gistfile1.txt

Hi,

My name is Charles Bernoskie and I noticed that XYZ Corp is looking 
for a LAMP developer. Many of the qualifications you are looking for in a 
developer (e.g. PHP, Python, MySQL, Java) are identical to those of a 
daily Stack Overflow user.

Stack Overflow is the largest programming community(Over 20mm visitors 
per month) with the fastest growing career section for developers on the 
internet. We offer a satisfaction guarantee. If you are not completely 
satisfied with our service, we will issue you a full refund. 

Also, if you are not familiar with Stack Overflow, please ask a developer about us. 

Please take a look at the attached information or visit careers.stackoverflow.com. 
We would love to help you find your engineering talent.


Kind Regards,
Charles Bernoskie
Sales Representative 
Direct - (212) 232-2085
Stack Overflow 
55 Broadway, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10006

I had a better opinion of stackoverflow

quit your whining.

@cpjolicoeur +1

@cpjolicoeur Really? SO shouldn't be sending unsolicited commercial e-mail like this.

@vspy Unfortunately, this is common. Groupon are hated by a lot of vendors for their incessant hassling. This is like double-glazing salesmen for startups.

@ceejayoz, really? says who? you?

whether they should or shouldnt isnt the point, the point is quit whining in public about this kind of stuff. You are whining trying to make SO look bad, but it looks just as bad for you to whine all the time about every little thing.

Grow up already

@cpjolicoeur Yes, me. It's spam. Spam sucks, and it hurts reputations, and in some areas, it's illegal.

In the United States, for example, this e-mail appears to violate the CAN-SPAM Act by not including "a clear and conspicuous explanation of how the recipient can opt out of getting email from you in the future". http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

Bullshit. If you are sending me unsolicited commercial e-mail and we're in the US, you need to include information - not necessarily links - on how I can opt-out. It's the law.

This is something that should be legitimately complained about, and SO should stop this sales rep from further spam. It puts them at risk of both civil penalties and a big reputation hit if this becomes a common practice for them.

edit: Also, looks like SO doesn't want to be spamming like this. https://twitter.com/#!/codinghorror/status/182141265649991681

buddy, get over it. I said several times my comment wasnt about SO sending email, it was for 37S to STOP WHINING.

S.T.O.P

W.H.I.N.I.N.G

@cpjolicoeur +1

👎 @cpjolicoeur
👎 @fernandezpablo85
👍 @ceejayoz

It's anyone's right to open a conversation and point out their distaste of 💩 business practices (finally found a use for that emoji).

@ceejayoz (re. your edit)

That makes my point even more. SO didnt condone it, but did your boy Davey H contact them first and ask them to take care of it???? No.

He tries to make himself look cool and puts them on blast on Twitter about it, like he doesnt know they are just as big of a company in the tech community like he is. Total douche bag move again, one of many made publicly by 37S & Co. to try and strong arm others in the tech community.

@cpjolicoeur It's amazing how much you're whining right now. Intentional irony?

I really have a hard time imagining why you have an issue with someone strongarming others into not spamming.

@bpollack Great, thanks!

The funny thing is that it's not even a well-written e-mail. If I hadn't heard of Stack Overflow I would have assumed this was some sort of crummy Experts-Exchange knockoff.

What a waste.

@ceejayoz you apparently have either an issue with reading or with comprehension.

For the Nth time now, my original comment wasnt about email SPAM or SO at all. You clearly are on a tangent unrelated to my original discussion topic.

There is no way to get around the fact that blasting a company on Twitter immediately for anything isnt the right way to handle something. Especially when you yourself have acknowledged the fact that it wasnt condoned by SO and was just "one rogue" salesguy. Exactly my point on why publicly whining about it like that is the wrong way to handle it. If you want to continue to argue that fact, go right ahead, but you are wrong.

The more sales guys get publicly blasted for doing stupid stuff like this, the more incentive not to do it. If this gets SO to issue explicit "don't spam people" guidelines, everyone wins.

You may now resume your whining.

All hail, king of the trolls

/me kneels before @cpjolicoeur, King of the Trolls.

about time

@ceejayoz and @ceejayoz, you two would make a great couple.

Umm I'm pretty sure that equals one person not a couple.

@Nickv82 nope, you are wrong. Whether you or anyone else wants to admit it, DHH and 37S handled it wrong. There is no way around that. I didnt turn around and verbally abuse him for it, i told him to "Stop Whining". Scroll up and read what I said. Also, he publicly pasted the email here on a forum meant for public discussion and thats what I did.

@cpjolicoeur 👍

So what would be the socially acceptable way to promote such a service? It's easy to complain about this kind of thing, but I don't see anyone suggesting a better way to do it. Or does everyone feel that the only mistake was not including opt-out instructions? By the way, opt out instructions are a great way for hackers to trick people into visiting a malicious website... just saying...