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Please help me fight evil

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Anonymous

unread,

Feb 5, 1995, 1:50:14 PM2/5/95

I made the following post to another group, but I could sure use your
help as well, in support of a good cause:

As most of you are aware, a user at aloha.com made a commercial post in
this group a while back, and he and his service provider, d...@aloha.com
(that's d...@aloha.com, got that? :-) ) got some complaints as a result.

So far, nothing unusual. What is unusual is Del has said that:

(1) He has no obligation to do anything about bad behavior among his users.
(2) He has no obligation to the Internet community.
(3) Greed will guide his actions in such matters.
(4) He doesn't like to be bothered with complaints; he's a busy man.
(5) People like him are the future of the net, and we'd better get used
to it, because there's nothing we can do about it.

Here are a couple of excerpts from his posts:

=============================================================================

> I will never, ever, buy or use anything that you are involved with. I
> will advise everyone I know to do the same. Spamming is wrong.

I am not condoning spamming. It is just that as a commercial outfit, I
need paying users. That is why I am in business.

So far, the flex user in question has done nothing illegal. And he pays
his bills.

The Net is changing. I suggest you adjust your attitude and altitude.

=============================================================================

> Next time, respond to me personally if you have a problem, not in front
> of the group. I suggest that you adjust your attitude and altitude if
> you want to stay in a people oriented service industry. Does your client
> know you are hacking on people like me. Bet he'd be impressed. Know I am.

Well, "attitude and altitude" is our registered trademark, but I'll take
your use of my term as compliment enough that you've gained something
from our discourse. Catchy, ain't it? hehe. Yup, I'll let ya use it again
if you want, no charge. <g>

Oh well, to each own. Bottom line is that you converse with the user
involved, and not go pestering busy sysadmins. We all have enough things
to do as it is. We are a commercial outfit, without stupid and antiquated
AUPs. Screw that.

For me, if it makes me money, or prevents me from losing money, I will
listen. Everything else matters not. Actions against this user along
your suggestions will most likely cost me money. Will directly paying
customers come flocking to my system because I am acting like a big ole
University system with an AUP? I doubt that.
=============================================================================

[end of excerpts]

If you've been on the Net for any time at all you've noticed that the
problem with commercial posts in places they don't belong is rapidly
getting worse. The very existence of Usenet as we know it is under
threat; commercial posts encourage other commercial posts, which drives
readers away. Fewer readers means fewer legitimate posters, etc. When a
user refuses to reform bad behavior, there is always the recourse of
complaining to the provider. When the provider is irresponsible, then
what?

There's not a lot one can do, since there is no higher authority. You
can't get guys like Del kicked off of the Net. The reason he is so
blatantly defiant is because he knows this. He is laughing at us.

Del does have a weak spot, however: his users. If you send email to them
explaining that Del is a jerk and why this harms the Net, and suggest that
they find other providers (there are several in Hawaii), some may leave
aloha.com. Maybe quite a few, since I know from reading other groups that
some of the users are already unhappy. In any case, it will attack his
reputation with his customers, something a businessperson can ill afford.
(While you're at it, why not add a note of complaint to Del himself?)
Please, please, please remember that the users are not the enemy, and that
you are inconveniencing them, albeit slightly, by sending them this mail.
Please be very nice to them.

I have collected addresses of 224 aloha.com users. If you have a Unix
shell account, I've made it easy on you by embedding the names in "mail"
commands, at the end of this post. Put the text of your mail to the users
in a file named, say, x. Cut the block of mail commands out of this post
and put them in, say, file y. Then just enter "sh y x". If you don't
have a Unix shell account, I'm afraid you'll have to pick the names out
and put them where your mailing program wants. If you can't, or don't
want to, mail to every user listed, mail to as many as you can, or even
just one.

Are you violating netiquette by mailing to the users? I don't know. Can
you get into trouble with your provider? I can't see how, if the mail is
cordial, and you just state an opinion. You're not selling anything, and
this is not "mail spamming"--even though the list of recipients is
sizeable, each person only gets one copy. It's also in a good cause.
It's hard to see how even Del could object, since he thinks that there are
no rules on the "new" Internet.

Here are the mail commands:

CyberKnght

unread,

Feb 6, 1995, 11:37:10 PM2/6/95

How about somehow emailing everybody that uses that service provider about
the perceived problem?

How about the service provider instructing his clients in the CORRECT way
to use the internet for business purposes. Posting commercials to the
forums is NOT the correct way. There are books about the correct way.

Let this provider's customers vote with their feet. Give them the
information and let them boycot him if they feel so inclined.

I don't condone spamming. I don't object to it, but I don't condone it.
I also don't condone worthless advertising to our message forums.

*(*(*(*(* CyberKnight *(*(*(*(*(*
Cyber...@Aol.Com

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