How to Opt Out of Plaxo
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Plaxo - NOT
Plaxo - NOT
04/10/2004 04:45 PMMo'
Plaxo?.
As a followup to my entry
earlier this week about opting out of Plaxo, Stacy Martin from Plaxo commented "Thanks for using the
Service. We've offered the Opt-out capabilities for about 6 months
now..."
Umm. Stacy. One thing.
I never used Plaxo. I never used the service. I didn't
appreciate the unsolicited mail and I never wanted to share anything.
I never should have been forced into Plaxo in the first place and
Plaxo shouldn't be trying to lever my personal information into a
business model.
I never should have had to opt-out in the first place!!
And remember folks - friends don't force friends to use Plaxo,
friends use Friends<
/A>.
If you want my contact info, <A href="javascript:openWindow(http://www
.byte.org/blog/cmd=view_user/username=ross, 'info', 450,
600);">click here instead. If you need more contact deets, become
my friend ;)
[Random Bytes]
You go Ross - tell um like it is. That guy left comments for
me too. They're using they're $20M of VC money for something at
least!
Opting out of Plaxo
Opting out of Plaxo
04/09/2004 03:56 PMApologies to friends who use Plaxo, but I'm opting out of Plaxo since it
has become a source of spam for me and I feel like I'm doing all the
work. Anyone who wants to find my contact info can just Google me or
find it on my wiki
page.
via Dan Gillmor
Opt out of Plaxo emails
Opt out of Plaxo emails
04/09/2004 04:11 PMWow! Somebody's listening.
How to opt-out of Plaxo emails. Dan
Gillmor points to this page on the Plaxo website, where you can
permanently opt out receiving "Hey, I'm updating my contact
information..." emails from the service. Link [Boing Boing]
More Hype For Plaxo
More Hype For Plaxo
06/15/2004 03:32 AMYou can always tell when a lazy PR person has been given the job to
hype up some random startup in Silicon Valley. That's when the
"profile" piece comes out, focusing almost entirely on the 22-year-old
founder of a company, rather than the company itself or what it does.
It looks like that's the latest strategy to hype up Plaxo, with a
story that focuses on
its young co-founders and the similarities the company has
to Yahoo and Google - namely founded by two Stanford students and
funded by Michael Moritz. Of course, the article leaves out the
differences - such as the fact that a fair number of folks find
Plaxo's service both
annoyin
g and
creepy<
/a> - and they're still searchi
ng for a business model. It also leaves out the fact that one of
Plaxo's founders was recently forced out of the company, suggesting
that not all is well at Plaxo central. I still fail to see how Plaxo
is any more than a small feature of an email system - and the only
thing I learned from this article is that the company likes to compare
itself to multi-billion dollar companies that actually do have
business models.
plaxo wants to support FOAF
plaxo wants to support FOAF
02/19/2004 02:55 AMand needs to know how to make it work. clue them in.
Apparently, I joined Plaxo.
Apparently, I joined Plaxo.
06/29/2004 10:23 AM I received a surprise email from Plaxo today, updating me on the
status of my account. I'd forgotten I'd once joined, in the spirit of
adventure. So, I went to the Plaxo site where they've prominently
posted reassuring information about their privacy policy. I found
where I can opt out of receiving update requests, although it results
in the following almost-funny error message: The e-mail address you
are trying to opt-out from (self@evident.com) has already been claimed
by another user (possibly you). You will not be able to opt-out at
this time. (A search of their knowledge base turns...
Yahoo Invests in Plaxo
Yahoo Invests in Plaxo
05/24/2004 03:48 PM"Plaxo integrates Yahoo's search engine directly into the Outlook
e-mail program. Under the deal with Yahoo, Plaxo will get paid for
channeling people to Yahoo's search engine."
Plaxo Business Model
Plaxo Business Model
05/24/2004 12:50 PMPlaxo is out trying to explain they have a business model and are
addressing privacy concerns. A premium service at $20/month that
includes support and, well, what else they are not saying or don't
know yet. Techdirt: They're basically saying...
Plaxo Does Have A Business Model... But
Not Really
Plaxo Does Have A Business Model... But
Not Really
05/24/2004 03:05 AMI'll admit that I have
not
been kind to Plaxo in the past. Ever since the service was first
announced, it sounded like a bubble era pointless dot com. There was
a lot of hype about the young founder (previously founded Napster!)
and the "service" itself didn't seem like much of a product. At most,
it was a feature of a larger product, and that larger product might
just turn out to be something like Microsoft Outlook. If the system
was remotely useful, you would think that Microsoft would just build
it in to Outlook. However, it didn't even seem that useful. If
anything, I expected it to be annoying - and has it ever been
annoying. I now block all Plaxo requests, but for a while, the amount
of Plaxo spam was ridiculous. Then, of course, there's the privacy
question. While Plaxo now goes to great lengths to swear up and down
that they keep your info private, they don't seem to understand the
real privacy complaint: when your friends give
your address to
some 3rd party service,
are
they violating your privacy? It's a question that's not entirely
clear. In the meantime, this was all made worse by the fact that
Plaxo still didn't have anything remotely resembling a business model
(shades of the bubble era again...). Well, now they claim they've
solved that issue, and have announced that their business model is a
$20/year paid version for which
you'll get such great features as... well, they actually don't seem to
know yet. You will get better
customer support though. It
always worries me when companies decide that better customer support
is a premium "feature," because they've just set up the incentives to
mean that they give the absolute worst customer support to anyone not
in that tier. This doesn't seem particularly compelling. They're
basically saying their new business model is that they'll annoy me
less if I pay? No thanks...
Congrats to Mark Jen, now at Plaxo
Congrats to Mark Jen, now at Plaxo
03/14/2005 05:02 PMIt looks like Mark found himself a new job (Plaxo) after a whirlwind
of media attention and job interviews. Congrats, Mark. Lemme know if
you want to drop by Yahoo for lunch again sometime....
Sean Parker kicked out of Plaxo
Sean Parker kicked out of Plaxo
04/21/2004 03:26 AMAlthough I had some problems with the Plaxo model, I hate hearing stories
like this. Sean Parker, the founder and visionary behind Plaxo was
kicked out rather rudely by the VCs. I don't know the details, but it
sounds bad.
The company sent out an anonymous, terse
statement that Parker is ``no longer with Plaxo,'' but called him a
``visionary, creative entrepreneur'' and ended with: ``We thank him
for his hard work and wish him well.''
In reality, though, a source said Parker has been locked out, and
everyone at the company has been instructed not to talk with Parker,
except by way of the company's lawyer, Ray Hickson.
When contacted and asked whether this arrangement is ``normal,''
Hickson said: ``I can't discuss a client personnel matter with
newspaper reporters.''
Parker himself issued a terse statement: ``While the company is
moving to a new stage of its growth, the management team remains
committed to executing my original vision,'' he said. ``The company
remains in capable hands.''
I've founded several companies
and as companies grow, the skills required to be the chief executive
change. When I've founded (or helped found) companies in the past,
I've usually stepped aside to allow someone with better administrative
and sales skills to lead the company after it's up and running. This
was the case with
Digital
Garage and PSINet Japan and to a certain extent Infoseek Japan. I
seem to be the most useful getting things going, not running them.
As a VC/investor, I've seen my share of visionary CEOs who can't
run the company, but we usually try to keep them involved in some way
and stay on good terms so we can invest in their next good company. I
don't see how you can continue being a VC in the valley being cruel to
serial entrepreneurs.
Pierre Omidyar of eBay is probably one of the best examples of
knowing when to bring on a real CEO, but staying involved as the
founder. I think he and his investors were smart about this.
Ja
son Calacanis blogs about this on thesocialsoftwareweblog
Do You Violate Your Friends' Privacy By
Using Plaxo?
Do You Violate Your Friends' Privacy By
Using Plaxo?
03/06/2004 02:05 AMIt appears that others are beginning to pick up on one of the
fundamental problems with services like Plaxo that we've
been
discussing here recently. With all the focus these days on making
sure corporations protect your personal info, why are people so quick
to sign up with services like Plaxo and hand over all of the private
info of friends, co-workers and acquaintances? In fact, this reporter
is wondering if
Plaxo is violating
new data privacy laws in Europe. When I give out my private
contact info to you, does that mean it's okay for you to give that to
a private company? While most people are concerned about companies
giving away our data, why are we okay with our friends doing the same
thing?
Plaxo, Yahoo make deal on search
Plaxo, Yahoo make deal on search
05/24/2004 10:38 AMSan Jose Mercury News May 24 2004 2:30PM GMT
Start-up Plaxo sketches out business
plan
Start-up Plaxo sketches out business
plan
05/24/2004 12:03 AMGreenlight Wireless signs deal with
Plaxo, Inc.
Greenlight Wireless signs deal with
Plaxo, Inc.
09/16/2004 03:28 AMDevelopment is underway to "Plaxo-enable" the award-winning Skweezer
service, providing access to the fastest-growing contact management
software and network. [PRWEB Sep 16, 2004]
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Spam, spam, spam, spam ... Canada
targets unwanted email (AFP)
Spam, spam, spam, spam ... Canada
targets unwanted email (AFP)
05/12/2004 04:17 AMAFP - Canada unveiled a new action plan to combat unsolicited
commercial e-mail, nicknamed spam, which jams inboxes and clogs
Internet traffic worldwide.
Finance Spam Passing Drug Spam While
Porn Spam Is Washed Up
Finance Spam Passing Drug Spam While
Porn Spam Is Washed Up
05/24/2004 05:37 PMThe latest study on spam trends appears to show that
financial spam is outpacing pharmaceutical spam
- though, honestly, so much of both is coming out that it's really
hard to imagine that this matters at all. Meanwhile, it seems that
porn spam is increasingly less interesting to spammers as the numbers
have been on a noticeable decline for quite some time. No matter
what, though, it appears that CAN-SPAM has done absolutely nothing to
slow down the amount of spam sent.
From spam drops to spam spray to spam
stream
From spam drops to spam spray to spam
stream
06/05/2004 07:31 PM I am now getting 2,000+ spams a day. There are 1,440 minutes in a day
The rate of incoming spams is therefore getting close to the interval
it takes me to check my email and dispose of a single spam: By the
time I'm done checking, more spam has arrived. That is the point at
which the spam droplets form a continuous stream. And that is the
point at which no interval of my life will ever be spam-free again....
Tomorrow's Menu: Spam, Spam, Spam
Tomorrow's Menu: Spam, Spam, Spam
12/11/2003 06:15 AMCongress overwhelmingly passes a bill to fight the online scourge, but
critics say the unwanted e-mail will increase because the law will
actually legitimize spam. By Amit Asaravala.
Anti-Spam Technical Alliance Publishes
Industry Recommendations to Help Stop
Spam
Anti-Spam Technical Alliance Publishes
Industry Recommendations to Help Stop
Spam
06/22/2004 09:17 AMThe Anti-Spam Technical Alliance (ASTA), whose participants include
Yahoo! Inc., Microsoft Corp., EarthLink and America Online Inc., today
unveiled the result of more than a year of close collaboration by
presenting a host of detailed best practices and technical
recommendations for the entire industry in an effort to fight the
scourge of spam.
Review: Advanced Spam Manager Attacks
Viruses, Spam For Exchange, Notes
Review: Advanced Spam Manager Attacks
Viruses, Spam For Exchange, Notes
03/27/2005 12:35 PMInformation Week Mar 27 2005 3:25PM GMT
Symantec Brightmail Anti-Spam v6.0
delivers next-generation spam-fighting
power, control to enterprises
Symantec Brightmail Anti-Spam v6.0
delivers next-generation spam-fighting
power, control to enterprises
07/01/2004 10:20 PMSunday Times South Africa Jul 2 2004 2:42AM GMT
AOL Falls In Love With The Wrong Spam
Stats -- Says Spam Decreased
AOL Falls In Love With The Wrong Spam
Stats -- Says Spam Decreased
12/27/2004 01:32 PMAOL is claiming that their new spam filter has greatly reduced spam,
creating
nice looking headlines about less
spam. Of course, you could question their findings. The details
show that what was reduced was
spam complaints. This
might be a proxy for the amount of spam that got through to
inboxes, or it might just show that AOL subscribers have wised up and
realized that reporting spam to AOL doesn't seem to do a bit of good
-- and they've just given up on it.
Spam king Secure your home PC or you
could be helping send spam
Spam king Secure your home PC or you
could be helping send spam
08/03/2004 07:21 AMBBC Aug 3 2004 11:45AM GMT
New zombie spam technique may send spam
levels through the roof
New zombie spam technique may send spam
levels through the roof
02/05/2005 09:36 PMWarnings abound about a change in tactics on the part of zombie PC
network operators. As a result, spam levels could rise to nearly 95%
of all e-mails sent.
CAN SPAM Designed To Make Congressmen
Look Good - Not Stop Spam
CAN SPAM Designed To Make Congressmen
Look Good - Not Stop Spam
01/07/2004 06:36 PMWe all know now that the CAN SPAM law is a disaster and is unlikely to
do anything useful in the battle against spam. It's also becoming
clear that the entire point of the bill was never to stop spam, but to
make a few folks in Congress look good (which seems to be the entire
point of most politics these days). First, Business Week spends some
time
comparing the mostly effective federal "Do Not Call"
list with CAN SPAM. The DNC list was planned out carefully by the
FTC and the FCC, and, while it upset many telemarketers, it was
designed in a way to be effective. There was also enough time, and
enough publicity given to the list that people knew about it and had
the opportunity to sign up for it - while marketers had the ability to
prepare on their end as well. With CAN SPAM, however, it was rushed
through Congress with little thought towards whether or not it would
actually do anything
and without any money to actually deal
with any of these cases. Meanwhile, the NY Times reports that the
sponsors of the bill
asked the FTC to
sue a spammer the very first week the bill was in effect in order
to make a big "splash" so they could pat themselves on the back - even
as the spam levels continued to increase. FTC Chair Timothy Muris
(who has spoken out
against
this spam law) apparently laughed them off and pointed out it was
impossible to do such a thing. First of all, in order to violate the
law, the spammers have to ignore an opt-out request. Then, the FTC
would have to track down who the actual spammer was - with no
additional funds, because the law didn't provide for them.
Anti-spam activists targets of
spam-spawning virus
Anti-spam activists targets of
spam-spawning virus
12/06/2003 09:45 AMCanadian Press Dec 6 2003 9:11AM ET
Spammer Complies With CAN-SPAM, Claims
ISPs Should Not Filter His Spam
Spammer Complies With CAN-SPAM, Claims
ISPs Should Not Filter His Spam
05/20/2004 07:05 PMRonnie Scelson is one of the shortlist of spammers who just seems to
love publicity. While many spammers like to hide away, Scelson's
always willing to talk. He testified before the Senate Commerce
Committee today, claiming that he is now
compl
ying with CAN-SPAM, but threatened to ignore the law if not enough
of his spam messages were getting through filters. He actually has
the audacity to complain that now that CAN-SPAM is in effect, ISPs
should be
required to let his mail through. Maybe the filters
are a little to thick around his head and the message isn't getting
through to him: the
reason his spam is filtered is because
people don't want it.
California Spam Law: Won't Stop Spam,
Will Make It Harder To Do Business
California Spam Law: Won't Stop Spam,
Will Make It Harder To Do Business
11/03/2003 11:40 PMI get inundated with more and more spam every day, and it's
frustrating as anything. I want it to stop. However, if politicians
insist on passing bad legislation in their attempts to stop spam,
that's not going to do any good. I've already complained about the
new
California legislation and it looks like I'm not alone. A guy who
runs a consulting firm and writes for Business Week points out
why California's anti-spam law won't do a thing about
spam, but will make life more difficult for legitimate small
businesses. He describes a situation where he did a very targeted
mailing for a company. It's probably up to your definition of spam as
to whether or not you consider his mailing spam. I tend to draw the
line on whether or not the mailing was "bulk" - which it sounds like
his was. I believe that if the email is truly targeted and
personalized about a potential business relationship, then it's hard
to call it spam. The California law disagrees. In fact, the sponsor
of the bill claims that any email contact between two companies is not
legitimate if it hasn't been initiated under some other form. That's
simply ridiculous. As I've said before, plenty of "commercial"
websites contact Techdirt every day about the possibility of
partnerships or links. Under California's anti-spam law, I could
charge them with spam. I recently heard from a major technology
magazine, asking if I would add them to my Quicklinks box. Should I
sue them for spam? According to the law, I could.
How to Opt Out of Plaxo