Live data from Hacker News

This is how you hustle

jacksimpson.co

71–76 of 76 posts

Re: This is how you hustle

#71
Maybe we need to scale up the specific approach (thought experiment).

Let's say that 10% (a small minority) of companies offering hosting adopt the same strategy, and that 20% (again a rather small minority) of them manage to get your email address (assuming that the other 80% missed your tweet or did not monitor specifically the twitter account or were lazy or are incompetent, it doesn't matter).

If there are 1,000 such companies, in no time after you post a tweet on your current hosting company you will find in your e-mail box 20 (unsolicited) messages, if there are 10,000 such companies that will be 200.

Would you react in the same manner?

Re: This is how you hustle

#72

> I sent them a Tweet to ask them to please resolve the issue. Before they even responded to me, I suddenly had this email in my inbox How did the Company that was trolling their Competitors' twitter account have access to this guy's email address?

I'm guessing that they looked up the domain, saw the email associated with it and then emailed me directly.

> saw the email associated with it

How?

Re: This is how you hustle

#74
Great article! While the company's methods is arguably on the edge of playing dirty, I think the line hasn't been crossed; all of us are just trying to do our best in this world, and those with the best hustle win. I think this company's method is a good example of someone thinking outside the box to get new customers, and I respect that.

From the customers point of view, their methods is probably really useful too- if I was paying for something, I'd want to make sure that I'm getting the best product my money can buy. I don't necessarily care WHO it is I'm paying, as long as the end product I get is the best value. So honestly it would be a "spam" email I'd be glad to receive!

Thanks for sharing!

Re: This is how you hustle

#75
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't call this spam. Specifically because it is prompted and truly individualized. Moreover, they use only intentionally public info (twitter and whois). They also aren't pushing hard, this is essentially the softest sales-pitch that is actually a pitch.

I would call it Unsolicited Commercial Email, because that's precisely what it is. I suppose you could philosophically contort a meaning by which "it's not really spam if you squint", but if I get that garbage in my GMail I hammer that "report as spam" button so fast, and encourage everyone else to do likewise.

Beyond the semantics, the meaningful difference to me lies in the targeting. This was targeted by a human and very specifically. It was also targeted at a business.

I see a big contrast between this and high-volume automated advertising sent to any email the sender could get his hands on. Even more so because business can benefit from such unsolicited email. Unsolicited email to consumers / personal mail is worse in my opinion.

Re: This is how you hustle

#76
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would call it Unsolicited Commercial Email, because that's precisely what it is. I suppose you could philosophically contort a meaning by which "it's not really spam if you squint", but if I get that garbage in my GMail I hammer that "report as spam" button so fast, and encourage everyone else to do likewise.

It is not completely Unsolicited because the client has asked for help on twitter.

If I tweet something and someone tries to email me to sell me something about it, that's completely spam and I will continue to mark it as such and advocate that others mark it as such. How the hell is that not spam?
Post reply on HN