8.12.01
spam I received today:
"Hello,
I am contacting you about pixiemartin.com, regarding a few development ideas I have for building your website. Several website concepts, like yours, could benefit from a database driven website, but find the cost of running a database-driven website too high. My team of developers have completed a modular website system that has significantly lowered the cost of websites utilizing databases. I'm quite anxious to demonstrate our suite of development services that I believe will benefit pixiemartin.com. I would appreciate speaking with you or your Webmaster in more detail.
By choosing to use a pre-developed database, you will save thousands of dollars. We can develop the look and functionality of a $15,000 website for a $499 activation fee and $49 per month for hosting and module updates.
Here is a list of ideas that I thought you might want as part of your site:
* An infinite number of website pages generated by our software
* An ability to easily edit the content and layout of your website using the Site Administrator Suite
* A shopping cart to sell your products or services with no limitation on the number of products you can submit
* A Marketplace module that can accept company information or offers from website visitors, such as classified ads (Monitored by your company.)
* Marketing tools that inform and educate your clients - features such as News Pages and Newsletters, etc.
* Your clients and target audience can discuss topics on your website in a Discussion Forum
* A Links Page to list useful resources for your site visitors
* A picture gallery where you or your clients can submit pictures
* An "Advertising Section", where clients can post banner advertisements
All of the tools are customizable and self-managed with an easy to use administrative suite. Our websites are ideal for a company to lower their ongoing website management costs.
Please review these packages, starting at $499 and $49 a month and going up to $2499 and $99 a month. I would really like to work with you because I know how much you will benefit from our modular-based website tools and design. Sites become obsolete very quickly. The cost advantage of our website concept is that you receive software worth thousands of dollars for a fraction of the cost on a monthly basis.
Our module-based website packages are offered at the following prices:
1) Package One: US $499 set-up fee, and US $49 monthly hosting and module usage fee.
http://www.semicustomwebsites.com/products/package1.html
2) Package Two: US $1199 set-up fee, and US $69 monthly hosting and module usage fee.
http://www.semicustomwebsites.com/products/package2.html
3) Package Three: US $2,499 set-up fee, and US $99 monthly hosting and module usage fee.
http://www.semicustomwebsites.com/products/package3.html
A few examples of our reference sites for.com clients include:
Worldofsoccer
Italianbb
Marketmap
Nuequus
DunhillVacations
Here are a few of our reference sites for.net clients:
Thirdedition professionalbeauty
These association sites are examples of .org websites we have developed:
Adacroft
HistoryNewsNetwork- Over 300,000 visitor in one month using our
Newsletter module
I would be pleased to answer any of your questions, just let me know when and where to call. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Also, I am seeking individuals as resellers of the website packages into their community or network of contacts if you are interested.
Sincerely,
Bill Frederick
Sales and Marketing"
and my response:
"Are you on crack?
pixiemartin.com is a personal vanity website upon which I babble about my meaningless existence, all in a humorous context.
Why, in the name of sweet baby Jesus, do you think I would pay _you_ to build a database driver for a website that is primarily read by relatives, friends, and a few odd ducks the world over?
Any and all of the service ideas you are pitching me for a ridiculously high sum can be found for FREE elsewhere on the internet. Cripes.
*knock knock*
Who's there?
Reality. I've got a check with your name on it.
-- pixiemartin"
You don't think I was too hard on him, do you?
But cripes, if I had that kind of money, I'd have better damn things to do with it that frou-frou up the ol' website.
Besides, I have friends that I can exploit to accomplish the same exact thing for free -- and damn do I love each and every one of them.
Sincerely.
