GR, glad to hear that. I was >< close to going off on a rant, but I see you already have this well in hand. Too bad, I had a lot of choice words cooked up.
This kind of thing happens sometimes. It's always embarrassing when someone reports spam to your tech desk and it really did come from your coworkers. It's happened to me twice at one place I worked...the first time, we all went down to the marketeer's desk, carrying knives. You ever have 10 geeks in ragged dress show up in your office with long knives and grim faces, chewing you out using terms you don't fully recognize? He quit soon after. Something about a 'hostile work environment'. I dunno what his beef was, the work environment was great, nice and tranquil. Our break room even had an electric guitar amplifier. The back garden was zen stone garden style. It was
us that were hostile. The second time, the marketeer was in another state in a parent company's office, so we had no choice but to do something far more insidious...we talked with his manager, and he got fired. I don't know how those kinds of corporate people live with themselves, that's just cold. At least doing it our way we were personal with the guy, and he didn't have to explain getting fired to his next employer...plus he kept his stock options. Even if he did have nightmares about joeboy with his Batth'lev (or however you spell that Klingon thing).
Marketing people go and do stuff they think is a totally great new idea without asking the techies for permission (or realizing they should). The best thing to do is to be kind. Send Cari down there with a katana and full Kill Bill regalia.
Also, it might win some community goodwill back if you put up a big picture of a Yor Collective guy holding out some flowers and a teddy bear saying "We're Sorry" on the opt-out landing page.
