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The Museum of Clueless Internet Marketing
Enter the Exhibit Hall
“It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a constant flow of fraudulent advertising is no trivial thing. There is more than one way to conquer a country.”
Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), U.S. author. Letter, 15 Nov. 1951, to his New York literary agent Carl Brandt (published in Raymond Chandler Speaking, 1962).
E-j-mail: electronic junk mail. I keep getting it. I don't want it. But I keep getting it.
In my column,
E-j-mail: The Dirge of the Internet, I discussed the growing problem of Internet junk mail, messages that are sent to private users' mail boxes, uninvited, and take up bandwidth and storage (not to mention wasting the recipient's time and Internet access fees) with blatant advertising and drivel.On this page, I'm going to publish some of the more outrageous "offers" and spams that I receive. Some may sound familiar; some may appear to describe illegal activities (like pyramid schemes). The text of each message will be unabridged, just as the originator sent it to me. Although some may seen innocuous, some really offend me.
How these bozos get my addresses, I'm not sure. Some may get leads from
USENET, others from postings to online services. Others obviously do research on the services, stealing addresses with the "member search" features. In one case, the sender openly admitted that he'd gleaned my address from a public forum; when I balked, he naively argued that he'd done nothing to violate the service's rules (wrong).I also suspect that Web auditing is a secret research tool. It's become quite common to be asked for information before entering a particular server's content area. Naturally, the producers want to know about who's visiting. They also probably want to sell the information to other list companies for sales leads. But what if you don't want to provide that information? Well, good auditing software can capture e-mail addresses, or the clues needed to rebuild them, from everyone who accesses a Web site. I've begun to wonder about webmasters using auditing to develop mailing lists that can be covertly sold to third parties. To investigate, I'm using quarantined Web access, a covert account, to see if I start getting e-j- mail without ever e-mailing, or posting publicly, from it.
What I'm noticing more and more about e-j-mail, is that service providers are hooking up users with an almost total disregard for the resource that they're renting access to.
I'm not sure quite how to eradicate e-j-mail. The best that I know, at the moment, is to forward the mail back to the recipient with a stern lecture that I don't like e-j-mail, and want the sender to stop. I also CC: the message to the service's administrator, "
postmaster@[domain-name]" (that is, "postmaster@spam- brutes.com"). Netcom seems to have a lot of spammers on their service, but at least responds to my complaints. Another trick: CC: your complaint to any advertisers whose addresses appear in the message. Several have told me they appreciate hearing that e-j-mail brings them such negative publicity; most who reply assure me they've already stopped patronizing e-mail ad agencies.Of course, the first, easiest recourse is your
DELETE key. But that won't stop it from coming -- only sweep up the filth from your In Box.Please note some entries marked with the > character, in red (some browsers). This denotes advertising that I feel demontrates a high risk pitch, usually requesting private information such as home address, phone number or credit information that could be exploited illegally. My advice ... stay away from these!
Exhibits
Bulk e-j-mail software, just what every spammer needs
Uhhh ... what's the product, pyramid racketeering schemes?
Whatever you do, don't pass up the opportunity to auto-redial their 800-number!
Where's the beef?
Y'know ... for the kids!
We interrupt your e-mail with this emergency bulletin ... but first, a word from our sponsor --
Forums and newsgroups are great for marketing!
How to make money with floppies -- AOL beware!
America Online ... leading the pack? (featuring Actual AOL logon billboards)
From Russia With Love
Making Money By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Bulk e-j-mail software, just what every spammer needs
Subj: Floodgate Date: 96-05-09 18:58:19 EDT From: worldnet@mail.netfree.com (Prime Data Worldnet Systems) Reply-to: worldnet@mail.netfree.com To: (Floodgate)@emin14.mail.aol.com BULK E-MAIL SOFTWARE 1996 is going to be your best year yet! Last year I developed a new marketing strategy. The people I've already taught this to have more leads than they can deal with! Most are making more money than they've ever made in their life! This is the same software that all the bulk emailing services use! ------------------------------------------------------------------- FLOODgate Bulk E-mail Loader for Windows Version 4.0 now Supports 12 File Formats including AOL ------------------------------------------------------------------- SEND OUT 500+ MARKETING LETTERS EVERY SINGLE DAY! Or... every few days. Or 50,000 or 100,000 every day!! In fact, when I send out 500 marketing letters each day, it doesn't take long before I'm completely swamped with e-mail inquiries and phone calls. This is very easy to do. And each one of these bulk mailings costs me nothing. I can teach you how to do this and provide you with the tools you'll need. Every single day our mailboxes are stuffed, with new inquiries, questions, and that wonderful phrase, "I've just sent you an order." Floodgate is a bulk e-mail loader. It allows you to easily build huge targeted mailing lists. Use these lists to send your marketing letter, or your clients marketing letter, to 100,000's of people. As you know, there is no charge to send e-mail, via the Internet. If you'd like to hear more about FLOODGATE, simply send an E-Mail to my autoresponder at: info@netfree.com and in the message area type ONLY the following words, nothing more: get Floodgate You will receive additional Floodgate information in a matter of seconds. Regards, Vernon Hale Prime Data Systems Bowling Green, KyBack to Exhibits
Uhhh ... what's the product, pyramid racketeering schemes?
FROM: "Charles Wilson", INTERNET:cwilson@bang.netbiz.net TO: (unknown), INTERNET:CWILSON@BANG.NETBIZ.NET DATE: 5/10/96 20:07 Re: 100 people in your downline GUARANTEED You've Been Temporarily Placed!!! This e-mail is to notify you that you've been temporarily placed into one of the top positions in the Success Permanent Downline Team (SPDT). You've been picked to be one of the Top people to help assemble and lead an International 5,000 member Permanent Downline Team. As one of the Top people in the downline, you will benefit greatly from all of your efforts as well as ours and the entire downlines. SPDT is in the process of assembling a Team of 5,000 like-minded Marketers from around the World to form and maintain one the First Ever, Permanent Downline Team. We are doing this in a way that will ensure that Everyone who gets involved with us from the Top to the Bottom of the downline Will Receive a Good, Solid, Monthly Residual Income. Read on for the Complete Details. Here's The Situation We're Facing Because of the number of Network Marketing Companies in existence, starting up, and going out of business these days, most of us are not making the kind of money that we could be. It seems that we are spending most of our time and money continually building and rebuilding our downlines instead of making money. What's happening is that many people are jumping from one program to another looking for the "perfect program". At the same time, we're all trying to recruit each other into each others' programs. What's worse is, many of us has had some of our dreams and money stolen from us by unethical people and quite frankly, We are Fed up With It. We Are Doing Something About It! What's The Solution Good common sense says that we can all make more money if we join together and stay in the same downline. In this way if a company should fail, our downline will still be intact and after we all vote, SPDT will enroll us into another company without any of us missing a beat or a check. Many companies will come and go, but SPDT will be a permanent anchor that you can rely upon because SPDT is not a networking company and because SPDT is here for the long term. Here Is How We Will All Make More Money SPDT is limiting the first block of members to 5,000 people. Then all of the members and SPDT will vote to select a Top Company that offers the most Income to the members. After the selection, we will run it through the Complete Downline to provide a good monthly residual income for as many people as possible. Your Upline Becomes Your Downline! To insure That All the members of the downline make a good, solid, monthly residual income, SPDT and the members will select a Second Top Company that offers a different product or service with the same income potential for the members and will run the second company through the complete downline at the same time Except this time SPDT will REVERSE THE DOWNLINE. This way the people at the bottom half of the first company that are supporting the top people now become the top people in the second company! This basically insures the same income for all 5,000 members and pretty much guarantees 100% retention for every person enrolled in SPDT and in both companies. This way everybody will finally make money, not just the top people in an organization. It doesn't get any better than this! If We Fail To Build You A Substantial Downline You Will Owe Us Nothing! We are extremely serious about doing this and doing it right. SPDT has committed to cover all the costs associated with establishing and maintaining the "Permanent Downline". Therefore, there will be no upfront cost or monthly fees to you if you accept or invitation to become a Permanent Member of SPDT. All we will ask you in return for building you a "Permanent Downline" is to submit a $ 25.00 annual membership fee, after we have built you a substantial downline of over 100 people that will continue to grow. This fee will help offset the cost of establishing and maintaining the "Permanent Downline". All SPDT members will receive a web page for the Internet customized to the companies we are using to build our business. This page will have your name, address, telephone number, etc. and link to your e-mail address. You can design your own web page or use the one supplied by SPDT. Each member will receive an autoresponder to use to advertise the companies chosen. The autoresponder will work 24 hours a day supplying information on the company with your name and information. Each member will be given instructions on how to register their web page with the Internet search engines (approx. 500 places to list). SPDT will provide you with camera ready art for mailing campaigns. SPDT will monitor your downline for you to ensure maximum monthly revenue. SPDT will establish a discussion list (list server) that all SPDT members can use to share information on marketing, sales tips, etc. SPDT will publish a monthly e-mail marketing newsletter. SPDT will monitor the company we are associated with and will work to resolve any questions that come up. In case of company failure or other problems SPDT will find a replacemenet. SPDT will assist its members by participating in co-op advertising(optional and at additional cost). SPDT will constantly be looking for more ways for our members to earn more income in honest, ethical ways and, we will also be looking for scammers out there to stay away from. SPDT will do this and much more to help you however we can. You will get a lot for the $25.00 annual fee, wouldn't you say? You will not be charged anything until after the team has been put together and voted on a company to join. At the time of voting you will be required to send in your annual fee of $25.00 for your SPDT Membership. Why Would SPDT Do This For You? We stand to benefit just as much as you do once the Permanent Downline is in place. In addition, we have many more plans and ideas on how we can make more money once we have the SPDT together. We will be in a very strong position with a lot of leverage to capitalize on the many opportunities that will surely come our way. However, our main focus right now is to assemble the first 5,000 member downline team and to get as much money in as many members pockets just as fast as we can. The Decision Is Now Yours We have done our best to communicate to you what we believe is a Win Win situation for everyone who gets involved with us. We have assumed the leadership role and all the financial risk so you will have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by joining with us. The decision is yours, the future. We will make things happen, watch things happen or will you wonder what happened? Here Is How To Make Your Position Permanent Simply reply back to us with the following information. Once we receive your information, we will forward you a Welcome Aboard Letter that will give you more details on SPDT, and how we can all work together to build our team in the shortest amount of time. Here Is All We Need From You Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Country: Phone# Fax# E-Mail Address: Call our voice mail system at 304-788-5451. Your information can be sent via fax, you can leave a message or write to: Success Marketing Rt.1 Box 140-G Keyser, WV 26726. We will respond ASAP with your Welcome Letter. Lastly we want to assure you that we have no intention of using your information for any reason other than that which we have stated. We want you, not your information. We are men of integrity with many years of experience in the Networking Industry who have made a lot of money and have been let down many times by people who prey on other peoples' dreams. We will not do that to you! We are out to prove that you can succeed in this industry by helping people make their dreams come true instead of stealing them. Take the first step, join us and we will earn your trust. Don't delay Act today! Please note that this is the only notification that you will receive on this matter. The sooner you reply the better your position will be; which means the more money you will make. You can make copies of this outline and give to whomever you like for distribution purposes. Thank you for your time in considering this matter. We hope to hear back from you soon.Back to Exhibits
Whatever you do, don't pass up the opportunity to auto-redial their 800-number!
FROM: "INVESTORS INTERNATIONAL", INTERNET:invtrsint@thorin.instanet.com TO: (unknown), INTERNET:INVTRSINT@THORIN.INSTANET.COM DATE: 5/03/96 01:10 Re: PROTECT YOUR ASSETS PROTECT YOUR ASSETS... DON`T LET THIS OPPORTUNITY GET AWAY! Finally, a simple to do! Wealth Building Program, that is more profitable than even the most complicated franchise, direct sales, multilevel or investment opportunity, with NO RISK! We offer a personal financial program unlike anything else in the world and combined it with the most ingenious and most powerful income and profit structure ever devised! LEARN: Debt Negotiation * Investment Vehicles * International Banking Off-shore Trusts * Currency Trading * Tax Havens * Futures Trading No more money worries if you follow this simple plan. If you want to survive financial and emotional bloodletting which our tax system is imposing, YOU WILL WANT THIS INFORMATION. Just look at this and ask yourself: "Do I have a better plan?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 $18,750 $93,750 $218,750 $875,000 4-6 weeks 12-14 weeks 5-6 months 6-8 months ----------------------------------------------------------------------- We invite you to call for more details: 1-800-294-4795 24hrs. ONCE IN A LIFETIME AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF!Back to Exhibits
Where's the beef?
FROM: "greatsteak", INTERNET:greatsteak@angus.com TO: (unknown), INTERNET:GREATSTEAK@COMPUSERVE.COM DATE: 4/28/96 20:57 Re: Priced 10-20% lower than your Grocery Store ...... Our premium, Black Angus steaks are hand selected for your satisfaction and dining enjoyment. PureANGUS beef are raised on premium grains, creating the tenderest, most flavorful meat you have ever eaten. Your order is delivered right to the front door, by UPS or Federal Express, in containers you can use over again. Our prices, with delivery, are no more than your local grocery store's. Satisfaction or your money back !!! Tell your friends, neighbors and loved ones and when they place their first order we will send you one pound of beef, your choice per order, FREE. Now there's a THANKS you can really sink your teeth into! For prices and order forms, E-Mail: HT846@aol.com Thank you .......Back to Exhibits
Y'know ... for the kids!
FROM: INTERNET:guardian@pin-point.com, INTERNET:guardian@pin-point.com DATE: 4/22/96 02:30 Re: Safeguard {{{{{The Guardian}}}}}} We are Registered Agents for Child Shield,U.S.A, national firm dedicated to helping reduce the alarming numbers of lost, missing, and abducted children in America. If you are a parent, you owe it to your children to read this entire message . There is so a special offer at the end of this message. In these times of elevated violent crime and increased uncertainty, peace of mind has become one of our most precious assets. Nobody wants to believe that their child will ever be kidnapped, lost or run away, but the fact is nearly two million America hildren turn up missing every year. In fact, during the time it takes you to read this message, eight more children will become ens and the Authorities so much more to go on when searching for a missing child. Characteristics of voice, manner, and m on can greatly improve the likelihood that someone may remember having seen the child. Such a recollection could lead to a reunion of child and family. Within hours of the disappearance of a child Shield-protected child, we begin producing and distribution copies of that child's identification videotape to aid in the recovery effort. Through our extensive distribution network, the videos are first se to local and state police, then to neighboring states, and finally to law enforcement agencies in all fifty state, nationally-televised news programs. As sad as it may be, missing children are a fact of life in America. Pretending that these things don't happen is not the way to protect our children, but educating them is. The Child Shield Shield program is based on sound, preventive education firs and an effective, organized recovery system second. Our progrem offers more than a solution to the problem, it also offers prevention against the problem it self. Each Child Shield Kit includes an array of high-quality educational materials which teach parents and kids how to reduce the r own home, using any camcorder. (if you don't own a camcorder friend or relative will gladly land you theirs.) * Our "Guide To Safer Children" will teach you important ways to safeguard your children * Time is copy of "What To Do If Your Child Is Missing" tells you what to do, and when to do it. * The "Safety Seven Poster" is great for bedroom or playroom. It will help your children to learn and remember the seven rules for safety. *Your children will love our " Say No To Strangers" Coloring and Activity Book. It makes learning about safety fun for children. * Also included is a Missing Child Report Form. Of course, we hope you to compile the information needed by both the Police and Child Shield, U.S.A. to help you to find your missing child. *In addition, you will be provided with our exclusive pre-addressed protective Videotape Maiur child's Identification Videotape to Child Shield, U.S.A. headquarters, where it will be placed into protective storage. For security purposes, each videotap s cataloged by a secret code number, known ONLY to the parents. The Child Shield, U.S.A Videotape Registration service is just $29.95, and is good for two full years. That's only four cents a day to provide your child with the ultimate child protection service. > Herder by mail. OR you can E-mail your credit card infoTo: > guardian@pin-point.com. FAX ALL ORDERING INFORMATION TO: (718) 756-0982 Or E-mail it TO: guardian@pin-point.com or mail to... The Guardian P.O. Box 47109 Brookhours, we'll include our PHOTO REGISTRATION SERVICE KIT at no extra cost. With this added coverage, if your child were to turn up missing, Child Shield, U.S.A would produce one-thousand Missing Child Posters for you. The posters would include yo child's photograph, as well as other helpful identification information and a hotline number for people to call with any information that might help to locate the child. Child Shie, and relatives could begin posting them throughout the area right aw If you order now, you'll receive this added coverage at no additional cost.Please, never give out your phone number, address, account password or credit card information to anyone you don't know or haven't checked out. Be assured, sysops on most systems and services will never ask you for your password or any credit or billing information!
Back to Exhibits
We interrupt your e-mail with this emergency bulletin ... but first, a word from our sponsor --
FROM: INTERNET:OurChildrenAre@InDanger.com, INTERNET:OurChildrenAre@InDanger.com TO: (unknown), INTERNET:OURCHILDRENARE@INDANGER.COM DATE: 4/21/96 01:23 Re: IN DANGER <-- For best format, extend your window across the full screen --> The following message was sent to you by PIN-POINT - Your Business-to-Business Connection on the Internet . PIN-POINT provides commercial direct email services,& full service Internet Advertising. We can help you promote your product, service -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- REMOVAL FROM LIST: Simply HIT REPLY in type "remove" in the subject. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- . {{{{{ADVERTISING INFO AT END OF MESSAGE!}}}}}} -------------------------------------- The following message was sent to you by ... PIN-POINT bulk email service. ---------------------------------------- {{{{{{{{{{{OUR CHILDREN ARE IN DANGER}}}}}}} Every Forty Seconds, Another Child Becomes lost Or Missing In America Unless you are the parent of one of the more than One-Million children who are kidnapped, missing, lost, or who run away each year, it's easy to say, "It Couldn't Ever Happen To My Kid." Child Shield, U.S.A. is dedicated to helping parents protect their children. Child Shield, U.S.A. program offers parents: PREVENTION and SECURITY through education FIRST and an effective, organized RECOVERY system SECOND. To find out how you can safeguard your children Email our autoresponder: child@pin-point.com -------------------------------------------------------- The preceding message was sent to you by ... PIN-POINT bulk email service. If you want to respond to this ad, please don't hit "REPLY". Instead, send your responses to the appropriate address. -------------------------------------------------------- ADVERTISING INFORMATION Our list is Now 180.000, we will add 30.000 new names each week! DIRECT CO-OP MESSAGE TO OUR ENTIRE LIST: **Send a 5 line message to our entire list for $39....Plus get a FREE 5 line Ad in our Pin-Point Mall Classifieds for one full year. **Send a 10 line message to our entire list for $69.....Plus get a FREE 10 line Ad in our Pin-Point Mall Classifieds for one full year. With any co-op you order, for an additional $15 you can receive a autoresponder for a full your. PRIVATE ADS: **We can send your private business ad to our entire list of 180.000 for $250 A maximum of 60 line....we will only send TWO private Ad to our members each week............ 1st Come, 1st Served!!!! All Private Ads get a free 10 line ad in our Pin-Point Mall Classified & a free autoresponder for a full your.. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{ Mall Schedule To Open May 6 }}}}}}}}} http://www.pin-point.com WED SIT ANNOUNCEMENT SERVICE: **Announce your wed sit to our entire list for $19.....3 line maximum. This is a very inexpensive way to tell people about your web site!! -------------------------------------------------- EZ ORDER FORM Please print out this form if you wish to place an order.. Simply fill in the blanks. DATE___________________ COMPANY NAME______________________________________ YOUR NAME___________________________________________ YOUR POSITION________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS_______________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP________________________________________ PHONE NUMBERS_______________________________________ FAX NUMBERS__________________________________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS________________________________________ Please indicate the services you wish to order and include the prices... _________________________________________________________ TOTAL $_______________ > We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Checks by mail or > fax, or Money Order by mail. OR you can E-mail your order To: > mail@pin-point.com. > > The following information will be held in the strictest confidence... > > Credit Card: Visa Mastercard AmEx > > Card #:___________________________ > > Expiration Date:__________________ > > Name on Card:_____________________ > > I authorize PIN POINT to charge my credit card... > > TOTAL $__________ > > SIGNATURE:x________________________ DATE:x__________________ > > O R > > If you fax your check, there is no need for you to send the original check. > We will draft up a new check, with the exact information from your origin Type or print the text for your advertisements. Each line of text can consist of up to 70 characters, which includes spaces, commas and periods. FAX ALL ORDERING INFORMATION TO: (718) 756-0982 or email to mail@pin-point.com or mail to... Pin Point Ads P.O. Box 47109 Brooklyn NY,11247 THAT'S IT!! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us at: (718) 387-2757 or E-mail To; mail@pin-point.comPlease, never give out your phone number, address, account password or credit card information to anyone you don't know or haven't checked out. Be assured, sysops on most systems and services will never ask you for your password or any credit or billing information!
Back to Exhibits
Forums and newsgroups are great for marketing!
FROM: INTERNET:jeffb@sonic.net, INTERNET:jeffb@sonic.net DATE: 4/04/96 15:25 Re: New Macintosh Service Greetings! Below is information about a new and free service for Macinosh users and publishers. We think you'll find this service very useful. If you've already received notice of this service, we apologize for this repeat message. Thank you for taking the time to review the below information. Please note that we obtained your name from the Compuserve Macintosh message boards. You are not on a broadcast list and we will not contact you again. Thank you! Special Macintosh Offers Posted on Idealist The Idealist listserver has been created as a free service to the Macintosh community and Macintosh manufacturers and publishers. Two to three times a month the Idealist server will send subscribers an email message which contains the best Macintosh product bargains available. The offers listed in Idealist are not common sales discounts, but are very special offers made directly by manufacturers and unavailable anywhere else. Idealist gives manufacturers a no-cost method of extending private offers to Macintosh users. Since there is no advertising costs to the manufacturer, the manufacturer can offer a steep discount to Idealist subscribers. Benefits to Subscribers: This service is offered free of charge to subscribers. The offers posted on Idealist are better than the typical "ten dollars off" found in most special offers. The list's organizers only accept and post high discount offers. Many of the deals posted on Idealist are 50% or more off of the products normal price. Some of the bargains that can be found on Idealist include: * Overstocked Items: Manufacturers often become overstocked with a particular item and offer them to the public in a special private offer. * Outdated Items: Software publishers often find themselves with thousands of copies of a software product for which they are about to release an upgrade. Thousands of manuals, disks and boxes end up in the landfill because the publisher needs to update all of this material for the new release. By posting an offer for this software on Idealist, publishers can make a profit from their surplus supplies and obtain many new customers who might purchase the upgrade later. The customer benefits by receiving a huge discount on the current version of the program. * Seasonal Offers: Most businesses have their busy seasons and their slow seasons. Macintosh product manufacturers will often extend very special offers during their slow season to compensate for the decrease in business. * Cosmetically Damaged Merchandise: While a scratch on a product's box does not effect the performance or usability of a product, it is enough to force a manufacturer to discard that product since it is no longer shelf-worthy. Manufacturers will place ads on Idealist offering cosmetically damaged merchandise at unbelievable discounts. The products will be manufacturer-guaranteed as "good as new." Benefits to Publishers and Manufacturers: This service is offered free of charge to manufacturers and publishers. Many companies would like to offer short-term/high-discount offers on their products to users, but find the cost of advertising such an offer prohibitive. Idealist allows companies to reach thousands of users without any advertising costs and very little effort. While posting such offers on company web pages or online services can be beneficial, the only people who will see the offer will be the ones who visit the site. Idealist sends an individual email message to each of its subscribers, so the manufacturers offer is waiting in the subscriber's mailbox next time the subscriber logs on. Since subscribers voluntarily sign up for the service (and can unsubscribe at any time), the manufacturer's offer is not perceived as "junk email." To subscribe to the Idealist and receive special offers through email: * Send an email message to: majordomo@lists.sonic.net * In the BODY of your message, put: SUBSCRIBE IDEALIST You'll receive confirmation of your subscription by return email. If you do not receive a confirmation from the Idealist listserver within 8 hours, something may have gone wrong and you should try again. If you are a publisher or manufacturer and would like details on how to extend your offer to Idealist subscribers: * Send an email message to: jeffb@sonic.net * In the SUBJECT of your message, put: Idealist Posting InfoBack to Exhibits
How to make money with floppies -- AOL beware!
FROM: "DKS Enterprises", INTERNET:dksenter@ix.netcom.com TO: (unknown), INTERNET:DKSENTER@IX.NETCOM.COM CC: (unknown), INTERNET:DKSENTER@IX.NETCOM.COM DATE: 3/02/96 19:07 Re: Time Sensitive Info I saw your name in the member directory and I though that you would interested in making some extra money with your computer. ************************************************ If this is of no interest - please just delete and I apologize for the intrusion. If you would like to be removed from this list - Hit "reply" and Type "REMOVE" in the subject area and Nothing Else. Compliments of the Internet Mail System. ************************************************ I will send you a powerful, money-making Computer Disk System and a special report entitled"How to Make $ 100,000 in 100 Days." (You can make a Fortune in This "HIGH-TECH." Business Opportunity) Dear Entrepreneur, In the most recent "Richest People in America" survey published by Forbes Magazine, the richest man in America is NOT in the real estate business. He is NOT an oil tycoon, and he does not own an airline or an automobile company. The richest man in America is Bill Gates, with an estimated net worth of around 7 billion dollars. His business: COMPUTER SOFTWARE. Bill Gates founded Microsoft, the largest computer software company on planet Earth. This is clear proof that the "computer revolution" is finally here, bringing exceptional opportunities that's creating millionaires out of ordinary people like you and me every single day. A few days ago, I received in the mail this computer disk system which contains 800 business, financial, and personal reports for which I was given authorization to sell to people for around $2 - $8 per report. That's quite attractive considering that the disk system contains almost 800 reports. However, for me, it was like trying to peddle bananas by the piece, and I didn't get to excited with the idea. However, when the company who developed the disk system said that I can actually sell exact copies of the disk system, and even pass on the "duplication rights" to my customers, I knew I had hit the JACKPOT! You see, computer software disks cost the manufacturer $3-$4 to produce. But computer software disks sell for as much as $200 or higher. The profit margin in this business is astronomical; no wonder it is becoming one of the fastest growing business opportunities in the market today. So, here's what I will do for you when you order my "Complete Disk Business Package." Upon receipt of your payment, I will send you the following: 1) A high density 3.5", IBM, -5- computer disk system which contains 800 business, financial, and personal reports. 2) A sample sales letter and sample print ads which you can use to get people to order copies of this disk system from you. 3) A step-by-step plan on how and where to make copies of this disk system , and how to get people to order copies of this disk system- direct from you - and pay you anywhere from $49 to $200 each.(you determine and set you're own price) 4) A copy of the special report " How to make $100,000 in 100 Days" which shows how you can do the same using this computer disk system. 5) A copy of the original Duplication License Certificate, which also grants you the authority to make copies of this disk system and the printed materials that come with it. **SPECIAL BONUS - Order in 72 hrs and I will include a bonus disk($45 value) which list the best newspapers in the nation, to advertise in, along with their circulation and phone numbers. --->Even if you do not need extra income - these reports are worth 10 times this amount - Just for your own personal use !! THIS OFFER IS ONLY GOOD FOR 72 HOURS - then you have to pay the retail price of $79.95. Name________________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________ City__________________________State_____________Zip____________ Phone______________________Fax_______________________________ Email____________________________ ______YES - Please rush me this -5- disk system for $39.95*** * Special price only good for 72 hours - then pay the retail price of $79.95 ** add $2.50 shipping and handling to each system ordered ______Add $3 extra for Priority Shipping ______Add $11 extra for Overnight Express Delivery $__________Total enclosed > We accept: Visa -or- Mastercard -or- Fonechecks > > > Card Number_________________________________________ > > Name on Card________________________________________ > > Expiration Date_____________________ > > > > Place Voided check here: > > Fax to: 507-444-9234 or 800-676-8672 Email to: dksenter@ix.netcom.com -or- dksenterpr@deskmedia.com Mail to: DKS Enterprises, Att: Special Offer 204 N Oak Suite #213 Owatonna, MN 55060 PS: Beware of imitations - this is the "most complete Information set available on the Internet". Full 100% refund gauranteed. There are close to 4,000 pages of text on thes five disks. Fully updated and includes information reports on about every subject imaginable - you have to see this system !!Please, never give out your phone number, address, account password or credit card information to anyone you don't know or haven't checked out. Be assured, sysops on most systems and services will never ask you for your password or any credit or billing information!
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America Online ... leading the pack?
America Online may have the most customers of any online service. One can't help but wonder why. The software is so easy to install, a chimp could do it, even without a banana chip button. On the other hand, uninstalling the software ... canceling a trial membership ... declining the marketing option (becoming a mailing list victim) ... these, alas, are very unintuitive, and the supporting information is buried deep within AOL's support services. The service itself is scatterbrained, sluggish, and unintuitive; the software is inept and bug-ridden; and support and customer services are often clueless and ineffective.
Now AOL has fallen upon a new gimmick. Why wait for the user to find advertising? Why not just ... cram it down the user's throat every time s/he logs on? This is precisely what AOL is doing. Users are now periodically prevented from completely logging on until they click the CANCEL key on some arbitrary billboard. These aren't innocuous banners at the bottom of the screen like Prodigy and many Web sites feature, or even a passive advertisement on your TV screen -- this is a stop sign that insists on your interaction, or you can't use the service. Below are some examples pasted from recent sessions:
