Slashdot Mirror

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

"We don't think e-mail recipients are more sensitive [to unsolicited messages], but there's a very vocal minority who have an objection," said Robert Weintzen, president of the Direct Mail Assn., the industry trade group.

My response? Oh really now. So you don't think that most people dislike spam, huh? Since you're obviously not in that vocal minority, then you wouldn't mind if I changed my .sig to include every dma.org email address I can find, would you?

So here's my new .sig:

--
These guys love spam!
webmaster@the-dma.org kebeling@the-dma.org echo@the-dma.org twalsh@the-dma.org lrc@the-dma.org chapters@the-dma.org customerservice@the-dma.org conference@the-dma.org consumer@the-dma.org councils@the-dma.org mmicali@the-dma.org dmef@the-dma.org Governme@the-dma.org hr@the-dma.org Internat@the-dma.org membership@the-dma.org Presiden@the-dma.org privacy@the-dma.org Sweep@the-dma.org kelli@dma.org.uk dma@dma.org.uk rweintzen@the-dma.org
--

Now when the bottom feeders troll through Usenet and web pages slurping email addresses, they'll pick these up as well. And if there's any karmic justice left in the universe, they haven't had the foresight to add themselves to their own block lists.

-B

Spam is relatively unobtrusive and can easily be deleted costing the recipient nothing more than a few k of bandwidth and several moments of inconvenience.

This is true for one spam a day. Is it true for ten? A hundred? A thousand?

Spamming a million people costs the sender less than a small newspaper ad. How many ads did your local newspapers carry this week? And how many newspapers are their in the world? (Yeah, the world. I receive two or three spams a day for shit in Argentina. I've never even been to Argentina.)

Sure, you don't get that much now. But the only reason we all get so little spam is that people who spam get booted off the Internet. If the DMA, in conjunction with goofballs such as yourself, manages to make spam legitimate, then you will get that much spam.

Thanks to the DMA and their ilk, 90% of my paper mail is garbage, and that's with them paying 100% of the cost. With email, the recipient pays a good chunk of the cost, even without the theft of services that 95% of spam involve. So what percentage of your inbox will be crap?

And then, having made normal email useless, the marketroids will be competing for ways to "cut through the clutter". A spam won't be a few k anymore; it will be a few hundred. I'm already starting to see 'em with 50k of imbedded GIFs; flash animations won't be far behind.

That makes it a little harder to ignore, eh, bucko?

• They don't believe it will work - Up until now, I'd never heard of anyone saying that it worked well, and I've heard complaints that it didn't. And since the general job of marketers is to lie, you can see how people would be skeptical.
• It's more fun - You say you keep getting junk mail because it's entertaining. And then you complain that Taco, et al, keep getting junk mail because they entertain themselves with it. You waste $0.50 of the advertiser's money; they waste $0.80. Your high horse looks more like a small pony to me.
• Civil disobedience - I would bet that if we put it to a national referendum, junk mail, telemarketing, and spam would be outlawed tomorrow. The DMA and large businesses spend a lot of money keeping junk mail legal, and generally advocating for maximally intrusive marketing. As an individual citizen I can (and do) write my congressman from time to time, but I don't have a lot of faith that my letter means a lot compared to their money. Making it more expensive for them strikes at the heart of this: they only do it because they make a buck on it; once it's not profitable, they'll stop.
• It sends a message - Most marketroids believe that intrusive marketing is acceptable to the recipient. This lets them know that some of us think it's rude.

However, you can easily get yourself taken off the VAST majority of snail-mail lists with a single postcard to the Mail Preference Service. I have tried this from mutiple addresses and it works dramatically well. But it takes a month or two to kick in.

If you really care about getting less junk, simply send a postcard to:

• MAIL PREFERENCE SERVICE
• 
  P. O. BOX 9008
  FARMINGDALE, NY 11735

One of the reasons this works so well is that the service is run for the Direct Marketing Association by ADP, the company that does more payroll than any other. The remove-list is offered for free to anyone who asks for it, all because the service is mandated and enforced my law in some fairly large municipalities and a few states.

Please mod this way up!

Wrong! The DMA's opt-out list (Mail Preference Service, MPS) is entirely optional. What's more, it costs companies money to subscribe to it! Essentially DMA is asking companies to pay extra money to shorten their list of potential customers.

For more info, see this link. They do say that this list is "made available" to companies, not that they are required to use it.

I remember reading an article mentioning that some companies have even used this list as a source of names and addresses to send mail to! Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the article.

Actually it looks like MPS was set up by the Direct Mail industry (Junk mailers themselves)

Check here or read below.

"Mailing Preference Service"

"... There is however a free service available to mail consumers which allows you to filter out mailshots which are of no interest to you. This is equally beneficial to direct mail companies as it allows them to target interested users only. To find out more, or to register with the scheme, just write to: Mailing Preference Service, Department 97, FREEPOST 22, London W1E 7EZ (No Stamp Required) "

In the US, check http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/mps-sht.html

I used to think along these lines - putting telemarketers on hold for a long time, making a few dozen calls to 800 numbers listed in spam e-mails, i.e. pretty much everything Emily Postnews recommends - but it's just not worth my effort. I will always adhere to the minimal and essential commitment never to buy anything as a result of invasive and unsolicited advertising, but there's just too many suckers out there who easily make up the cheap marketing costs of bulk mailings. So stooping to respond to mass marketing measures no longer appeals to me. It's all a slippery slope to Ted Kazinsky's tactics anyhoo.

Some useful URLs, though:
http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/consumerassistanc e.html
http://www.mcs.com/~jcr/junkemaildeal.html

- John

Mailing bricks and such is not only a pain for the USPS and of questionable impact on your junk mail inflow, it just sounds like a lot of work. If your goal is to get less junk mail, there are steps you can take that are easier, more effective, and have fewer innocent victims.

Many junk mailers belong to the Direct Marketing Association. The DMA maintains an opt-out list--you can tell them you don't want junk mail, and member organizations will stop sending it to you. I haven't tried the mail service (mail doesn't bother me) but I've registered with the DMA that I don't want telemarketing calls, and it worked great.

Even companies that haven't joined the DMA generally don't get much value from sending mail to people who hate it. If you write them a letter asking to be removed from their mailing list, that may do the trick.

If they persist, you can legally bar any non-governmental organization from sending you mail. There's a little trick to this: The law you have to use was designed to stop unsolicited pornographic mail, so if you want to stop getting mail from Microsoft you may have to claim with a straight face that Windows 2000 turns you on. But, you know, maybe it does. And in any case the post office is prohibited from deciding you're lying. (Also, that's a bad example--Microsoft isn't persistent enough to necessitate legal action.)

For more useful tips, see the JunkBusters page on how you can gain control of your mailbox.

Of course, none of these tactics will cause a major philosophical shift in the U.S.'s view of junk mail. If that's your goal, well, good luck, maybe your bricks will really make them think. But if you just want to get less junk mail, do it the easy way.

Mailing bricks and such is not only a pain for the USPS and of questionable impact on your junk mail inflow, it just sounds like a lot of work. If your goal is to get less junk mail, there are steps you can take that are easier, more effective, and have fewer innocent victims.

Many junk mailers belong to the Direct Marketing Association. The DMA maintains an opt-out list--you can tell them you don't want junk mail, and member organizations will stop sending it to you. I haven't tried the mail service (mail doesn't bother me) but I've registered with the DMA that I don't want telemarketing calls, and it worked great.

Even companies that haven't joined the DMA generally don't get much value from sending mail to people who hate it. If you write them a letter asking to be removed from their mailing list, that may do the trick.

If they persist, you can legally bar any non-governmental organization from sending you mail. There's a little trick to this: The law you have to use was designed to stop unsolicited pornographic mail, so if you want to stop getting mail from Microsoft you may have to claim with a straight face that Windows 2000 turns you on. But, you know, maybe it does. And in any case the post office is prohibited from deciding you're lying. (Also, that's a bad example--Microsoft isn't persistent enough to necessitate legal action.)

For more useful tips, see the JunkBusters page on how you can gain control of your mailbox.

Of course, none of these tactics will cause a major philosophical shift in the U.S.'s view of junk mail. If that's your goal, well, good luck, maybe your bricks will really make them think. But if you just want to get less junk mail, do it the easy way.

Mailing bricks and such is not only a pain for the USPS and of questionable impact on your junk mail inflow, it just sounds like a lot of work. If your goal is to get less junk mail, there are steps you can take that are easier, more effective, and have fewer innocent victims.

Many junk mailers belong to the Direct Marketing Association. The DMA maintains an opt-out list--you can tell them you don't want junk mail, and member organizations will stop sending it to you. I haven't tried the mail service (mail doesn't bother me) but I've registered with the DMA that I don't want telemarketing calls, and it worked great.

Even companies that haven't joined the DMA generally don't get much value from sending mail to people who hate it. If you write them a letter asking to be removed from their mailing list, that may do the trick.

If they persist, you can legally bar any non-governmental organization from sending you mail. There's a little trick to this: The law you have to use was designed to stop unsolicited pornographic mail, so if you want to stop getting mail from Microsoft you may have to claim with a straight face that Windows 2000 turns you on. But, you know, maybe it does. And in any case the post office is prohibited from deciding you're lying. (Also, that's a bad example--Microsoft isn't persistent enough to necessitate legal action.)

For more useful tips, see the JunkBusters page on how you can gain control of your mailbox.

Of course, none of these tactics will cause a major philosophical shift in the U.S.'s view of junk mail. If that's your goal, well, good luck, maybe your bricks will really make them think. But if you just want to get less junk mail, do it the easy way.

Go there and there is information on how to take yourself off some major direct mail lists.

MyopicProwls

If you are a service bureau, forward all requests to be removed from a list to the company on whose behalf you are calling. Its is that company that is legally liable under the TCPA, not the service bureau. The "do not call" request must also be honored by any affiliate or subsidiary of the company if there is a reasonable expectation on the part of the consumer that there request would apply also to the affiliate or subsidiary.

I say, sue em!

Actually the "Do Not Call List" must be maintained indefinitely. They are allowed to call once every 12 months as an error. More restrictions can be viewed here.

• Mailing list removal
• Telephone junk call removal
• Spam list removal

If you answer your phone with something other than "Hello", the "answering machine detector" in most telemarketing predictive dialers will hang up the call. Really. The "Hello detector" is dumb, but able to distinguish "Hello" from a longer message. Try answering with your name and you'll start hearing hang-ups.

• Mailing list removal
• Telephone junk call removal
• Spam list removal

If you answer your phone with something other than "Hello", the "answering machine detector" in most telemarketing predictive dialers will hang up the call. Really. The "Hello detector" is dumb, but able to distinguish "Hello" from a longer message. Try answering with your name and you'll start hearing hang-ups.

Another flawed strategy, the first suggestion on the main page, is to contact the DMA. Compliance with the Direct Marketing Association 'Don't call' list is purely voluntary. Few telemarketers check it (even if they're members of the DMA)...

I have to say, while this is true, I have used the DMA to reduce the amount of junk mail I've gotten. The relevant web page is at http://www.the-dma.org/con sumers/consumerassistance.html. (It's a couple short links from there to the actual forms for removing yourself from the lists.)

I noticed that they are now offering a service for removing yourself from email lists, which I haven't tried, but I can vouch for the telemarketing and mass mailing stuff, which in my case worked quite well (though not a complete solution).

The DMA represents the interests of the marketers, not the consumers. As they say, "The DMA is the industry's leading trade association, dedicated to helping our members increase their effectiveness and profitability. . . . The DMA delivers the tools and services that members need to succeed! Whether it is the latest industry knowledge and techniques, education, legislative representation [i.e. lobbying] or targeted marketing opportunities - we've got it covered!" [emph. added]

For better protection against spam than the DMA email preference service (that no real spammer would ever look at), check out www.spamcop.net.

...that's full agreement with all points above. For Linux users, deploying Junkbuster is as easy as downloading the RPM or DEB file and installing it. For Windows users, either NT or Win9x, you can also use the proxy.

Both the banner and cookie action are way cool. The following blockfile eliminates pretty darned near all the banner ads (and the sites associated with them if a full site or domain is listed). Note that I've allowed banners at a number of Linux-friendly sites, on principle, though you could change this if you wanted.

/*.*/ad/
/*.*/ads/
/*.*/advert/
/*.*/adverts/
a32.g.a.yimg.com/
ad.*.*
adforce.imgis.com/
adremote.*.*
ads*.*.*
doubleclick.net
image.pathfinder.com/sponsors*
preferences.com
sfgate.com/place-ads

Those few lines block virtually all the ad traffic I see.

For cookies, I block all, then selectively allow a limited number of sites with which I do business. Mostly message boards.

There was a really good program Online Profiling on NPR's Talk of the Nation a couple of months back. Other useful resources are Center for Democracy and Technology, and for a look at the other side, NetworkAdvertising.Org and Direct Marketing Association

If setting up a proxy is too much for you, the following tricks will prevent a permanent cookie file from being generated:

• Linux, Netscape: ln -sf /dev/null ~/.netscape/cookies
• Windows, Netscape: set read-only permissions to your cookies file, or replace it with a directory.

I'm not sure what the corresponding IE trix are. For Linux, lynx and other browsers can use the link to /dev/null trick.

What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?

Perusing their Web site, it looks like one of the two following email addresses would be appropriate for this: consumer@the-dma.org and pr@the-dma.org.

Perusing their Web site, it looks like one of the two following email addresses would be appropriate for this: consumer@the-dma.org and pr@the-dma.org.