>>>>I didn't realize one email constituted spam. ...
>>>
>>>I think one single email can very well be spam. I am not sure about the present case, but a single email would be spam if it is sent to a large amount of people, who didn't ask for it.
>>>
>>>Now, is such an individual email a problem? I am sure it is. Even if I, personally, receive only a single e-mail from an individual company, I might also get thousands of single e-mails from other individual companies around the globe.
>>>
>>>Hilmar.
>>
>>I agree. I don't care that it's one email: I didn't ask to be mailed their info, they clearly got my name from someone's list, and I have added them to my "junk email" list. That is spam in my book.
>>
>>I had heard about this conference through word of mouth and was considering it. Now I am not sure (yes, I feel THAT strongly about getting unsolicited email).
>
>Jeesh guys, lighten up. At least it's on topic email. Or would you like to have some of the crap I receive to lengthen your member or refinance or whatever else? I get plenty so I can share...

Oh, I get those too, don't worry!!

But, it doesn't make this any better. I don't care if it's on-topic. It's unsolicited mail, and as a result it is no more or less spam than those offers to naturally improve my breast size.

-- If the conference organizers received my name from a list that they believed included only folks who want to receive such mail, no harm done on their part. But, I want to know where they received it (I've emailed that request to them already).

-- If they went trolling around the UT or experts-exchange or wherever, than I would factor that into any decision to write them a check for their services. It wouldn't disqualify them automatically, but it would factor into the decision of which of the half dozen potential conferences I should spend money on this year.

I understand the need to advertise. And I'm under no illusion that any purchasing decision that I make will have an affect on a product's ad campaign. But, on a personal level, these campaigns factor into my decisions. Again, if these organizers believed they were sending to folks who wanted this mail, then there's no harm and no foul. Frankly, I mainly want to know where they got my email address so that I can keep track of which sites are selling my info (even when I opt out).