E-mailing Visible Addresses is Not O.K.

Is is O.K. to e-mail an e-mail address visible on a Web site? That depends.

If you are e-mailing questions in regard to the Web site’s topic, service or product, that is fine – that is what the e-mail address is there for. However, if you are sending an e-mail about something you can commercially gain from, that the site owner did not specifically ask you to send them, then no you don’t e-mail them. That is considered Spam.

Same goes for that long list of e-mail addresses you see in the To: field from an Irresponsible Forwarder or other businesses that neglect to protect their contact’s privacy.

Because the Sender was inconsiderate of their contact’s privacy or not tech savvy enough to know to use the BCc: field, does not mean you then have the right to n e-mail all those addresses about your business.

So when it comes to e-mail addresses that you “see” but that were not specifically provided to you for you to send your commercial info to:

1. You don’t hit Reply to All and talk about your business.
2. You don’t add them to your business mailing list of announcements they didn’t ask for.

If an e-mail address doesn’t come from someone who specifically requested your information, don’t use it to send Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE). Simple!

Some More Info for You:

1. Copying Email Addresses: Invasion of Privacy?
2. Adding to Your Mailing List: Ask BEFORE You Add!
3. Listing E-mail Addresses by Senority?
4. Respecting Business E-mail Addresses
5. Never Spam Addresses in the To: Field