I love the Internet! Information about any topic that piques my curiosity is just a few clicks away. Ezines on almost any topic are available to all.

Yes, I have to admit it -- I Am An Info Junkie. It has become an addiction. I subscribe to dozens of ezines and my browser's bookmark list is huge.

Today, I fired thirteen ezine publishers.

It was hard. I didn't want to let go of those threads to information sources, but they all made the same mistake.

Maybe you were one of the thirteen.

Maybe it wasn't just a mistake. It is more like a cardinal sin on just plain ignorance.

Your ezine/newsletter didn't contain any news.

There was not a sentence of content in it. You and the other twelve publishers have not provided a lick of content for weeks or even months. I have been hoping that "maybe the next issue will be the one?"

That next issue that contained the content I was hungry for never came. Yes, your ezine was always there right on time. Yes, I even received your bonus editions.

You flooded my RSS reader and my email box with ads.

I realize that we are all in the business of trying to make a buck or two and I can accept a couple of ads if I get my info fix. Ads support your ability to provide content and we info junkies of the world can tolerate that.

Your cardinal sin was to send ads to me without content.

That, my friend, is spam. That is why I clicked on the "unsubscribe me" link and fired you.

Anyone who has been in the Internet Marketing business for more than five minutes has memorized this mantra:

THE MONEY IS IN THE LIST

(I could go off on a tangent about ebook authors who hired copywriters to provide wonderful sales copy for horrible ebooks that I have bought, but that is a rant for a different day.)

Back to this rant.

If you want the privilege of feeding ads to my RSS reader or dropping them in my email box, please have the decency to feed my addiction ? I get real cranky if you make me go into withdrawal.

Wrap your ad in some decent content!

Consider this ? if you have no list, you'll have no money.

Do you wonder why your ezine has such a low response?

Is it even being read?

Here's another info junkie confession ?

A lot of us are lazy! (I know ? that is an earth- shattering fact you never thought of ? LOL)

It is much easier to click on "delete" than it is to search the fine print for the unsubscribe instructions. Lots of us have those cool email clients like Thunderbird that let us click a "Junk" icon and never be bothered by your spammy ads again.

It is sad.

A world full of info junkies that like to buy good stuff from the 'net and a world full of Internet marketers that want to sell stuff ? it looks like a match made in heaven.

You blew it. You and twelve of your colleagues.

You lost your focus. You forgot that the info junkies of the world provide your Internet income. We are your customers. Without us, where would you be?

Just give us our fix. Put some content in your ezines and we'll stay on your list buying more than we can rationally afford forever.

@2005, John Gilger

John Gilger is a professional copywriter and technical writer that has been paid to indulge his writing habit for more years than he cares to admit. More info is available at John Gilger, Freelance Wordsmith