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Truths and myths about email

Seven myths and two truths about email
My favorite:

[myth] Engagement is the new reputation. Actually, reputation metrics have always been about engagement, which is what complaint data and sender reputation reflect.

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More on opt-out for B2B marketing

There is still a bit of discussion going on around the HBR article on how B2B mail should be opt-out not opt in on various delivery blogs. Over on the Blue Sky Factory blog new daddy (congratulations!) DJ writes a post about why he thinks opt-out in any context is a poor marketing decision.
One of his commenters follows up with a long comment about how recipients shouldn’t get angry when they get unsolicited email from a company they have interacted with.

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Google Buzz

Google Buzz has garnered a lot of attention this week, most of it looking at the privacy implications of requiring users to opt-out of sharing information with anyone who’s ever sent them email.
WARNING: Google Buzz Has a Huge Privacy Flaw
Fugitivus Blog (possibly NSFW due to language)
A dangerous buzz and opt-in isn’t just for email
How Google Buzz just blew your psuedonym
Lifehacker has a number of posts about Google Buzz and how to reset your settings.
I’ve already seen tweets and social media recommending using the networks generated by Google Buzz for marketing purposes.
I’m not very impressed with what I’ve heard about Google Buzz and the total lack of control it gives people over sharing information. I used to be very open with my information online, down to identifying the lab I worked in. I then said something on Usenet that upset someone. That person spent the next 4 months harassing me by phone at work and at home, and even went so far as to dig up my boss’ home number and harass her at home. I’ll be honest it was a scary experience. Even though I knew my stalker was 1500 miles away and extremely unlikely to actually show up on my doorstep, I was still worried for my safety.
That experience made me a lot more cautious about what I share online and how much information I give to people. Google Buzz seems to take a lot of the control of my information away from me. Which is why you won’t find me participating in the Google social network.
UPDATE: And here we go: Win a free laptop by following Hubspot on Google Buzz

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