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Anti-Spam Companies Getting Lots Of Money
from the keep-it-coming... dept
VCs are still pouring plenty of money into anti-spam firms, as four different companies apparently raised an additional $50 million over the past few weeks. While we clearly need better tools for fighting spam, I always wonder about companies who, if they're successful, no longer have a reason to be in business. It makes the incentives very strange -- and makes you question what the companies (and the investors) see as a success.
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No Subject Given
It's just like any other investment.... you invest enough so that the return covers it, and get out of the market before the industry goes belly up.
It's the day trader mentality just in a different guise.
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Antivirus
Umm...how are these different from antivirus companies? Sadly, it doesn't appear the war on spam will ever end
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Re: Antivirus
Yup, same deal with antivirus companies... I wasn't singling out anti-spam companies for being the only companies that have this problem. AV companies are just as bad -- which is why they're known for hyping up every new virus. It boosts sales, even if the threat isn't that big.
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The best solution does not involve these companies
Think about the hundreds of private phone networks in the world - they all talk to each other and you can pick up a phone on one network and talk to other people on other networks.
Now think of private email networks that don't use the SMTP protocol but a simple use of the HTTP and other protocols through a web browser interface, with all of the PENs talking to each other behind the scenes using web services.
With the exception of the fact that people in the U.S. are generally limited to only one land-line choice, this model works. And with cell and Internet based phone services now popping up, that problem will disappear soon, too.
Don't dismiss using simple tools that already exist to fix the spam problem. We have been working on it for 2 years and it is now working very nicely with some test groups. It is the future and no one will own it as a whole.
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