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* Illustration: Christoph Niemann * My short film is about to hit the festival circuit. Would it be cool to email a heads-up to everyone in my address book?
The Internet has a name for that, Dear Reader: spam. Unless you wish to join the spiritual ranks of bootleg Viagra peddlers and Nigerian "princes," indiscriminate email blasts to one's acquaintances is never copacetic. Nobody wants to live in a world where giving contact info to a friend or colleague is tantamount to checking the "Yes, please keep me informed about exciting product offers!" box.
That said, there's nothing wrong with aggressive self-promotion. Sift through your contacts to identify people who might be interested, even though they haven't explicitly opted in. Focus on folks with whom you've enjoyed at least one warm exchange. Then tailor the messages. "Personalize each email," says Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs, a social-media consulting firm. "Send them one at a time and say one personal thing at the beginning of each."
Keep in mind that no matter how much care you take to avoid the whiff of spam, there's a chance that some of your recipients will complain. If that happens, be human enough to apologize—something spambots never do.
To boost my blog traffic, I held a contest, awarding $50 gift cards to readers I picked at random. My husband says it was illegal. Am I going to jail?
Technically, your giveaway wasn't a contest but a sweepstakes — à la Publishers Clearing House. You picked the winners at random, rather than as a reward for, say, their knowledge of trivia. As such, you are subject to the laws of your home state regarding sweepstakes. These generally state that the rules must be clearly posted and that entrants shouldn't have to spend money in order to win.
Unfortunately, the fine print in some states can be annoyingly specific. You may come across detailed requirements governing the font and type size for your "No Purchase Necessary" disclaimer or the exact odds of winning.
Didn't dot those i's or cross those t's? Don't fret. You're highly unlikely to do time, especially given your piddling payouts. (The California attorney general's office couldn't identify a single case of a blogger being punished for holding a sweepstakes.) But next time you feel the need to channel Ed McMahon (may he rest in peace), do your best to obey the law. It's a royal pain, but look on the bright side—long legal disclaimers give your blog an air of authority.
I recently posted a photo on Facebook of my 4-month-old son taking a bath. My mom flipped; she said I was creating child porn. Is she overly paranoid?
Sounds like your mother has seen one too many episodes of To Catch a Predator. The legal test is for the depiction of "sexually explicit conduct" (including "lascivious exhibition" of genitalia). Neither the Feds nor Facebook care about a cute bath-time picture of your own kid. And it means a lot if Facebook is cool with it, because the company is notoriously prim—it has been known to delete images of breastfeeding. "We've carved out an exception in our policy to allow photos of infants posted by parents or other family members," says Simon Axten, a Facebook spokesperson.
Mom also needs to understand that Facebook can actually be more private than a beach or park—the photos can be viewed only by trusted friends, assuming you have the appropriate privacy settings. (You do, right?) Unless she has a blanket objection to her grandson appearing naked in public, including during emergency diaper changes, her anti-Facebook logic doesn't hold water.
Need help navigating life in the 21st century? Email us at mrknowitall@wired.com.
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