SPAM from P.net?

<p>I received an email from - Photo.net <noreply@photo.net> - about a photography course which Gmail flagged as SPAM. Is this legit? <br>

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It also says: If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. (URL below)<br>

http://links.mkt691.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0%%FORWARD_INFO%%<br>

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<p><strong>Dear Michael,</strong><br>

The power of photography has never been greater!<br>

Every year around this time we hear from many avid photographers (many of them Photo.net Members) who are eager to learn how they can gain the photography skills they've always wanted. Many recently got cameras or other photography gear for the holidays and would like to get the most out of it.<br>

So this year, the New York Institute of Photography has partnered with Photo.net to bring you a special offer:<br>

<strong>Request a <a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_prospective_stude" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=1&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>Free Course Catalog from NYIP and you can get started for just $35!</strong><br>

Plus, you can learn from anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace. We are currently offering two great photo courses to help you improve your skills:</p>

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<td valign="top">1</td>

<td valign="top"><a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_prospective__1" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=5&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>The Complete Course in Professional Photography. This course provides a complete guide to the art and business of photography, and will train you to earn money in the field. It's our most popular course, and has helped to train more successful photographers than any other course in the world.</td>

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<td valign="top">2</td>

<td valign="top"><a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_prospective__1" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=5&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>The Fundamentals of Digital Photography. This is the perfect introductory course for anyone interested in photography. Learn how to get the most of your DSLR and the tips the pros use to create dramatic, and inspiring images of family, friends, and your travels.</td>

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<p>Not sure which course is right for you? <a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_getstarted_quiz__" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=4&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>Take our quick quiz to find out which one we recommend.<br>

<strong>Request your <a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_prospective_stude" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=1&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>Free Course Catalog online right now or call <a href="tel:1-800-445-7279" target="_blank">1-800-445-7279</a> for more information.</strong><br>

You deserve the best photography training that money can buy, and we're proud to offer that to you. Make this the year you finally learn to become a better photographer!</p>

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<td valign="top" width="50%">Sincerely,<br /><img alt="Chuck DeLaney" width="133" height="46" /><br />Chuck DeLaney,<br />Director, NYIP<br /><a href="tel:1-800-445-7279" target="_blank">1-800-445-7279</a>

 

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<td valign="top" width="50%"><a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_prospective_stude" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=1&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a><img alt="GET YOUR FREE Course Catalog" width="237" height="57" /></td>

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<td>P.S.<em> The best thing about enrolling in NYIP is that there is no risk. Our <a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_nyip_com_refundpolicy_html" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=3&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>No-Risk Refund Policysays that you can enroll and try out our course for up to 21 days and if you don't think its right for you, you can send it back and we'll refund every penny! So try us today.</em></td>

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<td align="center">NYIP is a partner of</td>

<td align="center"><a name="13c3ed70990afa57_www_photo_net" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=6&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a><img alt="" align="absmiddle" /></td>

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<td><a name="13c3ed70990afa57_optoutoneclick" href="http://links.mkt691.com/servlet/OneClickOptOutServlet?m=14336769&r=MzczNzk3MDI4OTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0" target="_blank"></a>Unsubscribe from Photo.net emails</td>

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<p> </p>

<p>I got the same email. Simultaneously I got an email from Rosco with no reference to PNet. The timing seems to be more than coincidental. Lazy as I am, I was waiting for someone else to begin the discussion. Thank you Michael.</p>

<p>Yes it is legit. Just a photography related opportunity from a Photo.net partner. You can opt out of those emails by clicking the opt-out link at the bottom of the email.</p>

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<p>I got the same email. Simultaneously I got an email from Rosco with no reference to PNet. The timing seems to be more than coincidental.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I am not sure what "Rosco" is. Given that fact, it is unlikely that the two emails have anything to do with each other.</p>

A "Rosco" that I know of is purveyor of color correction|temperature filters.

<p>When I clicked at that link a Java plug in was downloaded to my computer and I am asked to activate it or not. What is it and what do I do with it? The page I was directed to is not a photo.net page. Are you sure this is safe, Josh?</p>

<p>I don't like to click on links in emails anymore. And I don't want to get emails that I have not chosen to get myself. Please don't that.</p>

<p>I have disabled getting HTML emails from photo.net. The NYIP email has bypassed that setting. How did that happen?</p>

<p>" You can opt out of those emails by clicking the opt-out link at the bottom of the email."<br>

Not after you delete the (unsolicited) email.<br>

I don't suppose you'd put an opt-out option in our workspace.<br>

"a photography related opportunity"<br>

more for you than for me.<br>

cb</p>

<p>If you are talking about the "click here to view" link, no, it's not a photo.net page. It's a Silverpop link. Silverpop is a mailing company that powers a lot of our bulk email (newsletters etc). Their web pages look like "http://links.mkt691.com". If you are talking about any of the other links, they are http://www.nyip.com pages.</p>

<p>I have no idea why a java plugin would be required. On the other hand, java is required for a lot of stuff these days, so if you do not have it installed in your browser, I can see how you might get that message. I myself did not get any java message on any link.</p>

<p>And as I said, you can opt out by clicking the opt out link in the email, same as any email photo.net sends.</p>

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<p>I have disabled getting HTML emails from photo.net. The NYIP email has bypassed that setting. How did that happen?</p>

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<p>That setting only affects the server sent emails like the forum alerts and whatnot.</p>

<p>"you can opt out by clicking the opt out link in the email"<br>

you want people to click on links in unsolicited emails?<br>

you must be kidding.</p>

<p>Where were this email sent from then?</p>

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<p>I don't suppose you'd put an opt-out option in our workspace.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jin is working on that. But to be honest, we're switching mailing providers (away from Silverpop) and it is proving more complicated that we expected. It will appear as soon as we can get it done.</p>

<p>In the meantime, anyone who has deleted the email and cannot retrieve it should email me at contact@photo.net and I will manually add your email to the "do not send" list.</p>

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<p>And as I said, you can opt out by clicking the opt out link in the email, same as any email photo.net sends.</p>

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<p>In the bottom of the email it said:</p>

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<p>Unsubscribe from Photo.net emails</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I clicked on the unsubscribe link and I was directed to a page where the adress started with "http://links.mkt691.com". Are you saying that we are directed to a third party site when we unsubcribe to photo.net emails?<br>

<br /> Do they have our email adresses?</p>

<p>We use a mailing system (Silverpop) to send out some emails, this improves delivery and (usually) prevents the email as being tagged as spam. I talk about it on the newsletter page as well because we've been using Silverpop to send the newsletter for over 4 years now:</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/info/newsletter</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Photo.net uses a company called Silverpop to mail out the newsletter. Due to the sheer size of the photo.net mailing list we have to be very careful about the way we send out mail. If we weren’t, all mail coming from the photo.net servers would quickly get tagged as spam. This would be particularly bad because new user email, topic notifications, email requests, and password reminders would all be blocked as a result. This would, understandably, cause a huge logjam of problems. This is where Silverpop comes in. They are used to working with email and internet service providers to prevent legitimate email from being blocked. Silverpop does mailings for companies like Buy.com, Golfsmith, Mazda, and Jetblue. They are a well-respected business working with Fortune 500 companies, not merely a fly by night spam-marketer.</p>

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<p>So a third party company has my email adress, and I am getting HTML emails from them <em>even</em> if I have disabled that option. I am even getting adds that I have never asked for. From a company I have never heard of. And I was signed up to get more emails from this company without my knowledge. Josh....?</p>

<p >I wouldn't worry about that Ann, I'd worry more about the monthly reports that Josh sends to the CIA and FBI on user activity. Photo.net is actually a site set up to spy on people and track them.</p>

<p>Nobody has your email but us Ann.</p>

<p>And as I said, anyone who wants to opt-out without clicking links before we get the workspace setting in place can email me at contact@photo.net.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Nobody has your email but us Ann.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You just said that Silverpop has them if I understood you correctly?</p>

<p>I unsubscribed the photo.net newsletter, and I was now sent to a site that started with: 'http://cs.silverpop.com'<br>

My email address was part of the rest of that URL address.</p>

<p>Ann,</p>

<p>You can either believe that there is some sketchy conspiracy here to track your life and steal your information or you can believe that this is just an email sending system used by thousands of companies. It's up to you.</p>

<p>I would encourage you to use a bogus email for all your internet activity if you are that worried about it. I guess I'd also encourage you to only use anonymous computers in public locations and not have your home connected to the internet at all. I get that this is a big issue for you, your posts have made that clear over the years. I'm not sure why you continue to use the internet when you fear it so much, but that is your choice.</p>

<p>I've been very clear about what is going on from our end and I have offered multiple ways for users to not receive emails from us. That is as much as I can do.</p>

<p>While the concern that it is "SPAM" may be legit, when I opened it up I saw nothing that indicated any partnership with photo.net - it was a "try this out" offer that everyone in the world gets. It's not any special deal as far as I can see, merely photo.net selling email addresses to earn money. If I am mistaken, please let me know how.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>photo.net selling email addresses to earn money.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Photo.net does not sell email addresses to anyone. NYIP, Blurb, Canon, New Egg or any of the other past or present Photo.net partners do not get any access to Photo.net member information. </p>

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<p><em>"...when I opened it up I saw nothing that indicated any partnership with photo.net"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Bottom of the email, as plain as the nose on your face. ;-) :-)</p>

<blockquote>

<p><br /> >>> NYIP is a partner of <a name="www_photo_net" href="http://links.mkt691.com/ctt?kn=6&ms=MTQzMzY3NjkS1&r=MzczNzk3MzUyMTQS1&b=0&j=MjEwMjUxMjE0S0&mt=1&rt=0"></a><img src="http://domaininfo.buydomains.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/pnet-logo-facebook-jpg.jpg" alt="" align="absmiddle" /><br /> >>> Unsubscribe from Photo.net emails</p>

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<p><br /> <br /> <em>"I'd worry more about the monthly reports that Josh sends to the CIA and FBI on user activity."</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Now Jeff, you know that the CIA is a foreign intelligence agency and does not engage in US domestic law enforcement. Josh sends his monthly reports to the Department of Homeland Security.</p>

<p>I would imagine that Ann has a rather thick file there. ;-) :-)</p>

<p>It's convenient to call advertizers "partners" nowadays, but the end result is the same. NYIP didn't become a "partner" by Josh falling in love with them. They paid money. They then got access to our email addresses indirectly via Josh agreeing to send out this invitation.</p>

<p>And Michael, I read the email, and saw the same thing you did. Now click on any of the links in the email. None of them go to a special site or url with special deals for photo.net members. This is pure and simple NYIP paying money to get this email sent to photo.net members.</p>