[31/03/2009 10:29:34] Mary Criswell:
Hi , And how is yur work and evry thing around u .....I was looking at in the directory, i saw your name, and you seem interesting! I need a male opinion about something ... Would you like to check out my pics and profile..?
This is a fictitious chat message based on real samples of phrases! What SPAM is for e-mail, SCAM is for Skype. Will it take the same proportions?
I hope not, but it begins to worry me. I got the last month 22 such messages, from all kind of countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, China, Morocco, Bulgaria, Turkey, some without information and quite often from Kumasi in Ghana and even one from Kumasi in the USA
! Most are woman names, but of course it could well be man sitting at the other side to try to rip you off. Only one tried to call me. Several asked to add them to my contact list.OK, I could change my privacy setting and only accept chats and calls from known persons. But as I have a business this isn’t an option.
And to make it worse, since some months, when somebody asks you to be added to your contact list, you get an UNWANTED e-mail repeating this demand. It wasn’t like this in the past (no mails!). This is a change Skype introduced without much publicity and without asking. I understand the economic logic of it: it should boost the growth of users. But, it could as well chase users away, as they will perceive these mails from “Ghana Women and similar” as SPAM. You already get the SCAM demand on your Skype client and then you get it a second time in your mailbox. NO SKYPE, wrong way
You can disable this by going in your account page in the e-mail settings. In my opinion this should be unchecked by default. I don’t need twice the same message Skype !!!!
[EDITED:]After a remark of Vincent: it could be you get only once the message, either by mail, either through your client - i'll have to check.
[EDITED: 04/04/2009] I got a request twice, one on my client, and one a day later by mail!
13 comments:
I also have my privacy settings set to accept chat from all, and I almost never receive spam.
But Jean, when you get spam, do you systematically block the spammer, AND check the box "report to Skype"? This allows us to see who gets blocked a lot, and disable their account.
And for the email authorization request, this is useful for people who don't login every day. True for power users it's not necessary, but they know how to disable it :-) Default settings should always be for people less comfortable with the product.
Thanks for the comments Vincent.
OK, i have to admit that i don't block systematically, only when they continue to disturb me, and that is seldom the case. But indeed, i should do it! I will! :-)
For the e-mail authorization request, i continue to disagree. It is exactly what i thought: it is a way for Skype to bring ocasional users back to Skype, therefore pure economical interest!
I agree that default settings should always be for people less comfortable with the product. Therefore ... disable it! Most people will NOT find how to do it!
Actually email authorization requests should only be sent after the Skype one.
And if you act on the Skype one (like authorize or block), the email one should not be sent at all.
I haven't specifically tested it, but it must work like that, since I haven't received an email auth request at all yet.
Hmmmm ...
you could be right, and it that case my remark about "twice the message" is wrong. I will try to watch this by enabling again the e-mail notification.
Vincent, i think you are wrong: i got a request yesterday while i was in front of the computer, and another one by e-mail from the same person 24 hours later!
And i am sure i was in front of my computer, because, as i dare to do sometimes is asked "her" And why should i do that? to her question Hello! Please add me to your Contact list.
But did you accept or deny the authorization request? I think this is what matters.
On my Windows 4.0 screen i have indeed 3 buttons: ACCEPT - IGNORE - BLOCK. On my iPhone i have only 2: ACCEPT - BLOCK.
I don't think i clicked a button. For me, not doing anything is the same as ignore.
Therefore i continue to disagree: the mail should only be sent when i was offline and/or didnt read the invitation to connect.
From a female point of view.....
"As well as a chat request as an e-mail. How lucky one man can be!!" :)
But I agree that receiving both is annoying, especially when there are a few days in between for the same user. You think you finally got rid of such a handsome, sexy, looking for fun user (bless the privacy settings!) and voilá, he/she is back again per e-mail.
Ike
Hello Ike,
Well, i am really lucky, i know:
a chat request,
an e-mail,
and now a post from a woman on my blog.
My popularity with women is indeed increasing ;-)
I finally got one of this famous emails :)
And I see there is a link in the email to stop receiving them. So after the first of these emails, if it bothers you it's one click away from disabling it.
Well Vincent, i hope it was a woman? ;-)
But i continue to disagree, it should be "off" by default, this is annoying!
No no. If it's off by default, users who would benefit from the feature would even never know about it.
While here, it's SO EASY to turn off after the first email. ONE email is really not so annoying,
:-)
We will never agree on this one, although your argument is very good!
For me this is a useless feature! I don't want it.
For Skype this is interesting, as the purpose is commercial: awake "dead or sleeping" customers.
But, ok, i agree that some people will like this "feature".
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