Kamau and Associates. Since 2003 - The World's 1st Blog for Black & Minority Business
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
The Battle Continues!
Michael Yost, of the e mail marketers group advocacy group OMPUAC, was kind enough to respond to my e mail to try to create a non-profit audit system for legitimate e-mail marketers. As you know the spammers are destroying the email communication system. Legitimate e mail marketers would join OMPUAC and audit and create technologies to differentiate spam from legitimate email. I think this approach would work because auditing works in the traditional media world. I will keep you abreast of my communication with him.
This was his response:
Barry,
Thanks for your email and your thoughts. And your ideas are very plausible
and perhaps even implementable.
First, let's talk money. The DMA (Direct Marketing Assoc.) has over 47,000
members and operate on a multimillion dollar budget. Basically, they have
already done what your suggesting. So let's examine what is happening there.
If you do a Google search ( or any search engine that is NOT PPC), your
going to see the uphill battle they are facing. Its 47,000 members can't
even sway the ISP's or Search engines, or anyone to even look at their
ideas...and many of them I DO agree totally with. Many others are workable
and others are not. Yet, herewithin lies the problem.
I was at the FTC hearings in Washington DC. There were numberous "Standards
of Operations" booklets laying on the table. I read many if not all of them.
Each offered "the solution" to "best practices". Some suggested membership
in XYZ organization, and others offered a "free" basis for membership. So
far almost ALL of them are still attempting to fight tooth and nail to even
get consideration for ANY public forum.
Examine the numbers. There are well over 750+ million online sites. Each of
those represent over 500 million people online and doing business. Many
belong to Associations representing their industry. Anything "new" almost
falls on deaf ears. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
At the FTC hearings, not even ONE concensus as to the definition of "SPAM"
could be reached. About all anyone could say is, it's a problem, it's not
me, or I want it ALL stopped....depending on the side of the table your
sitting on. The anti-spam factions call ALL of us "spammers"...double-optin
included...and "we" are not in the financial position to show them
otherwise...besides they have the blinders on. The ISP's are not wanting to
hear it...all they want to do is stop the email congestion and at any cost.
And then "we" are fighting tooth and nail to survive.
Now where does the FTC stand on this?? Believe it or not..they are NOT in
favor of the current proposed legislation (visit www.ftc.gov and search for
Commissioner Muris's testimony to the Senate back in July I think it was).
They instead, believe that better methods of finding the "true" spammers can
be found. Now it may be just a ploy to have control over the Internet email
regs, but so far that has not been revealed.
Can "we" put together what your suggesting?? I will not say it is
impossible, but I can tell you this...unless Microsoft, AOL, Earthlink, and
other ISP's are on board, you can forget it ever going anywhere,
accomplishing much, or even being effective. Reaching THOSE people takes
TONS AND TONS of cash...in my estimate well over $1 million EACH to even
find common ground. You HAVE to talk the things they understand..and that is
PROFIT...and we could not show them a way to increase their profits from
what I see. Yes, we COULD increase OUR goals and purposes, but it defeats
theirs.
It's NOT an easy, simple solution. I have discovered that since forming the
OMPUAC. Can "we" make a difference?? I think as far as Habeas is concerned,
we have. I am not so sure that the "big solution" they offered met with as
much acceptance, once we exposed them. And we can do the same with other
issues too...as long as we have ONE thing....people and money. LOTS of both.
Our efforts are better spent supporting real solid legislation that protects
the interests of online marketing professionals AND curbs the deluge of the
"real spam" that is choking us all.
I hope that helps..and let's you know the obstacles that are needed to be
overcome. If you have additional ideas, PLEASE, let me know. I never call
anything "insurmountable", because it's not. But I too, have to be realistic
about what it takes as well.
Sincerely,
Michael Yost
Founder, OMPUAC
Michael Yost, of the e mail marketers group advocacy group OMPUAC, was kind enough to respond to my e mail to try to create a non-profit audit system for legitimate e-mail marketers. As you know the spammers are destroying the email communication system. Legitimate e mail marketers would join OMPUAC and audit and create technologies to differentiate spam from legitimate email. I think this approach would work because auditing works in the traditional media world. I will keep you abreast of my communication with him.
This was his response:
Barry,
Thanks for your email and your thoughts. And your ideas are very plausible
and perhaps even implementable.
First, let's talk money. The DMA (Direct Marketing Assoc.) has over 47,000
members and operate on a multimillion dollar budget. Basically, they have
already done what your suggesting. So let's examine what is happening there.
If you do a Google search ( or any search engine that is NOT PPC), your
going to see the uphill battle they are facing. Its 47,000 members can't
even sway the ISP's or Search engines, or anyone to even look at their
ideas...and many of them I DO agree totally with. Many others are workable
and others are not. Yet, herewithin lies the problem.
I was at the FTC hearings in Washington DC. There were numberous "Standards
of Operations" booklets laying on the table. I read many if not all of them.
Each offered "the solution" to "best practices". Some suggested membership
in XYZ organization, and others offered a "free" basis for membership. So
far almost ALL of them are still attempting to fight tooth and nail to even
get consideration for ANY public forum.
Examine the numbers. There are well over 750+ million online sites. Each of
those represent over 500 million people online and doing business. Many
belong to Associations representing their industry. Anything "new" almost
falls on deaf ears. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
At the FTC hearings, not even ONE concensus as to the definition of "SPAM"
could be reached. About all anyone could say is, it's a problem, it's not
me, or I want it ALL stopped....depending on the side of the table your
sitting on. The anti-spam factions call ALL of us "spammers"...double-optin
included...and "we" are not in the financial position to show them
otherwise...besides they have the blinders on. The ISP's are not wanting to
hear it...all they want to do is stop the email congestion and at any cost.
And then "we" are fighting tooth and nail to survive.
Now where does the FTC stand on this?? Believe it or not..they are NOT in
favor of the current proposed legislation (visit www.ftc.gov and search for
Commissioner Muris's testimony to the Senate back in July I think it was).
They instead, believe that better methods of finding the "true" spammers can
be found. Now it may be just a ploy to have control over the Internet email
regs, but so far that has not been revealed.
Can "we" put together what your suggesting?? I will not say it is
impossible, but I can tell you this...unless Microsoft, AOL, Earthlink, and
other ISP's are on board, you can forget it ever going anywhere,
accomplishing much, or even being effective. Reaching THOSE people takes
TONS AND TONS of cash...in my estimate well over $1 million EACH to even
find common ground. You HAVE to talk the things they understand..and that is
PROFIT...and we could not show them a way to increase their profits from
what I see. Yes, we COULD increase OUR goals and purposes, but it defeats
theirs.
It's NOT an easy, simple solution. I have discovered that since forming the
OMPUAC. Can "we" make a difference?? I think as far as Habeas is concerned,
we have. I am not so sure that the "big solution" they offered met with as
much acceptance, once we exposed them. And we can do the same with other
issues too...as long as we have ONE thing....people and money. LOTS of both.
Our efforts are better spent supporting real solid legislation that protects
the interests of online marketing professionals AND curbs the deluge of the
"real spam" that is choking us all.
I hope that helps..and let's you know the obstacles that are needed to be
overcome. If you have additional ideas, PLEASE, let me know. I never call
anything "insurmountable", because it's not. But I too, have to be realistic
about what it takes as well.
Sincerely,
Michael Yost
Founder, OMPUAC
Monday, August 25, 2003
Moving in the Right Direction!
I am starting to contact other e business leaders about creating a workable solution to the spam problem that won't bankrupt small business web marketers. I contacted Michael Yost of OMPUAC, an organization that I belong to, to develop a technology and audit system for web ezine marketers. Michael has been having a hard time getting donations for our web marketers organization. So he may be skeptical about such an approach.
However, I think with hard work we can build a strong organization of Internet business people who understand that our livelihood and the usage of email as a trustworthy communication medium is at risk. I will soon talk to Shelley Lowery and John Payne, two of the Internet's most successful and influential marketers about spearheading such an approach.
However, I think with hard work we can build a strong organization of Internet business people who understand that our livelihood and the usage of email as a trustworthy communication medium is at risk. I will soon talk to Shelley Lowery and John Payne, two of the Internet's most successful and influential marketers about spearheading such an approach.
Sunday, August 24, 2003
Winning!
A nice thing happened to me today, I wanted to thank the international Association of Web Masters and Designers for bestowing on me two prestigious Golden Web Design Awards for my web design and promotion site Ebiz by Design and the site I designed for my wife Carols Art Shows. Hopefully these two will be the first two of many more to come. Maybe some day I will even win a Webby Award? I know it may seem silly but, its nice to get some recognition, for all the hard work and coding, at God forsaken times of the morning, that I do. Peace and Blessings. Its Sunday, so think of All God's Goodness to you last week.
Kamau
A nice thing happened to me today, I wanted to thank the international Association of Web Masters and Designers for bestowing on me two prestigious Golden Web Design Awards for my web design and promotion site Ebiz by Design and the site I designed for my wife Carols Art Shows. Hopefully these two will be the first two of many more to come. Maybe some day I will even win a Webby Award? I know it may seem silly but, its nice to get some recognition, for all the hard work and coding, at God forsaken times of the morning, that I do. Peace and Blessings. Its Sunday, so think of All God's Goodness to you last week.
Kamau
