Hi Everyone, as mentioned in my introduction post, BOTL needs quite a bit of updating, patching and whatever else I might come across. Over time BOTL may be unreachable on occasion as I do migrations or updates, etc. Just be patient - we'll be back! I'll generally try to keep these maintenances until later in the evenings.
Email addresses weren't publically posted. You have to register to see emails (not anymore) and is/was a benefit for other members for contact - not for harvesting emails of all members so they can solicit unethically. Thus, their claim of privacy concerns is a pure concoction of bullshit.Your email address was published publicly on an internet cigar forum. While we are quite sensitive to privacy concerns, our presumption is that people who post their email addresses on cigar forums are interested in communications regarding cigars.
Spam is one thing, but this is closer to the line than a Viagra ad that goes out to everyone. I do internet publicity for a living, and I can tell you that this kind of approach is well on this side of the line. I am an old timer too, and am very sensitive to spam and being exploited, but there has to be a line within which we can all survive. If you like the idea, fine. If you don't, fine also. But condemnation?I think they're trying to do something good with the site (give people a place to store their reviews, etc), it just sounds like they took a mis-step when it came to publicizing it.