FPGA Central

On October 12th, 2009, Altera Announcements apparently misleadingly
emailed:

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"If you cannot read this message, please click here |
|Join us on Twitter and Facebook |
|[spacer.gif] |
|[spacer.gif] |
|Join us on Twitter & Facebook |
|Enter to Win a Development Kit |
| |
|Looking for new ways to connect with Altera? Join us on Twitter |
|and Facebook to: |
| |
| * Stay on top of what?s going on in Altera and our industry |
| * Share your thoughts and ideas with us directly |
| * Get your chance to win a BeMicro or Nios II Embedded |
| Evaluation Kit |
|Join Us Today |
|Join us on Twitter and Facebook |
|[footer_line.jpg] |
| |
|* |
|As a subscriber to the "Product Announcements and Updates" email list, we will notify you about|
|new products, events and other updatesTo subscribe or unsubscribe from Altera email updates and|
|enewsletters please visit our Email Subscription Center. |
| |
|* |
|Altera Forum *****Twitter ***** Facebook *****Flicker *****YouTube *****YouTube |
|* |
| |
| |
|Copyright © 1995-2009 Altera Corporation, 101 Innovation Drive, San Jose, California 95134, USA|
| |
|ALTERA, ARRIA, CYCLONE, HARDCOPY, MAX, MEGACORE, NIOS, QUARTUS & STRATIX are Reg. U.S. Pat. & |
|Tm. Off. and Altera marks in and outside the U.S. |
| |
|[?V7AFDXBHCW=ssID:526469735]" |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Dear Sir/Madam,

After following a number of hyperlinks, I was eventually informed on
http://WWW.Altera.com/b/twitter-face...way-rules.html
:"[..]

1. Eligibility: Only legal persons, (i) who are physically located and
residing in the Continental U.S. or otherwise eligible under
applicable local laws, [..]

[..]"

I have never been in the Continental U.S.: so am I eligible to win one
of those kits or did you waste my time?

Yours faithfully,
Colin Paul Gloster

On October 12th, 2009, Antti Lukats posted to the newsgroup news:comp.arch.fpga :

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"On Oct 12, 7:59*pm, Colin Paul Gloster <Colin_Paul_Glos...@ACM.org> |
|wrote: |
|> On October 12th, 2009, Altera Announcements apparently misleadingly |
|> emailed: |
|> |
|> |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
|> |"If you cannot read this message, please click here * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |Join us on Twitter and Facebook * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |[spacer.gif] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * ||
|> |[spacer.gif] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * ||
|> |Join us on Twitter & Facebook * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * *||
|> |Enter to Win a Development Kit * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * ||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> |Looking for new ways to connect with Altera? Join us on Twitter * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |and Facebook to: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> | * *Stay on top of what?s going on in Altera and our industry * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> | * *Share your thoughts and ideas with us directly * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> | * *Get your chance to win a BeMicro or Nios II Embedded * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> | * *Evaluation Kit * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ||
|> |Join Us Today * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * *||
|> |Join us on Twitter and Facebook * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |[footer_line.jpg] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * *||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> |* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |As a subscriber to the "Product Announcements and Updates" email list, we will notify you about||
|> |new products, events and other updatesTo subscribe or unsubscribe from Altera email updates and||
|> |enewsletters please visit our Email Subscription Center. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> |* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |Altera Forum *****Twitter ***** Facebook *****Flicker *****YouTube *****YouTube * * * ** * * *||
|> |* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> |Copyright © 1995-2009 Altera Corporation, 101 Innovation Drive, San Jose, California 95134, USA||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> |ALTERA, ARRIA, CYCLONE, HARDCOPY, MAX, MEGACORE, NIOS, QUARTUS & STRATIX are Reg. U.S. Pat. & *||
|> |Tm. Off. and Altera marks in and outside the U.S. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * ||
|> |[?V7AFDXBHCW=ssID:526469735]" * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *||
|> |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
|> |
|> Dear Sir/Madam, |
|> |
|> After following a number of hyperlinks, I was eventually informed on |
|> http://WWW.Altera.com/b/twitter-face...way-rules.html |
|> :"[..] |
|> |
|> 1. Eligibility: Only legal persons, (i) who are physically located and |
|> residing in the Continental U.S. or otherwise eligible under |
|> applicable local laws, [..] |
|> |
|> [..]" |
|> |
|> I have never been in the Continental U.S.: so am I eligible to win one |
|> of those kits or did you waste my time? |
|> |
|> Yours faithfully, |
|> Colin Paul Gloster |
| |
|waste of time |
|most such things are for US residents only |
| |
|Antti" |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

So far I have received no response to the email which I sent to
[email protected] on October 12th, 2009. I am not pleased.

Colin Paul Gloster

On Oct 15, 7:57*am, Colin Paul Gloster <Colin_Paul_Glos...@ACM.org>
wrote:
>
> So far I have received no response to the email which I sent to
> announceme...@Altera.com on October 12th, 2009. I am not pleased.
>
> Colin Paul Gloster

Did you give them your email address? Is this spam or you just don't
like the fact that it is much harder for them to meet the regulations
of dozens of countries than it is to only make the offer in the single
country where most of their business comes from?

I don't like 95% of the advertising email I get. But I've asked for
99% of it and if I don't like it, I just unsubscribe from it. The
stuff I get where they got my email address from a spam list
encourages me to send an email asking them to get in touch with me.
Then I ask them how they got my address and let them know I'm not
happy with being spammed.

But if you are just complaining that you don't like the way they've
set up their offer, why waste your time with that thought... like why
am I wasting my time with *this* thought?

Rick

On 2009-10-15, rickman <[email protected]> wrote:
> Did you give them your email address? Is this spam or you just don't
> like the fact that it is much harder for them to meet the regulations
> of dozens of countries than it is to only make the offer in the single
> country where most of their business comes from?

On a related note: is it possible Xilinx is giving out mail addresses to
other companies?

I use separate disposable mail addresses for each web registration, and I
just got spam from a Mentor Graphics user group, sent to the mail address
that I only used at xilinx.com. Guess I'll have to disable that account on
my mail server.

cu
Michael

On Oct 16, 3:14*am, Michael Schwingen
<news-1235297...@discworld.dascon.de> wrote:
> On 2009-10-15, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Did you give them your email address? *Is this spam or you just don't
> > like the fact that it is much harder for them to meet the regulations
> > of dozens of countries than it is to only make the offer in the single
> > country where most of their business comes from?
>
> On a related note: is it possible Xilinx is giving out mail addresses to
> other companies?
>
> I use separate disposable mail addresses for each web registration, and I
> just got spam from a Mentor Graphics user group, sent to the mail address
> that I only used at xilinx.com. Guess I'll have to disable that account on
> my mail server.
>
> cu
> Michael

I had that happen once or twice as well. I don't think they are
literally selling the list. I think it is more of a sales channel
thing. I believe the time it happened to me, I got spam from a rep
firm who handled Xilinx, but also tools. I think they took some
liberties with the usage of the list and sent tool advertisements to
everyone on the Xilinx list.

In your case, it would seem they pulled your address from their
forum. I know that Xilinx will pull email addresses from anywhere,
including support calls! I have a couple of email addresses that I
have given only to Xilinx support that they send advertising to.

Rick

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Rickman posted:

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"On Oct 15, 7:57*am, Colin Paul Gloster <Colin_Paul_Glos...@ACM.org> |
|wrote: |
|> |
|> So far I have received no response to the email which I sent to |
|> announceme...@Altera.com on October 12th, 2009. I am not pleased. |
|> |
|> Colin Paul Gloster |
| |
|Did you give them your email address?" |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

Yes. I do not know why Altera does not seem to have pointed this out
in this thread, so I reproduce an email from Altera below.

Rick Collins posted:
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|" Is this spam or you just don't |
|like the fact that it is much harder for them to meet the regulations |
|of dozens of countries than it is to only make the offer in the single|
|country where most of their business comes from? |
| |
|[..] |
| |
|But if you are just complaining that you don't like the way they've |
|set up their offer, why waste your time with that thought... like why |
|am I wasting my time with *this* thought? |
| |
|Rick" |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

I do not like the way that the offer was set up.

Regards,
Colin Paul Gloster


On Wed, 21 Oct 2009, Altera emailed:

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"Dear Colin Paul Gloster: |
| |
|We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience that the email |
|promoting our kit sweepstakes caused you. In your case we did not have|
|country information in your record so you received the email. Again, |
|my apologies for the mistake. |
| |
|We also saw your email thread on Net News. Please know that Altera |
|does not take email addresses from our tech support site or the Altera|
|Forum. All addresses on our email list are "opt-in," which means that |
|a box was checked saying that the registrant prefers to receive emails|
|from us. |
| |
|Our records show that you have been a subscriber since 2003, and I |
|hope that you have found the information that we've sent you over the |
|past 6 years to be useful. However, if you would like to unsubscribe, |
|please reply to this email with that information and I'll remove you |
|permanently and immediately. |
| |
|Thank you for your interest in Altera. Please let me know if you have |
|any further questions or concerns. |
| |
|Sincerely, |
| |
|Sandi Lindenkohl Email Marketing Manager |
| |
|P.S. The "from" address for our email campaigns receives thousands of |
|auto replies per week so it is very difficult to filter out an email |
|with this type of question. This is why you did not get a reply right |
|away." |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|