An open letter and Christmas greeting to my readers
(originally sent to my Christmas e-mail list along with some family pictures)

This was attached to a very plain HTML formatted table of 4 pictures of the family with a brief caption to each. The original is on our family site.

I decided to send out this e-mail Christmas card in response to cards I received from others including one that had been done using "commercial" e-mail add-ons and sent from a commercial list manager.

Some of you are every bit as technically aware as I am, but many are not, and many of my friends' friends may benefit from a bit of advice if this message is passed on so...

As many (most) of you know, one of my tasks is to keep many people's computers working properly and from time to time I'm called upon to help fix one that has "gone astray" from its normal task. The typical reason for such problems today is turning out to be the user's opening (or even just receiving) e-mail from someone they think they know that has some nasty virus attached to it. Even if there is no attached virus, sometimes just clicking on the embedded web link to a site can install nasty or annoying software on the computer you're using - popup addware, keystroke loggers (spyware), back-door (why is my mouse moving when I'm not touching it?) software and SPAM sending software - all of which are for the benefit of the people who wrote and distribute it, not for the user's benefit.

Please take this Christmas card as an example you might follow in sending your own missives and greetings this year and in the future. It was created within the e-mail software I normally use (Evolution on Linux) which is a look-alike for Microsoft's Outlook, and is simply a few digital pictures (in this case taken from our web site, built with FrontPage) and some simple text.

The addresses it is being sent to were added to the "BCC" (blind carbon copy) section of the address area so that nobody who gets this card will see all the addresses - in case it goes astray or gets picked up by the SPAMMERS or something - not likely but you never know. If anyone receiving this needs to get in touch with someone they know that I know, please e-mail me directly for the individual's contact information or phone me - I'm always at the number below. This also stops everyone it was sent to from getting a copy of a reply made in error to "everyone" which happens fairly frequently - especially since the reply inevitably includes the original pictures which takes space and time on the network to send and receive.

As I said in response to my friends who sent the commercial card/e-mail. It is unfortunately my own personal policy never to follow URL links to such sites since, while there are some that do what they purport to do (provide a central spot where you can create a custom and very elegant card for your friends) there are many that add their own spice to the mix by using the information gathered or the opportunity afforded by the friend's visit to add some commercial or nefarious things to what you think they're getting and the possibility is just not worth the risk. The most recent "bug" in Microsoft's Internet Explorer makes this even more dangerous since the bug shields the "real" URL you're viewing from showing that it is not where you though you would be going.

I have said the same thing to people who use "centralized" free or even paid personal mail list/contact management services - I don't participate and I suggest you don't either (If your company's IT department mandates it and have done their homework that's another thing - I'm talking about the ones that cater to individuals from everywhere as opposed to those providing a service to whole companies) Privacy is something we need to guard as much as possible in this age of databases and identity theft. It is a losing battle but there is no reason to make the loss devastating as opposed to just annoying. If you are going to give up personal information, at least try hard to know who you are giving it to: the bank, grocery store and gas station chains and the government may be acceptable if you get something of value in return and know that they are following the laws (which change fairly radically here in Canada as of January 1, 2004 by the way.)

Allowing your personal information to be gathered by an entity you have no information about, in a country you don't have any recourse to (some of the greeting card sites are in non-English speaking countries in Europe and I leave it to your imagination why they want your information) is something you really don't want to allow if you can help it.

So, in closing...

Have a very Merry Christmas, A Happy New Year, and...

Practice safe computing - TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (or free e-mail services, Christmas card services, list-services, etc. - they all come with a price - today it is loss of privacy or the correct use of your computer or potentially the loss of your bank balance)

See the January 2004 Digital Rag for more on Internet Privacy