YouMail announces new advertising program; To serve ads in voicemail SMS notifications
By Dusan Belic on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 7:28 AM PST In Announcements, Services
YouMail, the consumer voicemail service which we’ve already covered in the past, recently announced a new advertising program that will “connect brands with mobile users through text-based advertising.” YouMail’s idea is to keep the service free by subsidizing the cost of running it with advertising revenue.
YouMail’s “partner in crime” is 4INFO, the SMS experts which are known for connecting organizations like the San Francisco 49ers, NBC, Evite and USA Today with mobile audiences to deliver free ad-supported SMS content.
The end result is the addition of the short “non-intrusive” 40-character marketing messages to the text alerts users receive when a caller leaves a new voicemail. Now we only have to see just how “non-intrusive” this actually is in the real life. Any YouMail users out there? Comments please.
I started noticing the ads about 2-3 weeks ago. So far they aren’t intrusive at all, usually a line of text advertising “free horoscope” or “text for latest sports scores”. It’s always at the bottom of the notification text and clearly separated from the caller info.
If you want to check out examples of what this kind of text message advertising looks like, you can visit http://advertising.4info.net/advertisers/ for a few examples. I’m with 4INFO, of course, but we do strive to make the ads both useful and non-intrusive.
While YouMail’s privacy statement promises to shield your e-mail address and phone number, it says nothing about walling off your voice content. In fact, YouMail stands behind sharing with any and all of their 3rd party partners. If you don’t give an “F” about the privacy of your voice content left on the Youmail servers and you want to get ad content left in the text messages you receive from these bozo’s then by all means sign up!
Here is the guts of their privacy statement …straight up …to the point…..
“YouMail collects and processes, or has third party service providers who collect and process on YouMail’s behalf, personal data relating to you, to convey the communications you make by means of the YouMail Software, and carry out YouMail marketing activities.”
While it is against the law to wire tape your phone line to listen in on conversations (unless its the FBI for reasons of their own) its not against the law for these bozo’s and their 3rd party advertisers to tap into your voicemail content. Don’t forget…YouMail reserves the right to modify the provisions of their Privacy Statement if deemed necessary”…..What the “F”? You mean without any notice to their customers?
Damn right! and they won’t be asking for your permission.
Their Privacy Statement is filled with ambiguities….such as in one section (Email Address) they promise not to pass your email to third parties for THEIR marketing purposes…yet in another section (Feedback) they say that the names and email addresses they collect may be used by themselves including their service providers (AKA Youmail third party advertisers) who may use it in connection with providing the services by Youmail.
When Youmail says “their” when referring to a “third party”..it means a third party that is not a third party affiliate or advertiser/partner with Youmail. That is who they promise not to share your email address or phone number with. Youmail collectively includes themselves along with their third party advertisers, which is you they are allowed to share your phone number and email address with.
And this statement sums it all up…(from their Privacy Statement)….
“We will not provide the names, email addresses, or phone numbers to any other party except our service providers who may use it in connection with providing the services on our site”.
So who is the “their” party they are referring to? Non-affiliated third parties.
11. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA OR PROGRAMS, SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS AND PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, EVEN IF THE COMPANY KNOWS OR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE COMPANY’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY, ON ANY FORM OF ACTION WHATSOEVER IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT, EXCEED THE PRICE PAID BY YOU FOR YOUR ACCOUNT. THE COMPANY SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES RESULTING FROM ANY CORRESPONDENCE OR BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH THIRD-PARTY ADVERTISERS OR RESULTING FROM THE PRESENCE OF SUCH ADVERTISERS ON THE SERVICE.
12. INDEMNITY BY REGISTERED USER.
You will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its officers, directors, employees, agents and third parties, for any losses, costs, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) relating to or arising out of your use of the Service, including any breach by you of the Terms of this Agreement.
How much are you paying for this service? $0
How much can they be liable for? $0
If you care about your privacy and hate ad-click and unsolicited advertising then don’t sign up. How do you know the safety of the
Nice article!! It matters little how good the affiliate program that one has joined is. It matters even less how generous the affiliate commissions’ structure is. If the advertising program carried out by the affiliate is not effective, then failure is inevitable.