"Spim" is Latest Online Annoyance

Pcol writes "The Washington Post reports that 'Spim,' as people are beginning to call unsolicited instant messages, is the latest sign that online marketers will seek to take advantage of other communication tools, not limiting themselves to spam or pop-up ads. The good news is that it's not easy for spimmers to send unsolicited instant messages. Instant message providers like AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo have a lot of control over their instant message networks, and since they look at their IM offerings as gateway services that help draw customers in to their paid Internet offerings, these firms are already committing resources to making sure the spim problem never reaches the same scale as spam." Even without the providers assistance, many people who use IM systems are smart enough to limit incoming messages to those from their buddy lists. Still, there must be enough of a success rate to move spimmers to continue messaging users.

Comments

This has been going on for years

[Metasquares]

Remember those weblinks you used to get from strangers on ICQ? This is hardly a new and emerging trend.

Re:This has been going on for years

[garcia]

it also happens when you show your personal information to anyone on the service. Disable that option (on AIM) and they don't find you.

Better option yet... Don't let anyone contact you that isn't on your list. If they can't search for you in the first place it won't matter if they can't contact you if they happen across your AIM screen name.

Meh, relatively easy to get around.

[DrEldarion]

I have AIM set to only allow people on my buddy list to contact me. If you're not on it, to you it looks like I'm offline. Not possible to get "spim" this way, unless it's one of my friends sending it.

The only problem comes when someone that's NOT on my buddy list wants to talk to me. Usually it's not a big deal, they can just e-mail me and I'll add them to the list later. It is somewhat inconvenient, but better than getting 10 IMs a day telling me to go to porn sites.

There's a middle ground, which is asking for your authorization before it shows the IM window, but I never found this to help - it was always too tempting just to click the "see message" button to see what they were sending me. So that didn't really help much.

Strangers are just spimmers you haven't met yet..

[Channard]

.. which is why using the 'hide name' feature on AIM or whatever your using solves the problem rather neatly. Anyone who you want to IM with can still IM as long as they know your name, but casual browsers can't see you.

Re:Obscenity through Obscurity - Hoopla!

[dipipanone]

Is it obscure? I suppose it depends on which part of the world you live in? When we did Canterbury Tales at 'O' Level, this was always our favourite part.

Now, gentleman, this gallant Nicholas
One day began to romp and make a pass
At this young woman, in a mood of play,
Her husband being out down Osney way.
Students are sly, and giving way to whim,
He made a grab and caught her by the quim
And said, 'Unless I have my will of you
I'll die of secret love -- O, darling, do!'
Then held her haunches hard and gave a cry
'O love-me-all-at-once or I shall die!'

The Miller's Tale, Geoffrey Chaucer