Can the Spam!

The Online Activist: Part Two

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


Got something important to say? A simple mouse click lets you reach thousands of people almost instantaneously. E-mail can be a hugely powerful tool for activists, and even Internet rookies can use it effectively on a global scale. But is it outreach — or is it spam?

As Internet use has skyrocketed, so have complaints about unsolicited e-mail, also called “junk e-mail” or “spam.” No one wants their e-mailbox clogged with idiotic ads for businesses in faraway states, or come-ons to join the latest get-rich-quick scheme. And while most of the complaints are about exactly this kind of cheesy commercial e-mail, unwelcome political e-mail can also spark an angry flame.

Spam is now such a hot-button topic among Internet users that three separate anti-spam bills have been introduced in Congress, and at least one of them — S. 875 by Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) — could have profound effects on how activists conduct outreach in cyberspace. More on that in a minute; in the meantime, check out these helpful tips for avoiding the sins of the spammer:

** Never send unsolicited mass e-mailings. If you want to tell a large number of people about an issue, send your message to e-mail discussion lists and Usenet newsgroups that focus on the topic of your message. Everyone hates blanket e-mail — it’s the purest form of spam.

** Never subscribe people to e-mail lists without their permission. You can create your own e-mail distribution list by sending a message to appropriate discussion lists and newsgroups, announcing your list and inviting people to subscribe. Be ruthlessly specific about the topic, the frequency of posts, and how the list will operate.

** Never put multiple e-mail addresses in the “to” or “cc” field when sending to a large number of people. Put your own e-mail address in the “to” field and use the “bcc” (blind copy) field for all the other addresses — or else readers will have to scroll through screenfuls of address gibberish to find your message.

** Never post action alerts to e-mail discussion lists or Usenet groups on unrelated issues. If your action alert is about clean air, you’re likely to get flamed if you send it to a discussion list focused on free speech.

** Never leave the subject line blank. This is a sure way to annoy people.

** Always identify yourself. Give complete contact information in e-mail alerts: phone, address, fax, e-mail, and URL if you have a Web site. Everyone is faceless in cyberspace. You’ll have far more credibility — and may get better results — if you clearly identify yourself, your organization, and your cause.

Here are a few more general tips for making your e-mail outreach effective.

** Always provide contact information for any decision-makers you want people to reach. Provide the telephone, fax, and postal address. You can also throw in the e-mail address, but remember to warn your recipients: Few decision-makers pay attention to e-mail from constituents. If your organization has a Web site with a fax server, include the URL for the fax server so your recipients can send faxes; the newer e-mail software recognizes URLs and enables the reader to click directly onto the site.

** Always send yourself a test message before sending out alerts. Check for correct format, spelling, and especially contact information and URLs, so you don’t have to annoy recipients by sending them embarrassing corrections.

** Keep the text short and focused. You’re much more likely to motivate people to action if you get right to the point.

** Write a subject line that’s compelling or provocative. This is the first thing the recipient will see. The more compelling you make it, the more likely it is that your message will be read — and acted upon.

Resources for Keeping up to Date on the Spam Debate

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Web site has detailed information about spam, including links to the bills in Congress, and its EPIC Alert electronic newsletter provides updates on the spam legislation and other computer privacy issues. For readers who don’t mind a libertarian perspective, the Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW) publishes the electronic newsletter Junk Email News!, with back issues archived on the Web.

EPIC’s analysis indicates bills H.R. 1748 by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and S. 771 by Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) could face Constitutional challenges on the grounds that they interfere with the sender’s First Amendment right to free speech — but they probably will not interfere with activist work because they specifically target commercial spam. Torricelli’s bill, on the other hand, would create a penalty of up to $5,000 for sending unsolicited e-mail to any recipient who has requested that it cease, but makes no distinction about content. This penalty conceivably could apply to activists sending e-mail bulletins or action alerts, with an extremely chilling effect on e-mail outreach.

Audrie Krause is the founder and executive director of NetAction, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public, policy makers, and the media about technology-based social and political issues.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate