Never once have we even considered any of those in-world mailing systems that do the "oh, you landed at our shop once, cool, we're now adding you to a mailing list and we'll bombard you with stuff from now on" thing. Never once have we even considered adding people who have purchased stuff from us to any such list. With the obvious exception of sending out product update information I find that sort of thing rude, annoying and off-putting (as does Zardia/Miss Vila) so there's no way we'd do that with Z&A.
The closest we've ever come is with our affiliate programme where one of the requirements of being part of it is that you agree to be put on the mailing list (which is only used to send out details of new products in the affiliate boards). But, again, it's a requirement, it's documented up front and it's something people agree to.
So when something like this turns up over night:
it's kind of irksome.
I haven't got a clue who these people are. Perhaps I've got some relationship with them from way back (not that I recall the company name)? Perhaps I've dropped by a location of theirs at some point? Perhaps they're just trawling groups? I've no idea. At the very least they could put something in that message to say why they're sending me that IM. I'm fairly sure I have no connection with them whatsoever.
The closing line makes it pretty obvious that they're skating on thin ice and they know it. "Yeah, we know, we've signed you up to some advertising that you didn't ask for but if you just come and visit our location and follow these instructions to get off the list..." -- because if there's one thing we know from the history of the Internet it's that opt-out mailing lists are never seen a spamming.
Whoever they are (I've no desire to call them out by name) this is obviously a very new thing for them, the avatar that sent it is pretty obviously some sort of bot, registered the same day the message was sent out:
Aside from one group, that's the total content of their profile. No information. Nothing in there even to explain why I might be getting advertising IMs from them.
I'm not in the market for rental skyboxes (really, I'm not) but if I was this would put me right off.
I'm noticing that this happens more often. I've landed on a shop while I was actually looking for a different one, and there you go, added to the list. I've bought one thing on a shop, and again, being added to the list. Someone thinks that I would be interested in joining some new hunts, and add me to the list. Like that, more cases.
ReplyDeleteBecause perhaps they're just new to business in SL, I don't file an AR the first times (I dislike filing AR's). I address to them in a notecard, explaining that I don't remember having signed up, that they don't offer an option to opt out (that's been the case so far), that I want to be removed, and that they should make sure I'm not added again. My tone makes clear that I'm not happy with having being added without my consent.
So far, this has worked in all the cases, but I'm sure that sooner or later I'll find the first one that doesn't care. Fortunately, in SL you can mute the owner of the object, and that will stop any further offer (but I also dislike having to mute). However, I would prefer if these new (and not so new, I'm sure) merchants just don't add you without asking.
Like in the "first world", it is spam, everybody knows what spam is, and although we may have the courtesy of telling them that they're doing wrong, they sure know they are doing wrong.
Yeah, likewise, I've got no desire to AR them either. I'll see if it happens again (it's likely someone else who received the same will AR anyway) and follow a similar route to you.
DeleteI guess, for full disclosure, I should add "send out the odd notecard and IM about The Femdom Hunt" to the list of advertising activities I have engaged in, but even then I personally contact (rather than use a mailer) a) people who've been a location in the hunt before and b) people whose stuff I admire and/or own and who I'd love to be in the hunt.