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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 1] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 2] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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 Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 3] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 4] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 5] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 6] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 7] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 8] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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. Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 9] Internet Draft Make Enemies Fast March 1998 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 Hambridge & Eastlake Expires: 9Sep98 [Page 10]