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Spam Concerns at the Extreme

Without question, spam -- unsolicited commercial e-mail -- is a growing problem. The volume being written about the topic is also mind-boggling and growing. But are there no limits to the problem? You be the judge.

Here's the latest spam-related story to be reported in one of my sources, zdnet.com.

Employers may be held liable for unwanted porn spam in the workplace. That's right. Unwanted porn spam showing up in an employee's e-mail could qualify as evidence of a "hostile work environment," which is prohibited by federal employment laws. In essence, if an employer fails to protect his employees from it, porn spam could lead to sexual harassment complaints.

While no court cases involving unwanted porn spam in the workplace have materialized yet, some believe it's just a matter of time.

The upcoming May issue of Sounding Line will outline the problem as it relates to legitimate mass e-mail, a useful and productive marketing technique. A comprehensive look at spam will be the subject of a Sounding Line Special Report, which will be available this summer.

In the meantime, I'd like your feedback. Specifically, how do you define spam? Does your organization use mass e-mail? Is one person's spam another person's answer to a need? Please reply. E-mail me your responses.

Point of View:
It Takes Time to Sort Through Print Media

InformationWeek is a well-respected publication read each week by 440,000 business technology professionals. It arrived in my for-real mailbox yesterday. Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother with the paper version (I read the online version) and I didn't order the subscription. My partner, the techie, did, but I think it was a free subscription anyway.

For some reason I decided to thumb through the April 7 issue. There was nothing on the cover that particularly grabbed my attention, unless you're attracted to aerial photos of the overcast and grimy Port of Seattle. Because I didn't expect to find anything particularly useful, I started at the back cover and flipped forward.

It's fairly common for commercial print publications to split editorial content and advertising pages nearly 50-50. This issue was 88 pages long. If I counted correctly, 42 of them were advertising, mostly full-page ads and several double-page spreads. On top of that, 12 additional pages were included in "special advertising sections."

For my purposes, the April 7 issue wasn't particularly substantive or engaging. In fact, I was too distracted by the advertising and didn't really feel like hunting for anything relevant. The issue might have made for light in-flight reading, except you could have read most of it while backing away from the gate and taxiing out for takeoff.

The point? Coping with information overload is a challenge. Despite the Internet, there are more print publications than ever before. Most are narrowly targeted to specific audiences. It's up to the reader to decide what to read, when, why, how, and from which sources. Paper media still has its place. But many business people want specific information that's relevant to their situation and are turning to the convenience of electronic publications, many of which are devoid of advertising. It's your choice.

By the way, I did stumble across something interesting. Intel is apparently developing a prototype called Newport that is supposed to combine the functions of a notebook computer, tablet PC, and a PDA. Could be interesting.

PC Prices Hit All-time Lows

If you need to replace desktop PCs, now is the time to do it. An online news item at ZDNet (zdnet.com) reported that the average retail price for a PC in February was $717. The average price for a notebook dropped to $1,311.

These prices are for lower-end PCs on the features and functionality scale, but are nevertheless regarded by purchasers as providing "good enough value" for the dollars spent.

Sales activity for lower-end notebooks also picked up due to the inclusion of certain features (15-inch screen, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and CD burner) that were only available on pricier models a year ago.

So, what does this mean? Cost-conscious agencies can more easily replace or add new PCs. Not everyone in an agency needs a high-end desktop model. Also, the price for notebooks is attractive enough for even the most resistant of field producers who use price as an excuse for not automating.

Not Offering Pet Insurance? Think Again

Pet insurance is an increasing segment of the overall insurance industry. People love their pets! And, they're willing to spend $20 to 30 a month, and more, for pet insuance premiums.

There seem to be at least three times as many pet insurance Web sites now as when I last looked a year ago. Also, a search engine specialist I know says that "pet insurance" ranks among the top 25 terms people use when searching for insurance.

Surely, there must be a way agents can cash in on the growing pet insurance market. This should be one kind of low-risk insurance that can easily be sold on the Internet without much work on the agent's part. How? Try calling pet insurance providers and negotiate a deal to offer their product on your Web site. You might be able to collect a few bucks on a click-thru.

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