We've been sending out coupons in our packages for years now.  Up until last year, the coupons could be used pretty much any time, even though each showed an expiration date.  It's always been understood that prior customers should be entitled to a little discount on their future orders.  But when we implemented the new coupon code system last year, the expiration dates suddenly mattered, as each coupon code had a definite expiration date that would show in our system--rendering all outdated coupons useless.

    But I still like the idea of the loyal "regulars" having access to the current coupon at all times.  So starting now, each current coupon code will be featured in the fortnightly newsletter.  This means that even if you haven't made an order in several months or more, you can still get your $2 discount any time you care to order.

   

THIS FORTNIGHT'S CODE:  JOBE1507

GOOD UNTIL: 15 May 2007

 

Feel free to use this code on every order you make this fortnight!  (Please note that you can only use one coupon code per order.  So if you are redeeming a gift certificate, you will not be able to use a coupon as well.) 

 

Long-time subscribers will know about my Guest Book woes (in sum, spammers continuously take over our online Guest Book, filling it with ads).  We've also had some problems with spammers in the Message Boards.  After taking WAY too much time removing the spam posts, I've decided to simply do away with the Guest Book and Message Board altogether.  We rarely got any participation on these pages (possibly due to people being scared away from the porn ads, who knows?), and the sparse participation wasn't worth the daily removal of spam.  Instead of the combination "Feedback" page with included the Guest Book, Message Board, Comments, and Recommend Site pages, we now just have one simple Contact Us page on the sidebar.

 

     So last week I do the above--create an all-purpose "Contact" page.  A day or two later, I started up the computer in the morning, and checked e-mail.  I use Outlook Express, and get my personal as well as business mail there.  I was very surprised to see, from my business account, that I had 47 messages!  Usually I have a couple of orders, maybe a question or two.  I used to get maybe one or two spam messages on my business e-mail every day, nothing too wild.  So I go to look at these 47 messages.  There were two orders, one question, and 44 ads for software, diet pills, and "male enhancements."  I was stunned.  Throughout the rest of that day the spam kept coming, until I had accumulated over 80 ad messages!

     Turns out that I am now on a spam list.  Either someone harvested my address from the site (though the address itself is pretty hard to find), or someone forwarded one of my newsletters without removing my e-mail address and a spam harvester got it that way.  My business address has been sold to ad companies, and I have been getting nearly 300 spam messages daily since that first day.

     I'm bummed out enough about the Guest Book, but this is such a gross invasion of my virtual space.  I actually feel a little violated, like someone has broken into my home and destroyed my belongings.  My husband says he read somewhere that these ad messages actually get people to look and buy.  How miserable must your life be to see spam messages and go, "Hey, I could use that"? 

     I know that I cannot let this go on for much longer without doing something.  If anyone has a solution to this problem, please let me know.  If nothing works and my address remains on these ad lists, then I may have no other choice than to change my business address.  Luckily I have not been sending out business cards or magnets lately, and while my address appears on my eBay invoices, most of my eBay customers contact me through eBay, so a change of address might not be the catastrophe it initially seems.

     I'll keep everyone updated on this, and if I have to change addresses, please be prepared to receive this newsletter in two weeks either from suzanne@ephemerala.com (an address which does not yet exist, but will likely be the replacement if I have to create a new one) or dallape@beyondbb.com.  (Update your filters to let these addresses in just in case...)