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  #1  
Old 04-18-2004
Maurice's Avatar
Banned
 
Location: Isle of Wight, England
Member since: Aug 2003, 653 posts
Unsubscribe or not?

I have just been advised not to keep unsubscribing where unwanted e-mails are concerned, you know, the ones that are sent you because the parent firm passes your address on to affiliates, etc
Is he right?, & before you say, this has nothing to do with spam filtering, I'm just asking if he has good cause to say this, in other words, how can it do harm to unsubscribe?.....sounds screwy to me, but perhaps you'll tell me different.
Maurice
  #2  
Old 04-18-2004
OS samurai's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Colorado USA
Member since: Mar 2004, 193 posts
Quote:
I have just been advised not to keep unsubscribing where unwanted e-mails are concerned, you know, the ones that are sent you because the parent firm passes your address on to affiliates, etc
who advised you of that? about the only reason I could see for not unsubscribing would be if you were going to loose access to a service or feature you wanted/needed to use if you did so

just my .02
  #3  
Old 04-18-2004
olefarte's Avatar
TechSpot Ambassador
 
Location: Arkansas, USA
Member since: Dec 2002, 1,425 posts
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My experience has been that unsubscribing to real junk mail, only brings on more, it seems to let them know that you are really there. Legitimate sites, and you'll probably know which ones they are, are okay though.

I don't ever unsubscribe junk mail, I just delete them.

Last edited by olefarte; 04-18-2004 at 03:22 PM..
  #4  
Old 04-18-2004
Didou's Avatar
Bowtie extraordinair!
 
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Member since: Feb 2002, 5,895 posts
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Yeah as Olefarteh said, clicking on the "Unsubscribe" links at the bottom of spam mails is generally just a confirmation that they have reached a valid Email address & that they can send more of those spams your way.
  #5  
Old 04-18-2004
OS samurai's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Colorado USA
Member since: Mar 2004, 193 posts
yeah I forgot about that I just let this junk go to my spam folder & I never worry about it I just empty the folder
  #6  
Old 04-18-2004
Maurice's Avatar
Banned
 
Location: Isle of Wight, England
Member since: Aug 2003, 653 posts
Thanks, guys, you have confirmed what my mate said is true, it didn't make sense then, but it does now, in future I'll deal with them as I do my stupid "p***s development cream" so-called ads; [yes, I know, very hilarious!!, but very boring] I shall double-delete.
Great stuff, as usual,
Maurice
  #7  
Old 04-18-2004
OS samurai's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Colorado USA
Member since: Mar 2004, 193 posts
i'm glad we could help
  #8  
Old 04-18-2004
SNGX1275's Avatar
TechSpot Forces Special
 
Location: Rolla, Missouri, USA
Member since: Feb 2002, 10,815 posts
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Yeh, I agree with the above posts saying that if you unsubscribe they know you are there.
But since you said in your original post you weren't specifically talking about SPAM -> do unsubscribe if you don't want it and its not spam, pretty much as long as its not SPAM places are nice enough to actually unsubscribe you without negative consequences.
  #9  
Old 04-19-2004
Maurice's Avatar
Banned
 
Location: Isle of Wight, England
Member since: Aug 2003, 653 posts
Thanks, SNGX, you don't mind if I call you SNGX for short?...[joke!] that really clears it up.
CHEERS, Maurice.
  #10  
Old 04-19-2004
poertner_1274's Avatar
secroF laicepS topShceT
 
Location: Saint Louis, MO, USA
Member since: Feb 2002, 4,742 posts
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I ususally unsubscribe to everything, and then in that email I give them Didou's email address to send stuff to instead :eek:
  #11  
Old 04-19-2004
Maurice's Avatar
Banned
 
Location: Isle of Wight, England
Member since: Aug 2003, 653 posts
Gee, thanks Poertner_1274 [or partner?] you're joking, huh?, I'm never sure when you are or not! [are they all like you, in St Louis?]
Isn't Didou a TS member?.....or do you know a false address where we can all send our unwanted/weird e-mails? naaah, that would be great though, Hail, O great Poertner_1274, the. Special Forces Joker.
Unfair to Didou!...Unfair to Didou!...Unfair to Didou! all together everybody!!
[That's what this site is great at, being human!], more power to people like you. [what IS Special Forces?]
Maurice
  #12  
Old 04-19-2004
poertner_1274's Avatar
secroF laicepS topShceT
 
Location: Saint Louis, MO, USA
Member since: Feb 2002, 4,742 posts
System specs
Haha, no I'm just kidding. Yes Didou is a TS member, and I was just joking with him. We give each other a hard time quite a bit in the IRC channel.
I'm sure if you really replied to be uninstalled and said, no send it here, they would hammer you even worse.
  #13  
Old 04-20-2004
Per Hansson's Avatar
TechSpot Server Guru
 
Location: Sweden
Member since: Feb 2002, 1,513 posts
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Yes, just like everyone has said, unsubscribing from "real" SPAM will get you on their lists of "real e-mail addresses"

Those lists are often sold/shared between spammers also...

There is one more thing; Images in SPAM messages often do the very same thing... They have a very special address often with allot of numbers and stuff in it, and when you simply look at that image, i.e. download it off their server, your e-mail address is listed as "real"...

That's why I setup the Techspot webmail (for staff) to not show those images by default and require the user to click a "view unsafe images" link to actually load the images...

If this exists in any other e-mail client I do not know...
__________________
"The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."
  #14  
Old 04-20-2004
Didou's Avatar
Bowtie extraordinair!
 
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Member since: Feb 2002, 5,895 posts
System specs
Poert !!!

So that's why I keep getting those "Farm girls love horses" newsletter...
  #15  
Old 04-20-2004
Maurice's Avatar
Banned
 
Location: Isle of Wight, England
Member since: Aug 2003, 653 posts
Great support as usual,guys!, Didou, hope you like the sex aid ads that I'll be sending you from now on in, you might even buy some,enjoy!........................nah, I'm only kidding, it must be catching, thanks Poertner!
Per, I have taken your advice on board, thanks.

F.A.O., Administrator,or whoever oversees the site, I have been taking it upoon myself, that, when I see a newcomer / newcomer in training, I give them a little "pep-talk", a welcome to the site, etc., & tell them how good it is [it IS!],saying how TS has helped my out of sticky situations, such as viruses etc., & I like to think that they might be put at ease, & encouraged to use the site more.
You could create a new position of "Welcomer".....& yes, I volunteer, I'm so pleased to be a member, that I like to spread the news.
Whoever reads this "waffle" please pass it on to the person concerned, at the least, it'll give them a laugh [but it is semi-serious]
Maurice
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