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Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

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Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#61

Post by Sangermaine »

stoev wrote: post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

>A private company censoring people for discussing a perfectly legal technology deserves a boycott.

You're being ridiculous and disingenuous.

MailChimp has long had a list of Prohibited Content and Sending Subject to Additional Scrutiny that include "perfectly legal" items: https://mailchimp.com/legal/acceptable_use/

When you signed up, where was your heartfelt cry for liberty for people selling pharmaceutical products, credit repair services, daily horoscope reports, or mortgages and loans?

This is just a pet issue of yours and that's why you're upset. Don't pretend this is some great violation of principles.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#62

Post by kimolas »

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #53
stoev wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many people do you think there are who are genuinely interested in hearing about opportunities to transfer wealth out of Nigeria for an unknown prince? I bet it is not a very common interest, so Google are not being lazy for not investing more manpower into it. However, millions of people are searching about blockchain tech and are reading blockchain-related publishers every day. That is why any company which dec…

That seems like a false equivalence. There are no legitimate Nigerian prince emails. There are legitimate coin emails. Blocking all coin topics like Facebook and ICO emails like MailChimp goes beyond “spam filtering” into big brother territory. These companies are free to do as they please - and I’m going to boycot and avoid them. There is a line between “we’re helping!” and censorship and Silicon Valley is definitel…

FYI, MailChimp is based in Atlanta, GA. Maybe you mean to use "Silicon Valley" as a catch-all for tech, but I don't think it's fair to associate SV with anti-ICO attitudes in this way. The anti-ICO sentiment is coming from everywhere, and I think it's pretty legitimate.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#63

Post by skybrian »

stoev wrote: post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

Google already bans ads for firearms, fireworks, and tobacco products. There are restrictions on adult content, alcohol, gambling, drugs, and financial services [1].

They've always been more selective about what can be advertised, versus what shows up as the result of a search. The product being legal to buy has never been the standard.

[1] https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/6008942?hl=e...

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#64

Post by wslh »

spamizbad wrote: post #36
stoev wrote: post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

Strongly disagree. A cornerstone of Mailchimp's value proposition is its email deliverability, and its one of the best in the industry at landing emails in people's inboxes. Anything that could compromise that reputation would be a huge blow to their business. ICO and blockchain emails can make spam filters go crazy, I've seen this first-hand. Mailchimp can't control how spam filters work, but it can control, in a br…

They banned "Week in Ethereum" feed so you don't know if they are banning your email using the word "pepsico" because they found ICO in a simple search regexp or even Ethereum in different contexts.

I completely understand banning ICO spams which at the end are just spams.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#65

Post by cm2187 »

stoev wrote: post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

The same issue happened recently with youtube banning videos from fire arms enthusiasts. One might disagree with their political stance but they are entitled to do so.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#66

Post by ISL »

andybak wrote: post #57
ISL wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A middle-ground alternative might be to say, "Hey, delivering blockchain/ICO emails costs us n % more than your average email. Therefore, we will still deliver them, but at n % the usual price." It's a little like UPS/FedEx charging more for hazardous-material shipping. If n is large, it will have a similar effect without feeling like MailChimp is out to censor cryptocurrency.

Isn't the point that Mailchimp is concerned that association with blockchain/ICO scams will affect deliverability across their whole platform?

n might be large.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#67

Post by wolph »

untog wrote: post #15
payne92 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're not "censoring people for discussing a perfectly legal technology"; read their policy carefully: >>> It’s important to note that this update to our policy does not prevent the discussion of related topics in messages sent through our platform. For example, journalists and publications may send cryptocurrency-related information as long as they’re not involved in the production, sale, exchange, storage, or mar…

Counterpoint: there's a LOT of fraud associated with the production and sale of handbags, but I don't see Mailchimp blocking that any time soon. I agree that as a private company they can do what they want, but I wonder if they're setting themselves a difficult precedent here.

If enough people report those mails as spam, they'll ban those too. They're simply protecting their business, nothing more, nothing less.

Every mail I receive that I didn't sign up for gets a spam report from me. With that in mind, every single ICO mail I've gotten has been spam.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#68

Post by kristianc »

ISL wrote: post #49
spamizbad wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strongly disagree. A cornerstone of Mailchimp's value proposition is its email deliverability, and its one of the best in the industry at landing emails in people's inboxes. Anything that could compromise that reputation would be a huge blow to their business. ICO and blockchain emails can make spam filters go crazy, I've seen this first-hand. Mailchimp can't control how spam filters work, but it can control, in a br…

A middle-ground alternative might be to say, "Hey, delivering blockchain/ICO emails costs us n % more than your average email. Therefore, we will still deliver them, but at n % the usual price." It's a little like UPS/FedEx charging more for hazardous-material shipping. If n is large, it will have a similar effect without feeling like MailChimp is out to censor cryptocurrency.

The problem is that the cost of Blockchain / ICO spam does not just fall on Mailchimp as a company, it falls on MailChimp's customers, who have to suffer through reduced email deliverability (for the same cost they are already paying).

Other than that, MailChimp is a private company, not the government, and can damn well serve who they want.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#69

Post by spamizbad »

ISL wrote: post #49
spamizbad wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strongly disagree. A cornerstone of Mailchimp's value proposition is its email deliverability, and its one of the best in the industry at landing emails in people's inboxes. Anything that could compromise that reputation would be a huge blow to their business. ICO and blockchain emails can make spam filters go crazy, I've seen this first-hand. Mailchimp can't control how spam filters work, but it can control, in a br…

A middle-ground alternative might be to say, "Hey, delivering blockchain/ICO emails costs us n % more than your average email. Therefore, we will still deliver them, but at n % the usual price." It's a little like UPS/FedEx charging more for hazardous-material shipping. If n is large, it will have a similar effect without feeling like MailChimp is out to censor cryptocurrency.

It's common for businesses to turn away customer segments that could be antithetical to their ability to service the rest of their customers. For example, many credit card processors will turn down businesses with higher rates of fraud, like strip clubs. That keeps everyone elses fees lower and lets them operate a more efficient fraud department.

On top of that it's hardly like Mailchimp has some sort of monopoly. There's dozens of ESPs and turnkey email platforms that will welcome blockchain business... they just don't have Mailchimp's inboxing rate.

Re: Mailchimp Is Shutting Down ICO and Blockchain-Related Emails

#70

Post by disiplus »

spamizbad wrote: post #36
stoev wrote: post #3

When Facebook banned blockchain-related ads it was understandable - they are a closed platform and can chose to accept whatever content they decide to. When Google banned blockchain-related ads it was a much more serious issue - millions of websites are supported by Google ads through AdSense and AdX. Google is the main revenue source of the vast majority of publishers on the open internet. It seems incredibly unfair…

Strongly disagree. A cornerstone of Mailchimp's value proposition is its email deliverability, and its one of the best in the industry at landing emails in people's inboxes. Anything that could compromise that reputation would be a huge blow to their business. ICO and blockchain emails can make spam filters go crazy, I've seen this first-hand. Mailchimp can't control how spam filters work, but it can control, in a br…

i dont think its only that. there is also the aspect of being a target of tons of hackers trying to hack they way into ICOs accounts and gaining access to all users registered for ICOs and sending them mails trying to scam them to send the Ether to some other address. I saw it happening first hand.

So a handful of criminals are ruining it for everybody else. Im not even talking about some of the ICOs being "scams", what clearly is the case and happens.

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