Junque Mail Crusade

You have been brought here for a purpose:

To be enlightened.

While the ease of forwarding URLs to people on one's list has a certain appeal, not everyone jumps up and down with excitement when they are sent to a site out of the blue for a "hug", a "kiss" or any other form of cyber affection.

You may have sent someone to a site that ended with the phrase "Send this to everyone on your list", or "You can even send it back to me!". 

How personal is that, really?

And...what does the "mass mailing" say about your relationship with that person? 

One cannot say,

"You are unique, just like Everybody Else!".

. o O (?? oh really? Gosh, I thought I was an individual...) 

What it DOES say is...
"I don't really look at these things, I just forward them blindly because it says I should." 

This is about as clear a display of affection as minor assault.

Some people are not particularly flattered by the sentiments expressed through these popularity contest sites. Some see them for what they are ... an attempt on their creator's part to build up their website hits by appealing to the insecurity to which you have obviously fallen victim. It is possible to express one's esteem, affection or friendship, without being a sheep.

If you truly want to express your feelings to a friend on the net, why not take the trouble to send them a personal greeting? There are literally hundreds of such sites, where you can compose your own greeting with ease. Try here, for a list of such sites. There you will find over 150 sites, listed by category, through which, if you feel compelled to express affection to your online friends, you can at least make it personal.

Or, if a personal card is too complicated and/or time consuming in relation to that person ... perhaps the next time you feel compelled to send out a "Blue Ball" to your entire ICQ list, you could just type the word "Hi" and forward it to everyone. Some of the people on your list might actually enjoy hearing from you, instead of some disinterested third party who has no idea where these "Blue Balls" end up.

One final thought to ponder:

If your intention is to communicate with a person on your list, please be sure you are speaking to them, not just at them.

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