Re: UKNM: VIRUS WARNING: as a marketing method...

[Deborah Loth]

Sam,


Golden Rule of E-mail No. 5: don't mass-forward an e-mail chain-letter or virus warning without first taking the time to re-read the CIAC Website (http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html) and/or Computer Virus Myths home page at http://www.kumite.com/myths/).


If you've never visited these sites, check them out now. Why? At least one hoax charity chain-letter forwarded to me by someone who should know better materially damaged the charity that everyone thought they were helping. People should learn how to spot hoaxes, and really should not pass them along.


Having said that, many people who should know better (our former IT Director, for example) do pass them along... Though they don't usually make it past list moderators.


Deborah


>Blimey, what a reaction to Dom's post about viruses a few days ago. I think

>that's the most reaction any post on the list has had! The messages about

>the original post are still flooding in, but in the interests of preserving

>sanity, I won't forward them on unless they're bringing up a new point.

>

>As a marketing method, they lack, well, let's just say credibility, however

>in terms of longevity and penetration the results are amazing. I don't know

>if anyone watches the BBC's 'Here & Now' show - a sort of semi-serious

>current affairs made easy program. A while back they featured a former

>patient (I forget his name), with a very serious illness, made a plea for

>people to send him 'Get Well' cards so he could make it into the Guinness

>Book of Records. Some kind souls posted this plea onto the Internet.

>

>He long ago entered the record books, and is still receiving sackloads of

>mail. The Post Office in the UK joined him in a plea to the public to stop

>sending him cards.

>

>A chilling thought struck me, so far these viruses have been fairly

>harmless (aside from gobbling up bandwidth), however if someone spread

>something unsavoury about a company or individual using these techniques,

>it could be a major problem. We often talk about how great the 'net is for

>spreading the message, but I suspect most companies actively using the 'net

>for publicity don't have a contingency for dealing with adverse publicity.

>

>There was a feature in Revolution sometime ago about PR companies waking up

>to the Internet, and how to deal with this (I can't remember the issue,

>Stovin can you help?) - it gave me some hope, although I wasn't convinced


>they _got_ how these situations can arise.

>

>

>Toodle Pip

>

>Sam

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Deborah Loth

Creative Director, Lowe Digital

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