[CS-FSLUG] Let's Talk About It: Web of Trust

[Ed Hurst]

Ritchie, Josiah S. wrote:
> Perhaps it is a naive and idealistic opinion, but the junk marketing
> wars will only be won on the current implementation of the Internet by
> educating the users. Until users stop making it effective, the business
> driven marketer will find a new way until the consumers make it clear
> that the only acceptable marketing is not invasive marketing. To hit at
> spam or blog spam or annoying pop-ups is to target a symptom and not the
> problem we are really dealing with.
> 
> The consumer needs to support good marketing and discourage bad
> marketing and we need to tell them the difference. "How will they know
> if we do not tell them?"

Quite true. We have not performed due diligence, it seems to me. The 
issue receives insufficient emphasis, largely because the money is on 
the side of the marketers. They make the most noise in the first place, 
and they would hardly shoot themselves in the foot. I know I push it 
when it finds an appropriate place in a conversation, but I don't know 
anyone who hasn't heard. There seems too many who use the Web and  don't 
get the word, or just won't listen -- like people who love AOL.

In our fallen world, you and I both know education alone won't remove 
the marketer's incentive. As you note, someone will inevitably fall for 
it. Given the near-zero cost of spam, and the very low cost of spyware 
production, all it takes is a tiny percentage of fools to make it 
profitable.

So what do we do to offset that? Education only goes so far. How do we 
supplement that?

-- 
Ed Hurst
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