommends ways to advertise on the Internet which will
not engender hate-mail or threats of law-suits. It does not guarantee
freedom from those things, but it should reduce the volume of any
complaints you might receive to a level with which most humans can
cope.
2. Caveats
Even though it is financially attractive to advertise via mass
unsolicited mail or by mass postings to netnews, AVOID THIS
TEMPTATION. You may make money. You make get some interested
customers. You may expand your business. But you will alienate
hundreds to thousands of people. You will damage your credibility.
You may even lose your connectivity. Advertising on the Internet
means taking responsibility for the persona you create. If you are
going to be Dr. Frankenstein and create a monster, you MUST take
responsibility for the actions of and reactions to that monster.
Remember the Golden Rule (and in this case we do not mean the version
which states "he who has the gold makes the rule"): treat others as
you want to be treated. Also, think about what would happen if
everyone on the Internet mass mailed everyone else on the Internet.
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It is important for the Internet advertiser to maintain a quality
reputation for fairness, honesty, and integrity. This is dictated by
the rate at which both information and misinformation travel on the
Internet. If you get a reputation for being unfair, dishonest, or
slimey DESERVED OR NOT it will take a very long time for you to
overcome the stigma. With this in mind, you MUST NOT in any way forge
information in messages you send or in information you post. Changing
the information about yourself or the machines which handle your
traffic in ways which obscure your true identity (forging) is now
illegal in several jurisdictions and people have been successfully
prosecuted. Illegal or not, don't do it if you want to maintain your
spotless reputation.
It is also unethical to use network resources of another party or
person without their express permission. You MUST NOT send mail
through a mail host which belongs to anyone else without their
permission (mail relaying).
Be very careful in soliciting information from people on the Internet.
As the saying goes, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog" [1].
You will not be able to tell from whom you are collecting information
and they may not be a legal adult with complete discretionary and
plenipotentiary power. In other words, you may be dealing with a
six-year old. Or a dog.
Let people know you are collecting data and what you plan to do with
the information you are collecting. Remember that the laws on what is
legal to collect vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and make sure
you understand these legal implications.
Finally, as words to live by, if you're not sure what you are planning
to do is bad, it probably is so don't do it.
3. Know your target audience
There are two parts to knowing your target audience: the first is to
actually TARGET the audience; and the second is getting to KNOW the
audience. As simple as this sounds, it seems as if most Internet
advertisers don't bother with either step.
One feels that it should be obvious to all that marketing an idea,
goods, or services should be targeted at an audience which is
receptive to them. Shotgunning your message doesn't really work in
any medium, but is much easier to do with the Internet than with paper
mail or telephone solicitations. Just because you (as an advertiser)
don't pay an immediate fee for sending out unsolicited ads doesn't
mean you pay nothing. You will pay in poor response time, in being
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mail-bombed, in having your account pulled by your Internet Service
Provider, and in having your ISP's network "black-holed" by other
sites trying to stem the tide of unsolicited stuff. All of this is
costly in time, if not in actual currency. All this cost could be
avoided if you take the time to figure out WHO really needs to see
your message. Do your research! Find out WHICH Netnews groups are
discussing topics in your area of interest; use the search engines
such as Yahoo, Lycos, and AltaVista to determine how other people have
selected their audiences or set up appropriate web sites. BUT DO NOT
BUY A MAILING LIST AND/OR MAILING LIST SOFTWARE AND BROADCAST YOUR
MESSAGE WILLY-NILLY TO ALL. This is not a good thing. Target your
audience.
Now that you know WHO should receive your message, find out HOW they
prefer to receive it. Many many mailing lists and Netnews groups hate
loathe and abhor unsolicited ads of any kind. Others are receptive to
ads for items which relate to the discussion at hand. Others may have
a special methodology they wish advertisers to follow, such as asking
the moderator for permission, or the moderator may prefer to cumulate
all ads, and post a periodic digest of them. The list or group may
have a FAQ (a list of Frequently Asked Questions) in which their
policy is stated. Be sure to read and comply. In order to discover
how your audience is going to respond, it is a good practice to
actually READ the postings of the group (or list) for two full months
BEFORE you post anything. Two months seems like an eternity in
Internet time, but in that two month period, you will learn what you
need to know about the group to guarantee you don't violate any of
their rules. And during that time if YOU should receive any
unsolicited ads, see how YOU feel about them. Hate them? Good!
Don't send them!
4. Can't wait for eternity?
Your need is immediate. You don't have two months you can wait. What
should you do? You may begin to advertise your goods and services
immediately if you choose "passive" methods to do so rather than
actively sending messages or posts.
Why not buy advertising space on an existing World Wide Web site?
Many sites on the World Wide Web support themselves by selling space
for advertisers. This method has several advantages: it's probably
cheaper than putting up your own site (Caveat: Your Milage May Vary);
You are using resources which already exist (recycling is a Good
Thing); Depending on the site from which you advertise your ad may be
specifically targetted at the most receptive audience ( a Very Good
Thing). Your message could become part of a larger context supporting
free email accounts, free Internet access, or even broadcast news.
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Alternatively, you can put up your own web site. There are many
companies who design and host web sites for businesses of every size
and type. They will be able to get you through the decisions of
whether or not you resigter as your own domain or use the domain name
of your service provider/host. They will be able to make
recommendations about the equipment needed, and give you 7x24 (that's
7 days by 24 hours - full coverage) support and do regular backups.
Keep your site fresh by making sure your information is up to date,
and that any links you may have to other sites are correct. (Of
course, you should ask a site for permission before linking to it.)
Put your product information in easy-to-read and easy-to-find format.
The latest wizzy technology is never the lowest common denominator, so
decide where your site falls in this spectrum.
Make sure you understand any legal ramifications of advertising your
products. Certain jurisdictions frown on content which is sexually
oriented while others don't care. Make sure you understand the
implications of World Wide advertising before entering the fray,
including trademarks and copyrights.
No matter what method you choose to use on the Web, there are a few
more caveats about customer interactions: first, make sure your
contact information - name, phone, email address - are all clear and
available; second, be careful in creating forms which gather
information about your customers as there is concern in the U.S.
about gathering information from minors without parental consent AND
there is concern about grabbing use information via persistent state
information; third, if you DO gather information about people and plan
to use it for marketing in any way be VERY clear to specify your plans
as people sign up.
5. No, mail really is the answer
You can't afford a Web site or even to advertise on other sites, and
mailing your information is about your only option. Here are some
DOs and DON'Ts. First, the DON'Ts. DON'T forge your mail headers
to make it look as if your messages orginate from anywhere other than
where they really originate. DON'T send out any sort of bogus message
to "cover" your intended activity. In other words, don't pretend that
a personal message from you to someone else was sent to a mailing list
by mistake so that you can use the body of that message to advertise.
Dear Tony - had a great time a lunch yesterday. Per your request,
here's the information on the latest widget I promised - blah blah
blah.
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DON'T use aggravating headers such as "Our research shows you're
interested in our product." Most of your recipients know this is
usually a bogus claim. DON'T create mailing lists from third party
sources. Many folks out there create mailing lists from addresses
which they have gathered in mildly to extremely unethical ways. Many
of these list-makers rely on grabbing volumes of addresses without
checking their legitimacy. In other words, they send out software
robots to grab addresses they find in News or Mailing List archives
which may be many years old! People change jobs, change ISPs, change
everything about themselves over time and trusting a third party for a
mailing list is just not wise. That third party may even have created
a mailing list from email eddresses of people who have asked to be
REMOVED from their mailing lists. They then sell these lists to poor
unsuspecting folks who think they're getting a list of people who will
welcome the unsolicited information.
Enough negativity! DO create a lively signature which tells the
minimum about your product/service. But keep it to 4 lines total. DO
participate in mailing lists and newsgroups which discuss topics
related to your product/service. You will find folks of a similar
interest there and many potential customers. So long as you aren't an
obnoxious jerk in your interactions with these groups you will find
your participation quite rewarding. DO ask people if they want to be
part of any mailing list you create. Be clear about your intentions
of how you plan to use the list and any other information you collect.
DO tell people how you gathered your list data. If they've signed up
from a web page, make sure they know they will be getting mail. Many
web pages have getting mail selected as default. Our recommendation
should be that the default should be that they do NOT wish to receive
mailings - even if they find your site of interest. DO keep your list
to yourself. Selling it would not be ethical. DO let people know how
to get off your list. Make this as easy as possible, DO let people
know what you plan to do with any data you collect. Make sure that
what you plan to do is legal.
You can check with the web site of the Better Business Bureau which
operates in the U.S. and Canada. (www.bbb.org) They have several
programs and services which can help advertisers in those countries,
and have other resources which will benefit advertisers of any
nationality.
Advertise responsibly that better mousetrap you have built, and the
world will beat a path to your email address.
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Appendicies
Most readers of this document probably already understand why
"Pyramid" or "Ponzi" schemes are fraudlent and, in most places,
criminal. However, for those who do not, the following is provided.
A.1 The classic pyramid
In the classic pryamid scheme, there is a list of a few people, you
send money to one or all of them, and then you shift that person off
the list and add your name to the list and send it to N people. The
idea is that when your name gets to the special place on the list, you
will get lots of money. The problem is that this only works for
everyone if there are an infinite number of people available.
As an example, lets look at a message with a list of four people where
you send five dollars to each, drop the top name, and add your name at
the bottom. There is probably also some stuff about sending "reports"
to people who send in money. And assume the rules encourage you to
send out lots of copies until you get ten direct responses, 100 second
level responses, etc., and claim there is a guarantee that you will
make lots of money fast if you follow the procedure.
First, note that someone or group has to have started this. When they
did, they got to specify all four names so it was probably four people
working together to split any profits they might get from being the
top of the pyramid (or maybe they send out four versions of the
original letter with their name order rotated).
And while the letters that accompany these things usually have all
kinds of junk in them about following the instructions exactly, the
most rational thing for you to do if you decided to participate in
such a thing, would be to (1) send no money to anyone else, and (2)
find three other people and replace all the names on the list. But
lets assume that not just you but everyone who ever participates
decides to follow the "rules" and to avoid the start up transient,
lets assume that it starts with one name on the list and for the next
three layers of people, a name gets added and only after the list is
up to four does everyone start dropping the top name.
What does this look like after nine levels if everything works
perfectly? The following table shows, for nine levels, how many
people have to participate, what each person pays out, gets in, and
nets.
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Level People Out In Net
1 1 0 $55,550 $55,550
2 10 $5 $55,550 $55,545
3 100 $10 $55,550 $55,540
4 1,000 $15 $55,550 $55,535
5 10,000 $20 $55,550 $55,530
6 100,000 $20 $5,550 $5,530
7 1,000,000 $20 $550 $530
8 10,000,000 $20 $50 $30
9 100,000,000 $20 0 -20
So if this scheme ever got this far, which is pretty unlikely, over
10,000 people would have made the "guaranteed" over $50,000. But the
problem is that to do that, a hundred million people (or over ten
thousand times are many) are out twenty dollars. And it can't
continue because you are running out of people. Level 10 would take
a billion people all of whom have $20 to mail off, which probably
don't exist. Level 11 would take ten billion, more people than exist
on the earth.
Pyramid schemes are always like this. A few people who start them
may make money but only because the vast majority lose money. People
who particpate and expect to make any money, except possibly those
who start it, are being defrauded and for this reason such scheme are
illegal in many countries.
A.2 What about Ponzi?
A Ponzi scheme is very similar to a pyramid except that all the money
goes through a single location. They are named after a person in
Boston who claimed to have a way to earn huge returns on money by
buying international postal reply coupons and redeming them in
postage for more than their cost. Early "investors" in this scheme
did get paid, but only with money that later investors were putting
in. He was really doing nothing with the money other than living off
it and paying some of the new investors money out to old investors.
Just like early pyramid participants make make money off of later
ones.
Just as pyramids always collapse, Ponzi schemes always collapse also;
when the new people and new money run out. This can have serious
consequences. People died and much of the country's savings were
squandered when huge Ponzi schemes that seemed to be partly backed by
the government in Albania collapsed.
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A.3 So all multi-levels are evil?
No, all multi-level systems are not the same.
If what you have moving around is just money and maybe "reports" or
the like that are very cheap to produce, then almost certainly it is
a criminal scam. If there are substantial goods and/or services
being sold through the system at reasonable prices, it is more likely
to be legitimate.
If it says you can make lots of money "fast," "easy" or "guaranteed,"
be very suspicious. If it says you may be able to make lots of money
by putting in lots of hard work over many months but there is no
guarantee, then it may be OK.
If people are paid to recruit "members" or can "buy" a high "level",
it is almost certainly a criminal scam. If people are paid only for
the sale of substantial goods and/or services, it is more likely to
be legitimate.
It may also be worth your while to look at the history of the
organization and its founders/leaders. The longer it has been around,
the more likely it is to continue being around. If its founders or
leader have a history of fraud or crime, maybe you should think very
carefully before being part of it.
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References
[1] Steiner, P. _New Yorker_. July 5, 1993. p.61.
Authors' Addresses
Sally Hambridge
Intel Corp
2200 Mission College Blvs
Santa Clara, CA 95052
sallyh@ludwig.sc.intel.com
Donald E. Eastlake 3rd
318 Acton Street
Carlisle, MA 01741 USA
dee@cybercash.com
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