Has anyone else gotten this spam?

[+ArtieD]

Hi there...I was wondering if anyone's gotten this spam email lately? This person has been all over Facebook promoting their book idea and now I have gotten email from them for no other reason than I am hosting an event. Is this stuff allowed? Surely it isn't.

 

Hi, I am an active geo-cacher in Minnesota, who totally loves this game!! I am contacting geocaching.com members who are hosting events as a resource to spread the word about my book project. I searched events in your area and noticed you have a geocaching event coming up. My purpose in contacting you is to ask if you would share the following information with the people who attend your event. If I have sent this email in duplicate please accept my apologies as I am trying to reach as many cachers as possible.

Hi, I am an active geo-cacher from Minnesota, who loves the game. I want to share the love of geocaching by putting together a book on geocaching stories to be published. I am looking for all kinds of geocaching stories from real geocache players like myself. I am looking for things like this; adventures you have been on, people you have met along the way, how you got started, your favorite geocache, the most amazing thing you have seen, road trips, midnight adventures, being stopped by the cops, you met a tree lady, taking the hard way to the cache, you have been injured or helped someone out, something unusual happened on your adventure to the cacher, your own favorite post on a find or DNF or one someone listed on your cache, the idea behind your creative caches, stories about hiding caches or finding caches, your cache getting mistaken for a drug location.....You name it!! Each chapter would be dedicated to a certain type of story.

You are and will be the sole owner of your story, I am only asking for permission to share it in my book, so others may enjoy it. As for copy writes; I will ask the readers of the book to not use your story in any manner without permission from its original author - you.

The stories can be as short or long as you want them. I would love to start compiling the stories into printable chapters by late January 2015 so please send them by then. Please detail them as much as you can. You can find my page on facebook at – Geocaching – The blood, sweat, tears and adventures! Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

If you are interested in sharing a story, please email me at:

xxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com

xxxxxxxxx@gmail.com

[Keystone]

If this message was sent to you via the Geocaching.com email system, then I encourage you to report it to Geocaching HQ via the Help Center. They will follow up with the account owner, as spamming users this way is not permitted under the Terms of Use.

 

If the contact came from Facebook or direct private email outside of Geocaching.com, then Geocaching HQ cannot assist you.

[+ArtieD]

If this message was sent to you via the Geocaching.com email system, then I encourage you to report it to Geocaching HQ via the Help Center. They will follow up with the account owner, as spamming users this way is not permitted under the Terms of Use.

 

If the contact came from Facebook or direct private email outside of Geocaching.com, then Geocaching HQ cannot assist you.

 

It was through the Geocaching.com email system. Thanks for the help!

[Mr.Yuck]

Oh, that doesn't sound too bad, and it sounds like an interesting project. I would have let it slide.

 

The only time I was ever spammed through the Geocaching.com system, was when some guy emailed everyone who ever found one of his caches, to inform them his personal Geocoin was for sale. I heard he's in jail. Not for spamming, I'm sure.

 

I also heard a then brand new online Geocaching vendor was spamming people within the past two years. I'm sure they got their wrist slapped. And ultimately, I suppose this person.

[4wheelin_fool]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

[+Touchstone]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

 

 

spam

 

noun: spam; plural noun: spams; noun: Spam

 

1. irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients.

 

Sounds like spam to me.

[+ArtieD]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

 

It's spam because she's just mass emailing anyone who owns a current event cache, wanting the hosts to tell everyone about her project, all the while using GC.com's email system to do it. It isn't like she's emailing friends...she even admits she's just looking for any and all event hosts.

 

Either way, it doesn't matter. I contacted Groundspeak and pretty quickly they replied, promising to take care of the issue.

[+SwineFlew]

I just hit the delete button and laugh at them.

[+wmpastor]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

 

It's spam because she's just mass emailing anyone who owns a current event cache, wanting the hosts to tell everyone about her project, all the while using GC.com's email system to do it. It isn't like she's emailing friends...she even admits she's just looking for any and all event hosts.

 

Either way, it doesn't matter. I contacted Groundspeak and pretty quickly they replied, promising to take care of the issue.

 

If this "spammer" had opened a new thread instead, he/she could have gotten stories *and* been praised for creating great dialog among members, instead a being villified as a lower-than-a-snake's-belly spammer.

 

Mildly ironic how the world works, isn't it?

[+ArtieD]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

 

It's spam because she's just mass emailing anyone who owns a current event cache, wanting the hosts to tell everyone about her project, all the while using GC.com's email system to do it. It isn't like she's emailing friends...she even admits she's just looking for any and all event hosts.

 

Either way, it doesn't matter. I contacted Groundspeak and pretty quickly they replied, promising to take care of the issue.

 

If this "spammer" had opened a new thread instead, he/she could have gotten stories *and* been praised for creating great dialog among members, instead a being villified as a lower-than-a-snake's-belly spammer.

 

Mildly ironic how the world works, isn't it?

 

It would at least have been a proper utilization of the system and within the terms of use...

[4wheelin_fool]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

 

It's spam because she's just mass emailing anyone who owns a current event cache, wanting the hosts to tell everyone about her project, all the while using GC.com's email system to do it. It isn't like she's emailing friends...she even admits she's just looking for any and all event hosts.

 

Either way, it doesn't matter. I contacted Groundspeak and pretty quickly they replied, promising to take care of the issue.

 

It's only a single email from another cacher. They are not asking you to buy anything, and it's only impersonal because it's generic. I don't know why this would be cause to be reported or even a forum thread, but my response would be to either reply or to delete it. Now if they sent several emails or were selling something that would be different. I'm simply amazed at how a single email could cause consternation so easily.

Edited November 6, 2014 by 4wheelin_fool

[Keystone]

If the spammer chose the OP at random, and just the OP, then that one email would not be problematic. Odd, but not a ToU issue. But using the email system to write spam to many event organizers is a different matter.

 

I didn't get the email because I haven't organized an event cache recently. Reading the email caused consternation for me because of the spelling and grammar. That person wants to author a book?

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

I didn't get the email because I haven't organized an event cache recently. Reading the email caused consternation for me because of the spelling and grammar. That person wants to author a book?

 

I thought the same thing when I received the email.

[Mr.Yuck]

As the first "not a big deal" poster, I would just like to say that yes, I believe this is an unsolicited email. I still would have let them slide, and not report it though.

[4wheelin_fool]

So if the same exact email was worded with a slight personal touch, and they did not mention that they emailed others, then it wouldn't have set the alarms off?

[+ArtieD]

Eh, I would have still asked if anyone else got an email, simply because this person has been spamming Facebook geocaching pages with the same stuff. It would stand to reason to think they'd move to the actual site.

[+narcissa]

They are not asking for you to buy anything, only to share stories. Why would this be spam?

 

It's spam because she's just mass emailing anyone who owns a current event cache, wanting the hosts to tell everyone about her project, all the while using GC.com's email system to do it. It isn't like she's emailing friends...she even admits she's just looking for any and all event hosts.

 

Either way, it doesn't matter. I contacted Groundspeak and pretty quickly they replied, promising to take care of the issue.

 

If this "spammer" had opened a new thread instead, he/she could have gotten stories *and* been praised for creating great dialog among members, instead a being villified as a lower-than-a-snake's-belly spammer.

 

Mildly ironic how the world works, isn't it?

 

It's not ironic at all.

 

The forum is a designated space for discussion, sharing stories, etc.

 

Sending unsolicited messages like that through personal email is a nuisance on par with cold-calling.

[+Traditional Bill]

Yeah I'd probably consider that spam. I agree with others that if this person used the proper outlets, it could've been a stimulating discussion. I'm a bit more interested by one particular thing in that spam email though -

 

you met a tree lady

 

Can't say I ever met a tree lady while geocaching.

[+cheech gang]

Yeah I'd probably consider that spam. I agree with others that if this person used the proper outlets, it could've been a stimulating discussion. I'm a bit more interested by one particular thing in that spam email though -

 

you met a tree lady

 

Can't say I ever met a tree lady while geocaching.

 

That's why she made such wide distribution with her request. It is not everyday you can find someone who has met a tree lady.

 

Edited November 6, 2014 by cheech gang

[Pup Patrol]

As for copy writes;

 

 

Sent as mass emailing using the Groundspeak system: spam.

 

Opening a thread, with Groundspeak's permission, to solicit stories for a book: not spam.

 

The book is a commercial venture, no? Intended to bring profit to the author?

 

Spam.

 

 

 

B.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Pup Patrol

[4wheelin_fool]

Well, still, you could have replied and helped her out..

 

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. Cozy, warm, and settled in his abode for the evening, the rugged adventuristic geocacher checked his email and started eating his dinner. An exquisite lobster thermidor aux crevettes, with a mornay sauce garnished with truffle paté, brandy and a fried egg on top and ....spam? Spam? SPAM?

[+wmpastor]

I didn't get the email because I haven't organized an event cache recently. Reading the email caused consternation for me because of the spelling and grammar. That person wants to author a book?

 

I thought the same thing when I received the email.

That's what editors are for.

 

I would not have gotten twisted knickers over this because (1) it was geocaching-related and (2) they're not selling anything. I understand that others want zero spam at all, however. My personal opinion.

[+wimseyguy]

As for copy writes;

 

 

Sent as mass emailing using the Groundspeak system: spam.

 

Opening a thread, with Groundspeak's permission, to solicit stories for a book: not spam.

 

The book is a commercial venture, no? Intended to bring profit to the author?

 

Spam.

B.

On a plate with Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice-Spam.

 

[+SwineFlew]

If the spammer chose the OP at random, and just the OP, then that one email would not be problematic. Odd, but not a ToU issue. But using the email system to write spam to many event organizers is a different matter.

 

I didn't get the email because I haven't organized an event cache recently. Reading the email caused consternation for me because of the spelling and grammar. That person wants to author a book?

Thats why we got proofreaders before they published a book.

[Mr.Yuck]

If the spammer chose the OP at random, and just the OP, then that one email would not be problematic. Odd, but not a ToU issue. But using the email system to write spam to many event organizers is a different matter.

 

I didn't get the email because I haven't organized an event cache recently. Reading the email caused consternation for me because of the spelling and grammar. That person wants to author a book?

Thats why we got proofreaders before they published a book.

 

In this day and age, when pretty much anyone can publish an ebook, I've seen some pretty ugly stuff out there, let me tell you. A couple of them Geocaching related.