"Now They've Got Me Mad!"
I get emails from people I don't know
asking me questions that require a response,
then my reply to their email bounces back at me,
telling me that I'm under suspicion.
The bounce-back email tells me to click a link,
go to a special page,
and submit a request
to be allowed
to send emails to the recipient.
Here's one I got today:
"This is an automatic reply to your email message to bozo@earthlink.net
This email address is protected by EarthLink spamBlocker.
Your email message has been redirected
to a "suspect email" folder for bozo@earthlink.net.
In order for your message to be moved to this recipient's Inbox,
he or she must add your email address to a list of allowed senders.
Click the link below to request that bozo@earthlink.net add you to this list.
Http://BlahBlahBlah.nut"
Like a nice idiot I went through the whole fiasco,
and it took several minutes of my life
that I'll never get back.
It's OK to have a SPAM filter.
I have one myself.
But, to send a stranger an email, asking for a response,
knowing that it will be rejected by your SPAM filter,
is an intrusion, an insult, and dumb.
I was dumb to respond.
I won't do it again.
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Copyright © Oct. 18, 2004, Jack Blanchard. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
