Well,
I've got alot to say on this great thread so bare with me
First off, to answer Aria's question as to how spam got it's name,
it comes from a Monty Python skit where the word "Spam" is repeated over and over to the point of total annoyance - as does email Spam.
That's the best explanation i've heard so far anyway.
As far as the bottom dropping out , it's inevitable for it to become less profitable then it once was , expecially now since Hotmail, Yahho and MSN are putting in really strcit filters. Aol was always hard to get into unless you had some accounts to waste but there are ways around that as well.
What's happening now is, people are using their original clean lists to the point that they no longer can convert a free giveaway and then they are reselling them tenfold. This has been happening for a long time now and these lists are outmumbering the new fresh ones. Plus anyone with a real good clean list is hording them until theyare worthless at which point they selll for a nice proffit.
Personally I wouldn'y buy a list from anyone for any price because you dont know where its been or what kind of heat comes from it.
Emailing is still a great source of fast sizeable income if the right products are marketed.
I was the originator (in my best Al Gore impression) of mailing out Ebay Secrets and Build Your Own Website amongst others and now, everyone and their mother's have their own rippoff or mockup. Do i still mail mine? no. I am constantly creating new products that remain sellable no matter how bad a list is.
It's like anything else in this biz, run a clean ship, opt in your email list and make sure they have a way to opt out. There are a few fortune 500 mainstream companies still proffiting from mailings. RedVNetwork, one of the largest mail out my products as well as others, never having one sinngle product of their own, yet they have the sweetest opt in lists you can imagine!!
I personally stay away from mailing porn sites. Their are too many chances to offend even an double opt in and get heat from it.
It will be interesting though to see how fast emailers come up with solutions for the new spam blockers. I' sure it will happen..it's just a matter of time.
