Dan York asks whether SPIT is any different from telemarketing, because if it isn’t, then why differentiate? My take is that IP telephony can lower the costs of telemarketing, which potentially makes it a more attractive medium for advertisers. More importantly, though, the potential exists for rampant abuse with IP based "auto-dialers" and recorded messages. Imagine a world where thousands of recorded messages are delivered near instantaneously to IP accessible voice mail boxes. That’s the threat behind SPIT. It’s years away, though. The majority of the population would have to be on VoIP already for it to be truly cost effective.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
