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Ron

Administrator

Member Rara Avis

since 1999-05-19

Posts 8669
Michigan, US

0 posted 2001-03-04 11:30 PM

It seems the Resident Poets at the main site are being spammed by a web site called personal-internet-publishing.com - which goes by the unusual acronym PIP. I just wanted everyone to know they have absolutely nothing to do with Passions, and needless to say, I don't condone harvesting email addresses and sending people unsolicited email. My thanks to Marge, Sharon, Kit, Rebecca, Chris, and all the others who gave me a heads-up about these, uh, people.

FWIW, these guys just barely squeezed in under the wire, and this should be the last time our Resident Poets have to contend with spam. The new site design is almost in place, and your email addresses will no longer be displayed for people like this to harvest. Instead, they have to fill out a form, which the server then sends directly to the poet - and it's up to you whether you want to respond. ONLY if you respond to them will they ever see your email address. Our visitors will still be able to send you their appreication, but the form takes a lot more effort than just sending the identical message to several hundred people, so that should discourage most spammers. The few who get by that hurdle will probably think a third time when they see the prominent warning that all URL's will be removed from their message. Spammers don't seem to have much to say when they can't include an URL.

With luck, this will eliminate most of the spam we've had to contend with because of the increased popularity of Passions.

Poet deVine

Administrator

Member Seraphic

since 1999-05-26

Posts 22612
Hurricane Alley

1 posted 2001-03-04 11:38 PM

Being the BEST sometimes has it's drawbacks...but it's worth it.

WhtDove
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-22

Posts 9245
Illinois

2 posted 2001-03-04 11:52 PM

Actually I've recieved 2 emails from the main site saying something to the affect of this. "and it's up to you whether you want to respond. ONLY if you respond to them will they ever see your email address"...

I thought that a neat feature to put in.
Thanks Ron for all the protection you give us. I thought some might think it was from here considering they used the "PIP."

Dopey Dope

Moderator

Member Patricius

since 2000-08-30

Posts 11132
San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 posted 2001-03-05 07:00 AM

Wonderful job Ron!!!
Well I don't get the spams......but I'm not a great poet like the rest of you either so it all fits hehe.

I think it's great that this type of protection has been made for all of the resident poets. No matter how huge this heaven gets there's always the feel of the family sticking together.

I was born myself, raised myself, and will continue to be myself. The world will just have to adjust.

I'm in love with my shadow
I admire it daily

Kit McCallum

Administrator

Member Laureate

since 2000-04-30

Posts 14774
Ontario, Canada

4 posted 2001-03-05 07:09 AM

I had to do a double-take on the title ... I thought maybe Balladeer was doing a midnight raid on the Spam cupboard, LOL.

The new features are very much appreciated Ron, thank you!

[This message has been edited by Kit McCallum (edited 03-05-2001).]

Christopher

Moderator

Member Rara Avis

since 1999-08-02

Posts 8296
Purgatorial Incarceration

5 posted 2001-03-05 07:11 AM

Thank you ROn!

Nan

Administrator

Member Seraphic

since 1999-05-20

Posts 21191
Cape Cod Massachusetts USA

6 posted 2001-03-05 07:44 AM

Hmmm... and my email's a day late and a PIP short again.... I feel like I'm in a time warp!!!..

Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

7 posted 2001-03-05 08:50 AM

Yes, Ron, ignore the e-mail I sent you on this, which I found just today. Humph.

Acies

Moderator

Member Rara Avis

since 2000-06-07

Posts 7665
Twilight Zone

8 posted 2001-03-05 09:22 AM

3 cheers for Ron

hep hep -- hooray
hep hep -- horray
hep hep -- Horray

see the cheerleaders jump up and down

"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this give life to thee." W.S.

WhtDove
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-22

Posts 9245
Illinois

9 posted 2001-03-05 10:21 AM

LOL Kit! I thought Balladeer had gotten to him too.

Alicat
Member Elite

since 1999-05-23

Posts 4094
Coastal Texas

10 posted 2001-03-05 02:09 PM

Wonderfully quick work, Ron. Thank you for providing such a special place for us.

Alicat

Dopey Dope

Moderator

Member Patricius

since 2000-08-30

Posts 11132
San Juan, Puerto Rico

11 posted 2001-03-05 02:14 PM

How's the rambo smiley face going?
We need SOMEBODY to get rid of those green bugs.

I was born myself, raised myself, and will continue to be myself. The world will just have to adjust.

I'm in love with my shadow
I admire it daily

Munda
Member Elite

since 1999-10-08

Posts 3544
The Hague, The Netherlands

12 posted 2001-03-05 03:37 PM

I must say... you're quick... real quick... a lot quicker than "soon".

Thanks Ron!

Severn
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-17

Posts 7704

13 posted 2001-03-05 07:33 PM

Heh - I just found mine today - in my Bulk Mail HAHAHAH - they were filtered out...

1 million dollars in prize sweepstakes?

Oh PUHLEASE...do they really think that sounds credible?

K

Dusk Treader

Moderator

Senior Member

since 1999-06-18

Posts 1187
St. Paul, MN

14 posted 2001-03-05 09:33 PM

Their PIP acronym really had me confused.. so confused I promptly forgot about the email.. LOL Thanks Ron for protecting our email!

"And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind - is, in the end, Hell" - C.S. Lewis

WhtDove
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-22

Posts 9245
Illinois

15 posted 2001-03-07 03:39 PM

bump

Moon Dust

Member Elite

since 1999-06-11

Posts 2177
Skelmersdale, UK

16 posted 2001-03-10 11:48 AM

Hey I got that too, Thanks again Ron.

Don't ever give in, if you do you've lost everything you've ever had and everything you hope to gain, but if you carry on your already winning.

Munda
Member Elite

since 1999-10-08

Posts 3544
The Hague, The Netherlands

17 posted 2001-03-13 01:29 PM

LOL Ron... did you know you're one of the "recent winners"? I wonder how much of the prize money you got!

http://www.personal-internet-publishing.com/winners_p2.html

WhtDove
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-22

Posts 9245
Illinois

18 posted 2001-03-13 04:36 PM

I'll be darned, it says most of these are from netpoets.com!

Ron

Administrator

Member Rara Avis

since 1999-05-19

Posts 8669
Michigan, US

19 posted 2001-03-17 01:40 AM

Marge has informed me this is becoming a continuing problem, and I'm sure many of you have already received another "letter" from him.

Sadly, some people see the Internet as a get-rich scheme, but don't make the effort to learn the proper ways to conduct business in this new medium. I don't think this is meant to be malicious, but rather is the result of blatant ignorance. This poor kid has made just about every mistake possible, from sending a 221K Spam to displaying the entire list of recipients and more. It sounds silly, but he's almost giving the real Internet crooks a bad name.

I have just sent him the following letter:

quote:
Mr. Tom Strayhorn

This is the second time you have SPAMMED members of my community, as first documented in our forums at /pip/Forum6/HTML/000575.html  and I ask that it be the LAST time. I'm sure you're a good person and I applaud your ambition, but this is NOT the way to conduct business on the Internet. I suggest you investigate the difference between opt-in and Spam and change your business conduct accordingly. And immediately. Should anyone from netpoets.com or piptalk.com be spammed by you again, I will be forced to contact your host at E-CORP.NET and insist your account be terminated, and will contact each of your affiliate programs with the same request. I suspect you'll discover these people take Spam very, very seriously.

You have also posted content from my site at http://www.personal-internet-publishing.com/winners_p2.html  without asking  for permission from the authors. All of this material is published at netpoets.com with a VERY PROMINENT copyright notice, and what you have done essentially amounts to theft. I ask that it be removed immediately.

Please consider this letter a warning. The next message I have to send will also go to the following people:

Stracener Jr., Horace  osprey6@attglobal.net
Evoy, Ken  kevoy@wired-ee.com at E-CORP.NET
Goforth, Joel  joel@CJ.COM at Commission Junction
Cook, Brian  bcook@zianet.com at Advent Marketing music-song-lyric.com
Colon, Luis  lcolon@CDSFULFILLMENT.COM at Communications Data Services
Abuse Department abuse@MATCH.COM at one-and-only.com

Thank you for reading,
Ron Carnell

Severn
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-17

Posts 7704

20 posted 2001-03-17 02:02 AM

Yes Ron- I saw the next letter and thought 'wow - what a list of names - and so many I recognise'

K

Marge Tindal

Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-06

Posts 42384
Florida's Foreverly Shores

21 posted 2001-03-17 01:22 PM

Thank you for your attentiveness to this, Ron.
I also wrote him a letter ...
but I wasn't quite as gracious as you -
as I had asked him before to not contact me again.
I hope he is capable of understanding the message from his providers.
~*Marge*~

Marge Tindal

Member Empyrean

since 1999-11-06

Posts 42384
Florida's Foreverly Shores

22 posted 2001-03-17 01:26 PM

Well ... after sending my missive to his providers -
I just received this message from him -

quote:
Ms. Tindal,

Please accept my deepest regrets and apologies. I have apologized to Ron and all the people at Netpoets. I'm new at this businesses and I misunderstood Netpoets policy.

The list has been destroyed. I promise this will never happen again. Poets and poetry lovers should not fight amongst themselves. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me.

Sincerely,

Tom Strayhorn

*'Poets and poetry lovers' ... fighting 'AMONGST THEMSELVES' ?????
Give me a break.

Thanks again, Ron ...
it remains to be seen if he learns.
~*Marge*~

Munda
Member Elite

since 1999-10-08

Posts 3544
The Hague, The Netherlands

23 posted 2001-03-17 06:46 PM

LOL Marge! And thanks Ron!

WhtDove
Member Rara Avis

since 1999-07-22

Posts 9245
Illinois

24 posted 2001-03-17 09:42 PM

mmmmmmmn. Hope this works.

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