Nice try, but no cigar

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From time to time, I receive e-mail messages from a variety of organisations and individuals referring to this blog.  They range from those who say they are regular readers and then go on to prove that they most definitely are not by offering guest pieces on a range of unrelated topics, to those who are merely looking for a puff piece about a new book or report.  Whilst some of the books and reports are of interest, I don’t do puff pieces, and I don’t publish guest posts.

I had another one last week of a slightly different nature.  This one also claimed to “have been a reader of your site for a while”, told me that there “are loads of things we'll be doing during the campaign” (i.e. UK General Election) “that are relevant to Borthlas”, and asked me what sort of things would be of most interest.

I’d like to feel flattered that I have a fan base at Conservative Central Office, but somehow I suspect that what has actually happened here is that the ‘blogging coordinator for the Conservative Party election campaign’ has somehow put together, or acquired, a list of email addresses for political blogs; done little or no qualification as to which to include in his missive and which to exclude; and used a blanket mail merge to approach them.  Or else hope transcends experience.

The footer to the e-mail warns me sternly that I "must not disclose, distribute, copy or otherwise use this Email".  Do they really think that they can get away with sending targeted e-mails to people at random, and instruct the recipients not to reveal the contents?  It displays a remarkable failure to understand the nature of the medium they are using. 

I’ve seen one response from another blogger who has expressed his views in forthright fashion.  Not quite the way that I’d express it; but it can be taken as read that Borthlas will not be repeating Central Office propaganda.  However, it’s more than possible that I may choose to comment on some of what they have to say; it’s just unlikely that such comment will be favourable.