Stephen wrote:
> Since it was Dr. Saba pushing her own product (and nothing else from
> her), the verdict is guilty as charged. But that's not why I'm
> posting. It's to suggest that, as this is the first spam I've ever
> seen on TIPS, it may be an unwelcome consequence of a welcome change:
> namely advertising TIPS through a website which brings it to the
> attention of the world. So it may indicate that the website is really
> working.
>
> I assume that our fearless leader will set Dr. Saba straight on
> appropriate and inappropriate postings.
Sorry, Stephen, but if you go back in the archives you'll find that the
offer was far from the first post Lynne has made to the list. She doesn't
post as regularly as some of us, but she _has_ been a member of the list
for some time.
Personally, while the post was "spamlike" in appearance, I saw nothing
else wrong with it. It was an offer of a _free_ course from a fully
accredited institution, and dealt with subject matter that would be likely
to be of interest to many members of the list (i.e., any member who is
currently pursuing his/her Ph.D. in clinical or considering doing so in
the future). It would probably have been better received if Lynne had
simply written it informally and told us that she was offering the free
course and simply wanted to invite interested TIPS members to participate
(and I _know_ TIPS members have posted messages about their own
sites/courses/workshops/seminars/etc. before--a similar activity) rather
than posting a copy of the formal announcement that she sent, but the
worst I could accuse her of for that would be a touch of laziness in not
wanting to re-write the message specially for the list--something most of
us would be guilty of in such a circumstance.
People have been slamming Lynne (and her school which, as was pointed out
to me when I referenced it in a post a couple months ago, is a well rated
and fully accredited, APA approved institution) for sending spam. But her
message in no way meets the criteria for spam! It doesn't offer anything
for sale; it wasn't posted to a group or list that the poster is not a
participant in; and it wasn't sent randomly to a list of email addresses.
If anything, it should be treated as a publicity release, a public service
announcement, or an informational release.
Lynne, as I understand, is in charge of developing on-line activities for
her school--it's entirely possible that she is offering this free course
as a way of testing out new on-line techniques or approaches before making
the same course (or other courses with the same structure) available for
paid enrollments by students. Certainly there is nothing wrong with that,
and it offers people in the list who are interested the opportunity to
receive a free course and experience a new approach to teaching at the
same time.
Rick
--
Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
"... and the only measure of your worth and your deeds
will be the love you leave behind when you're gone."
Fred Small, J.D., "Everything Possible"
