I'm acquainted with a California lawyer named Mark, who's interested in mystery books. On his Web site he created a page devoted to this subject. Suddenly one day, Mark received an e-mail ad promoting the suspense books of author Dean Koontz. The sender? A familiar name: Barnes and Noble booksellers!

The ad was not personalized. It was just a generic promotional message. It was apparent to Mark that his e-mail address had been added to a list to receive unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE, sometimes known as UBE, "unsolicited bulk e-mail"). As we will see, this lawyer was not pleased with Barnes and Noble.

However, the incident raises some questions. Has UCE, a.k.a. "spam," finally achieved legitimacy? For years, the practice has been associated with get-rich-quick schemes, pornography and questionable health products. But mainstream marketers are wondering if they should change their view.

Should you jump on the spam wagon? Or is there a better way? Are there methods of advertising by electronic mail that don't violate the sensibilities and privacy of Internet users? And if so, how can you carry out an effective campaign?

Next Chapter: The Original "Push" Technology

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