blogiquette

[firecat]

If you comment on someone's blog, and need to give an e-mail address to do so, is it acceptable for them to subscribe you to their mailing list? (No notice is given of such automatic subscription in the comment area.)

I don't think it's acceptable. I'm not all that angry about it, but I'm minorly ticked and trying to decide whether to complain.




Update I did complain. The blogger responded that my winding up on zir mailing list was unintentional.

Comments

[jennyaxe.livejournal.com]

It's not a matter of blogiiquette; rather, it's a fundamental rule of how to run a mailing list. If you add anyone's adress without them specifically having asked to be added to that particular mailinglist, you are spamming. Simple as that.

Now I'm sure everyone can come up with a possible scenario or two in which this rule is too strict - for instance, when you're adding your mother to your list of people to invite to your handfasting or something. But in all those cases I've seen brought up, you know the person in question well enough to be allowed to do this. In any other case, where you don't know the person well enough to be aware of their wishes, or you haven't had their express permission, the above rule stands.

This does not mean that every mailing list owner who acts in the way Firecat describes should be reported as a spammer and have their ISP account cancelled - but they should be made aware that what they're doing is against all mailing list etiquette, and most probably against the AUP they signed when they got their ISP account.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Well stated. And especially if you're running any kind of business, you REALLY want to stay inside the lines -- because if you don't, then it becomes Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE) and you'd be amazed how much legal trouble you can be in. Sure, the so-called "CAN-SPAM" law has a double meaning, but if you haven't done your research, you're not likely to know where the loopholes are.

I don't know exactly where bloggers would fall in this, it's sort of a grey area. But at the most basic level, it's just good manners and common sense to let people make their own decisions about whether or not to be on your mailing list.