Rob McEwen wrote:
Does anyone else consider SpamHaus's definition as too weak and believe that ANY unsolicited e-mail is spam, even if a personally hand-typed note?
I'm really curious as to how we would defined "solicited" e-mail. As far as "bulk" e-mail goes, it's fairly easy. Do I solicit the jokes my friends e-mail me? What about the chain letter that warns me about the teddy bear virus? Or the endless petitions? Or the message that asks me if I want to go catch a movie on Friday night?
Personally, I worry far more about Bulk than I do about the Unsolicited. I get plenty of e-mail that is unsolicited and unwanted - often from my users. :) If it's unwanted but it is personal (or at least a forward) and I can speak directly to the person who is responsible, then it's not Spam to me. It may not be welcome, but it's not Spam. I'd even be pretty lenient on the definition of "bulk", so as not to include those irritating souls who forward everything they receive to their entire address books.
Of course, the only official definition of spam comes from Hormel and is not particularly useful to us.
Back to your original question, Rob - Given the attitudes today towards e-mail, I'd suggest that anyone using personal unsolicited e-mails for business purposes should rethink their business plan. I wouldn't block them for it, but there are enough people who would.
Evan
