Anyone who uses the internet for any period of time will eventually meet one form of unsolicited advertising or another. Websites have obnoxious flash or popup ads, email accounts accrue messages from dying multimillionaires who want to impart insane amounts of money.
Heck, you do not even need to be online to be targeted by unsolicited advertising. Walking into a shopping mall, you may have fliers thrust into your hands, or, you may be approached by some marketer with the intent of engaging in conversation to sell you their product or service.
It’s no different. Being in the vicinity of someone, or making eye contact with someone, is not solicitation.
Likewise, when using IRC, I consider it to be unsolicited advertising for someone to privately message me to tell me about some other channel.
My sharing a network with someone (ie, freenode), or responding to a one line greeting in a channel with someone I’ve never had any form of contact with before, is not solicitation.
It does not make an iota of difference if you make an arbitrary query about the weather or if I code, or offer a compliment. Marketers ask these sorts of questions and use this sort of flattery in their unsolicited advances all the time.
Don’t even get me started on opt-out vs opt-in, and other forms of ’spam disclaimers’. It is still spam for crying out loud.
Do you get the impression that I rather dislike unsolicited advertising?
Well, what irritates me more than all this spam, is when an organisation which controls a medium (ie, IRC) willfully permits this sort of activity to continue.
For the past few months, the users of certain Ubuntu channels have been approached with advertising for a channel which shall remain nameless since it deserves not the exposure of this blog. This advertising has not been limited to Ubuntu channels either, since I’ve witnessed the same in certain debian channels.
The spammer in question chooses a recipient who usually has just entered a channel, or just spoken (actually the debian incident I witnessed, neither occurred, it was totally arbitrary), and begins with the line ‘Is it ok if PM you’. Yes, you read correctly, they’re PM’ing to ask if it’s ok to PM. The recipient usually responds in some form, similar to a cornered shopper in a mall who does not want to appear rude. The sales spiel (sometimes including a disclaimer about spam) ensues.
The Ubuntu IRC team has been powerless to prevent this happening, since very few people have actually reported this. The disclaimer used in later spamming seems to sucker people in as much as the ‘opt out’ mails in a spam-riddled inbox. (Please don’t fall victim to it! If you get spammed whilst in Ubuntu channels, please let the ops team know!)
We have worked for many hours with the offending person to educate them that their actions are spam and unwelcome, but this person is convinced that they are not spamming since they are a human, not a machine. Yes, you heard me, according to this spammer, apparantly only machines spam.
In a conversation with a channel op, the spammer explained that since both they and the recipient are humans, and could conceivably build a friendship, that the imparting of the information (aka advertising) was part of the friendship, and not advertising. Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot? Since when?!
It strikes me personally as someone who goes speed dating with the sole purpose of ending each three-minute date with ‘By the way, have you heard about
Anyhow, finally the IRC Council had no choice left but to ban this person from all Ubuntu channels. This resulted in a report about the Council to Freenode. Preventing unsolicited advertising is apparantly now harassment and/or censorship… according to the spammer.
Now, taking a step back. The IRC Council have been involved in discussions about this individual with freenode for over a month on this issue - or so we thought since two of the council are in fact staff members. Yesterday I approached another high-ranking staffer to discuss the situation. This staffer had no clue we had a problem, but knew of the spammer’s problem with us. Furthermore, this staffer actually supported the spammer’s spammy actions.
It kind of puts into perspective an experience yet another op had in the main freenode channel.
He had reported an unsolicited PM from someone who shared absolutely no channels with him, in which he was asked ‘are you a freelance?’ (similar to how those pesky telemarketers who call just as you’re sitting down to dinner ask ‘have you any children’ or ‘are you an internet user’). He was told that there was nothing wrong with this message. Other people also received this serial unsolicited message and were given the same attitude.
It makes it extremely hard for the IRC Council to provide a safe environment for technical support and socialising, when our efforts are obstructed by those who are supposed to help us help our users.
It makes me sick. It really does.
(No, really, it does. After a few months of dealing with a spate of time-sink cases such as the above, on top of relocating, starting a new job, househunting, moving into new flat, and weekend FOSS volunteer obligations, I’ve spent most of the past week rather ill with a rather nasty chest cold.)
Some of you may remember that since the Feisty Fawn release, I’ve been celebrating the announcement of new release names with hand drawn mementos of the chosen beasts, with the Ubuntu logo integrated somewhere in their depiction. Unfortunately, when the Intrepid Ibex was announced, I was not in a situation to mark this occasion; having driven to Sydney the previous day with suitcases full of clothing.
Clothing is totally useless as a replacement for art supplies.
Well, last weekend I finally moved into a lovely flat, and my parents hauled all my stuff up from Albury, so I now have drawing instruments. Nearly a month after the naming, I can finally get around to fulfilling my tradition.
The result?
[Click image for 1200x1600px version]
In case you didn’t already hear, the band Nine Inch Nails are now so much cooler.
Why? They’ve released Ghosts under the Creative Commons by-nc-sa license!
Methinks many kudos should go to NIN for their brave and intelligent decision. May many other artists take heed and follow their lead.
Some people may have noticed the quietness here on this blog. The reason is simple: I moved again. This time, to Sydney.
I started work at a new job on the 25th as a Web and Community Manager for a product due in q4 2008. I really can’t publish much more information at this point, as details and legalities are still being worked out. I’m still learning about the company and what they wish to achieve anyway.
The past month has been pure chaos. I drove up to Sydney from Albury on the 19th, and for the first week did flat-hunting and so forth. I found out today that I’ve been approved for a place in Ryde, so I had to flee work (with permission!) to go put the deposit in with the landlord/agent. I’m quite excited, since I’ve been living with friends until now. Finally, I’ll be able to settle.
Anyway, that’s where I’m up to 
In the past week I’ve taken on a couple of new roles.
The first of these roles I meant to mention in my last post, but it appears that I forgot to do so. I am now what is known as an ‘Ordinary Committee Member’ on the Linux Australia Committee which is now no longer a comittee, but rather; a Council. Don’t ask me what this actually means, as I only got to see like 5 minutes of the AGM on Saturday, but if one of my fellow Councilors(?) understands and wants to explain, the comments are open.
Secondly, I was offered a job with a company called Muli Management on Thursday, and I have accepted. I can’t really explain what this involves at this point, as it will be an evolving role. However I can mention that it is Open Source relevant
I will be taking up the new position on the 25th, which involves a relocation to Sydney. I may disappear off the face of the planet at times over the next two weeks. Tomorrow will be one of these instances as my dear parents will be coming to rescue me from this insect infested shoebox, and to make the move to Sydney a little easier on them. You have been warned.
Additionally, I will mention that the job is a direct result of attending linux.conf.au last week. Those of you out there who are socially awkward and jobless… take note. Conferences and other networking activities (think of your local LUG) are worth it
