FReeper Canteen ~ Tech Tuesday: Email Tax ~ Would you pay for email guarantees? ~ 07 March 2006

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[MoJo2001]

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Technology Tuesday
 

GummyIII will return next week (if possible), but she's busy saving the world from a chocolate shortage! It's an important job we wouldn't trust to just anyone. Definitely not something for MoJo.

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Since many of our Troops use AOL, we wanted to know what you thought about AOL's plans for folks to pay for GoodMail. Is it something worth fretting over, a new enterprising an idea, or another way for which companies can milk money out of consumers already using free email services?

 

What's This About?
In February 2006, AOL announced that it would accept payment for incoming emails. For these certified emails, it would skip its usual anti-spam filters and guarantee delivery for cash. Our coalition believes that the free passage of email between Internet users is a vital part of what makes the Internet work. When ISPs demand a cut of "pay-to-send" email, they're raising tollbooths on the open Net, interfering with the passage of data by demanding protection money at the gates of their customers' computers. Read More
 

 

What's this controversy all about?

AOL has proposed the adoption of a system called CertifiedEmail, provided by Goodmail Systems. Under this pay-to-send system, affluent mass-emailers who are willing to pay AOL the equivalent of an "email tax" would get to bypass AOL's spam filters and get guaranteed delivery to the inboxes of AOL customers.

Everyone who can't afford to pay AOL's "email tax" - including charities, small businesses, civic organizations, and even families with mailing lists - will have no guarantee that their emails will be delivered. If other companies follow AOL in adopting pay-to-send systems, the Internet will become permanently divided into two classes of users - those who can afford to pay for guaranteed delivery and everyone else left behind with unreliable service.

Though billed in the media as an anti-spam and anti-phishing measure, AOL's pay-to-send system will fail on both scores.

AOL's "email tax" will cause great harm to the free and open Internet that many of us take for granted. The Internet is a revolutionary force for free speech, civic organizing, and economic innovation specifically because it is open and accessible to all Internet users. With a free and open Internet, small ideas can become big ideas overnight. AOL's move to introduce a pay-to-send system is a danger to this openness, and we urge them to reconsider.

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Which brings us to the next question: Is this something to get hyper over? Or is it a real concern? Would you pay for the service?

 

What say you?

 

 

Disclaimer:
Do you ever wonder why companies always put disclaimers at the bottom of their pages? And then they expect you to read the *fine print* as well? Well, this is done for a reason. It allows them to make up a bunch of unecessary rules and BS that no one will read nor thinks about reading. As a matter of fact, the disclaimers are really *Dating Ads* that those anonymous computer geeks put out to the general public. It's a way to get them a date via their disclaimers. It's risk free and also a sure way to ensure that their name will appear in the ad somewhere. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you totally understand the ideas about disclaimers. They're useless for the most part.

 

 

[Army Air Corps]

1st?

[MoJo2001]

It's Tuesday (almost)! Canteen Tech Tuesday ping!

Today we ask the questions:

Would you pay to ensure that your email was delivered? If so, how much?
Would you pay even though you've used the services for free?
Is this a danger for which spammers will take advantage and find a loophool?

We want to hear your thoughts about this issue!!

By the way, Gummy is off trying to ensure the world's chocolate supply will remain at high levels.
She'll be back next week if she can. Secret duty stuff and all!! So? Fret not!!

We love ya Gummy!

[Brad’s Gramma]

More first than me! :)

[MoJo2001]

Congratulations! You are indeed first!!
WOoHoo!

[MoJo2001]

If you could ensure no shortages of chocolate, you'd be first in MoJo's heart. Always! Always! Always!!
*HUGS*
How's Texas Termite doing?

[Army Air Corps]

I knew that injecting steroids into my index finger would come in handy one day...

[MoJo2001]

Cheater! Cheater! LOL!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Termite update here...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/962162/posts?page=11956#11956


If I could ensure no shortages of chocolate....oh wow. THINK of it....

*sigh*

BTW...there ISN'T a shortage is there? IS THERE MOJO? IS THERE???????

[Brad’s Gramma]

You're not answering. There IS a shortage and you just don't want to hurt me, right?

What WILL I do????

[Dust in the Wind]

"Would you pay to ensure that your email was delivered? If so, how much?
Would you pay even though you've used the services for free?

Why would I pay more/extra for a service I am already buying? I have paid for a portal to the net through my local ISP (NOT AOL) and am providing my own anti-virus and spam blocking programs. It is so easy that I can never understand why anyone would use AOL's memory hogging software and tracking garbage on their computers.

[fhlh]

no

[laurenmarlowe]

Ray Charles~America The Beautiful

[laurenmarlowe]

Atlantic Ocean (March 4, 2006) – Flight deck personnel participate in an aircraft fire drill on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during a general quarters drill. Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) are underway on a regularly scheduled deployment conducting maritime security operations. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Randall Damm (RELEASED)

Atlantic Ocean (March 3, 2006) - A Sailor scrubs the fuselage of an E-2C Hawkeye, assigned to the "Screwtops" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron One Two Three (VAW-123), on the flight deck aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise and embarked Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) are currently underway conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Milosz Reterski (RELEASED)

Persian Gulf (March 3, 2006) - Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Sharon Clark waits on a spotting dolly for aircraft to be brought down from the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Reagan and embarked Carrier Air Wing One Four (CVW-14) are currently on her maiden deployment conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the region and participating in the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Airman Daisy Abonza (RELEASED)

[MoJo2001]

Welcome to the Canteen Dust In The Wind!

My issue with AOL doing this is that it could be a Spammers Paradise. Also, I believe that it is also heading towards a direction for which we already get for free (such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc...) would in the future become a pay service. I don't like AOL to begin with, but this adds to the question about what they would stop at. A lot of people use their messenger services. What's to say they wouldn't begin charging for that service?

This could end up cutting off a lot of our Troops from their families. Unless they really believe it's a must.

I'm wondering how many people AOL feel would pay for this service? I'm talking about non-corporate users.

[MoJo2001]

I wouldn't either, but AOL seems to believe someone would. And that's the really worrisome aspect of all this. Who would pay for something already free. And the guarantees can't truly be guaranteed. There is always a flaw or loophool in these things. Thank you for your opinion.

[MoJo2001]

Good evening Diva!
How are you tonight?
*HUGS*

[MoJo2001]

You shall have to learn to love peanut butter. How about it? LOL!

[freekitty]

It's another milking. We already pay through the nose for that stuff.

[Brad’s Gramma]

MMMMMMMMMM........YUMMY!

Peanut butter, DRIPPING WITH CHOCOLATE!!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!