Comments on: Users in India should have opt-in rights http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/ Basab Pradhan's weblog about business and life in a 'flat world'. 6 AM Pacific is the best time for a global conference call. Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:47:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Basab http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5882 Basab Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:09:52 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5882 Swapnil, thanks for the url. kudos to UTI Bank for standing up for users' rights when most banks around them are stooping low. I did not know that the DNC was not one central database. On the UTI webpage what does "institution" mean? Is it every marketer or every wireless (or fixed line) service provider? Can someone clarify this? Swapnil, thanks for the url. kudos to UTI Bank for standing up for users’ rights when most banks around them are stooping low.

I did not know that the DNC was not one central database. On the UTI webpage what does “institution” mean? Is it every marketer or every wireless (or fixed line) service provider? Can someone clarify this?

]]> By: Swapnil Pundle http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5877 Swapnil Pundle Thu, 05 Apr 2007 06:21:13 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5877 Looks like competitive pressures are working or has this blog scared Indian companies :-) Check the opt-in program of UTI Bank (India's 3rd largest private bank) at www.utibank.com/banking/sampark.html This initiative certainly deserves appreciation. Personally I've never been called by anyone representing UTI Bank. Many foreign banks do not follow good practices on spamming in India and I am certain that they act more responsibly in the developed world. PS: I am not an agent of UTI Bank. Looks like competitive pressures are working or has this blog scared Indian companies :-)

Check the opt-in program of UTI Bank (India’s 3rd largest private bank) at http://www.utibank.com/banking/sampark.html

This initiative certainly deserves appreciation. Personally I’ve never been called by anyone representing UTI Bank. Many foreign banks do not follow good practices on spamming in India and I am certain that they act more responsibly in the developed world.

PS: I am not an agent of UTI Bank.

]]> By: Basab http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5749 Basab Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:19:39 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5749 Ranjit, thanks for pointing that out. First two things on my to do list on my next trip to India - call DNC and call Airtel to block SMS. Paddy, that is a good solution. The only thing I would add is that it should be opt-in. Assigning a cost to "spam" is a good way to drastically cut it down. The chief reason for spam is that the variable cost of spamming is close to zero. This is true about email spamming as well. In fact, of the many suggestions out there on how to cure spam, there is one that says that there should be some cost imposed per email, however small. Ranjit, thanks for pointing that out. First two things on my to do list on my next trip to India - call DNC and call Airtel to block SMS.

Paddy, that is a good solution. The only thing I would add is that it should be opt-in. Assigning a cost to “spam” is a good way to drastically cut it down. The chief reason for spam is that the variable cost of spamming is close to zero. This is true about email spamming as well. In fact, of the many suggestions out there on how to cure spam, there is one that says that there should be some cost imposed per email, however small.

]]> By: Paddy http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5748 Paddy Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:48:21 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5748 Hi, A good topic for discussion as these are difficulties/pains that most of us share. For the telemarketing that cellular cos do, I recently came across an article that gave a very practical solution(damn!downside of the information overload: forgot where I read it from) The thing would work like this: You have the option to subscribe to Do not Call or Do not Message registry. However, if you do wish to recieve (or bear the crap), you can get waivers from the provider (more talk time, reduced rental etc). This is a win-win situation for all the parties (the customer, provider and the advertiser. Hi,

A good topic for discussion as these are difficulties/pains that most of us share.

For the telemarketing that cellular cos do, I recently came across an article that gave a very practical solution(damn!downside of the information overload: forgot where I read it from)
The thing would work like this:
You have the option to subscribe to Do not Call or Do not Message registry. However, if you do wish to recieve (or bear the crap), you can get waivers from the provider (more talk time, reduced rental etc). This is a win-win situation for all the parties (the customer, provider and the advertiser.

]]> By: ranjit http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5747 ranjit Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:51:10 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5747 Hi , This is what the airtel privacy statement says : 'If you do not wish to receive information SMS on Airtel products, services and special offers, please SMS us at 121(toll-free) or call at 121(toll-free). ' Note the catch there - if you decide not to recieve those sms messages on products/services , you will also miss the special offers ! Ref : http://www.airtelworld.com/privacy.jsp Hi ,
This is what the airtel privacy statement says :

‘If you do not wish to receive information SMS on Airtel products, services and special offers, please SMS us at 121(toll-free) or call at 121(toll-free). ‘

Note the catch there - if you decide not to recieve those sms messages on products/services , you will also miss the special offers !

Ref : http://www.airtelworld.com/privacy.jsp

]]> By: Gagan http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5735 Gagan Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:33:44 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5735 totally agree with neo on indiatimes.com the number of spam email s that they send across is definitely amongst the highest in the email service providers category. in fact, an account that i had opened for my father with indiatimes had to be closed within 2 months because of the incessant spam. but in the case of mobile service porviders spamming, the Do-Not-Call registry has been effective in my view. the special offer SMSs that i used to get from Hutch have gone down considerably after i registered with their DNC service. totally agree with neo on indiatimes.com the number of spam email s that they send across is definitely amongst the highest in the email service providers category. in fact, an account that i had opened for my father with indiatimes had to be closed within 2 months because of the incessant spam.
but in the case of mobile service porviders spamming, the Do-Not-Call registry has been effective in my view. the special offer SMSs that i used to get from Hutch have gone down considerably after i registered with their DNC service.

]]> By: Shreyasi http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5734 Shreyasi Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:31:02 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5734 Cellular service providers often attach an otherwise paid add-on service (caller tunes,voice mail,missed call alert etc) to new customers and then continue with it even after the free period is over. I have personally faced this and it ocurred to me when suddenly my monthly phone bills shot up. Also advertisement is a regular feature for the phone banking menus(these are not toll-free numbers).Oten ads are so big that the overloaded systen snaps before the main menu could be reached leading to a dozen trials before we get through. Cellular service providers often attach an otherwise paid add-on service (caller tunes,voice mail,missed call alert etc) to new customers and then continue with it even after the free period is over. I have personally faced this and it ocurred to me when suddenly my monthly phone bills shot up.
Also advertisement is a regular feature for the phone banking menus(these are not toll-free numbers).Oten ads are so big that the overloaded systen snaps before the main menu could be reached leading to a dozen trials before we get through.

]]> By: Neo http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5732 Neo Mon, 26 Mar 2007 08:33:03 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5732 completely agree with u. infact u missed another prominent indian site - indiatimes. they spam you big time. completely agree with u.
infact u missed another prominent indian site - indiatimes.
they spam you big time.

]]> By: Sanjay B http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5730 Sanjay B Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:53:47 +0000 http://6ampacific.com/2007/03/26/users-in-india-should-have-opt-in-rights/#comment-5730 Oh definitely, hyper-growth, and apparently assured for years to come, definitely does nothing to spur improvement. But this is true almost generically, only adverse circumstances foster change - towards further efficiency and innovation. I have noticed the trend in many businesses - small restaurants (always brimming with customers), builders, airlines, banks - individual customers matter little as long as hordes are lining up outside the gate. Oh definitely, hyper-growth, and apparently assured for years to come, definitely does nothing to spur improvement. But this is true almost generically, only adverse circumstances foster change - towards further efficiency and innovation.
I have noticed the trend in many businesses - small restaurants (always brimming with customers), builders, airlines, banks - individual customers matter little as long as hordes are lining up outside the gate.

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