A WritersWeekly Forum Member sent us a copy of a spam sent to him by Wooden Horse Publishing.

Scavenging the web for email addresses and then sending marketing emails to someone IS SPAMMING!

Subject: RE: [Fwd: Join forum]
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:49:12 -0700
From: Meg Weaver <mweaver@woodenhorsepub.com>

Hi Angela,

Good to "talk" to you again (I'm one of your authors - from a few years
ago.)

This is what I like to have posted in response to the " woodenhorsepub.com -
spammer" post:

"We never have - and never will - "scavenge" the Internet for email
addresses. All emails we send are to legitimate customers of ours, or to
addresses rented from opt-in lists obtained from a legitimate list broker.

When we rent lists, we go to great lengths to ensure that the recipients
have given their explicit permission to receive emails. In addition, we
select the recipients carefully, ensuring that they would potentially be
interested in our services. Third, the list broker we use has worked with
us for over twenty years and is not an anonymous fly-by-night operation in
another country.

We also offer an easy opt-out if an email address has accidentally been
added to a list we rent. The recipient just replies to the received message
and a human being will add it to our "Do Not Mail" list.

Also be aware that spammers will "spoof" sending email addresses, making
them appear to come from a legitimate source. We are occasionally a victim
of this technique (we know because we get the "bounced" messages) but there
is not much we can do about it.

We apologize for any pain or inconvenience we may have caused this poster
but if he or she would contact us, we will make sure their email address
will be added to our "Do Not Mail" list.

Meg Weaver
mweaver@woodenhorsepub.com
WOODEN HORSE - tools to select and contact magazines
http://www.woodenhorsepub.com

We rec'd two emails from writers supporting Wooden Horse who didn't believe the spam complaint we rec'd was real. Below is a copy of the original complaint and the spam. I have removed the writer's name from the information below.

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:09 pm
Subject: Odd email I received Quote message
Angela,

This just arrived in my inbox:

Dear fellow writer,

You can now be continually updated about new magazines. And the ones
ceasing publication. And - which new editors come onboard.

If you write for magazines, you must keep up with new markets and now
the Wooden Horse website makes it easy for you. Check us out at
www.woodenhorsepub.com.

If you like some more details first, I've included our press release
below. And please feel free to forward this message to anyone who
would be interested.

Meg Weaver

New in our Magazines Database:
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL - Inspirational stories for women.
FORBESLIFE - The best for the affluent.
INTERNET GENEALOGY - About online family research.
WOMEN'S HEALTH - Fitness for women.
LIFE - Is now a weekly newspaper insert.
LOOKING GOOD NOW - Losing weight for families.
UN CHIN - Latino arts and fashion.
FOR ME - Home, fashion, food for twenty-something women.
EVERYDAY FOOD - Martha's newest magazine.
WONDERTIME - Parenting education from Disney.

Wooden Horse Publishing - Magazine news and resources
http://www.woodenhorsepub.com
(503) 338-4300; mweaver@woodenhorsepub.com

P.S. Please don't worry. You're not on a huge s-p-a-m list. I found
you the old-fashioned way, surfing the 'net for writers who may find
my site valuable.

For immediate release

WRITING FOR MAGAZINES JUST BECAME EASIER WITH NEW WEBSITE

Astoria, OR - Freelance article writers will find it easier to make
money with the help of a website designed just for them.

Located at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com, the Wooden Horse Publishing
site offer news and resources not found anywhere else.

"Writers need reliable news, up-to-date contact information and the
latest marketing tools," says owner Meg Weaver, a long-time writer
herself. "Today's magazine industry is complex and constantly
changing. But writers want to concentrate on writing and that doesn't
leave much time for marketing their work. That's where we can help."

The site features continually updated industry news; articles and
books about making money writing; a free newsletter with numerous new
paying markets every week; and a searchable database of over 2,000 US
and Canadian consumer and trade magazines with full contact
information, writers guidelines, and - unique to writers' sites -
reader demographics and editorial calendars.

Wooden Horse can be found at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com.

###

Contact:
Meg Weaver
Wooden Horse Publishing
PO Box 53
1023 Franklin
Astoria, OR 97103
http://www.woodenhorsepub.com
(503) 338-4300; mweaver@woodenhorsepub.com

*** What do you think of this? I don't personally think that "doing it
the old fashioned way", ie: surfing the net for email addy's, is all
that cool a thing to do.

What's your thoughts??