Yesterday I recieved a email from a company that provides training for Voice Actors. I happen to be a Voice Actor.  My wife also does Voice Acting.  Funny enough she got an email from them as well.

Now neither of us had gone to that company’s website and signed up for the newsletter/SPAM list. Upon closer inspection of the email it stated that we signed up for the email in the middle of last month.

Nope, didn’t, sorry… My wife has never given her email address out (it was new, she hadn’t even used it yet, but had it for 6 months) and I always remember where and for what I sign up for to get a newsletter. (I keep a list)

This is a clear case of someone stocking their newletter list.  It really irritates me.  YEP.

There is a law and rules about SPAM, both big commercial as well as small business emailing..  here’s the link, it offers some hope and tools to relieve your SPAM load.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm

And there is some more information from Washington state about what is legal and illegal regarding unsolicited email (READ: SPAM).

http://www.atg.wa.gov/internetsafety/spam.aspx

Now, the emails that my wife and I received were indeed ‘legal’, they followed the rules.  They allowed for a way to unsubscribe, and it was not a misleading email.  Just a surprise, and caused a moment of reflection; “Did I sign up for this?”

If there were a way to take the time away from the people who sent the email, to make up for the time I spent reading it, trying to figure out when and if I actually signed up for the email… and then unsubscribing, I would.  Time is the most valuable thing you have, everyone wants it, heck I want it.. but I try to trade your time for something substantial.

What they did adding me to the mailing list was not illegal, but not what I expect from a reputable company.  They should have had their mailing list set up as an OPT-IN mailing list.  If I want to know what they are doing, I will sign up, OPT-IN, to do so.