<nettime> selection of incoming emails

[Geert Lovink via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

Dear netttimers,

everyone gets their share and so does the Institute of Network Cutures. Here's a selection of ‘spam' we received both in my personal email inbox and the general INC email address. I have collected spam in the past but the difference between now and ten or twenty years ago is the personalization. No more Nigerian offers in caps about millions of dollars that have to transfered (although they occasionally still arrive). The letters appear to be customized, written in a casual style, inviting you to respond, work together, resolve issues.

However, all this is machine-generated, AI slop, Linkedin-style quasi communication, fake B2B comradery, looking for a deal. In the few cases I wrote back I never heard anything back. What I find remarkable about them is the preassumption that the INC (with 2.9 fte) is mid-seize private enterprise. This means they did not look for a second on our site. How did INC ended up in the startup category? Criticism as a business opportunity? Not likely. Traffic stats? Maybe. We do not collect them but others do, for sure. The fact that INC is not on social media platforms could make it an ideal customer. Bots may think we have not yet heard of Facebook, Insta and TikTok and see an opportunity. Blogs have been on their way out for at least a decade (with the exception of Substack?). The Web itself is shrinking, so what’s deal here? My preliminary answer: everything’s computer, everything's automation. “I hate thinking,” the meme girl says, and the boy answers: "Me too.” Why look, why read?

For over 22 years INC has been a small research group inside a Dutch public higher education, not part of some prestigious university but an ordinary (large) polytech that offers applied sciences degrees. This basic info is ignored. Doing non-commercial ciritical research online is simply is not a category--if it ever was.

For the record. Enjoy, if you like the category. Geert

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Hi Geert,

I’m Aleksandra, a Client Partner at Reddit, where we help brands connect with highly engaged audiences through interest-based advertising.

I came across Institute of Network Cultures and believe Reddit could be a valuable channel for reaching potential customers in a more authentic way. Unlike other platforms, Reddit allows you to engage with users who are actively discussing topics related to your brand, ensuring better alignment between your ads and your audience.

Would you be open to a quick chat? If so, you can schedule a time using this link: https://reddit.chilipiper.com/me/volker-gilbers/meeting-with-volker.

If you’re not the right contact, I’d appreciate it if you could direct me to the right person.

Looking forward to connecting soon!

Best Regards,

Aleksandra Nowakowska

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Hi Geert,

I’m part of the investment team at BDev Ventures. We're a VC investing in B2B software companies across several industries, including Online Audio and Video Media, from late-Seed to Series B. In addition to capital, we support our portfolio companies' growth through a proprietary lead generation platform that our founders built and refined.

We recently found your company and are excited by what you’re building. Are you available to jump on a quick call this week?

Looking forward to explore how we could work together.

Thanks,

P.S. If now isn't the right time, just reply with "no, thanks," and we'll pause our outreach.

—

Hi Geert,

Have you had time to look over the three business development strategies Brian suggested for targeting potential buyers with titles like Director of Innovation, Head of Digital Transformation, and Research Director?

Here are the business development strategies once more in case you missed them:

1) Engage academics with targeted events on network culture research. 
2) Collaborate with digital artists, showcase their work through INC platforms. 
3) Target cultural institutions, propose partnerships for innovative media projects.

What do you think?

Regards,

Hamied E. Kermani  
Vice President of Sales
AI bees

—

Hi Geert,

With budgets tightening, many Education Institutes are rethinking how to consolidate systems under one secure platform. One customer shared, “GoTo Connect made it so much easier to manage our calls across all our schools, and the savings made a real difference.”

In addition to system consolidation and reducing costs, leaders focused on managing complex networks are finding significant value in our AI Receptionist. It streamlines communications by directing enquiries to the appropriate contacts, safeguarding staff time, and minimising delays for students, parents, and partners seeking support. For organisations with active research networks or multiple projects, this has proven invaluable in maintaining efficient operations across diverse teams and locations.

Happy to share examples or explore whether this aligns with your current communication plans.

Best, Sam

Sam Ellis
Customer Experience Specialist
Tech Talker | Paragliding Pilot | Pub Quiz Regular

—

Hi Geert,
You’ve built the business.
The results are decent.
But something still feels... off.

Not broken—just misaligned. What if the real problem isn’t what you think it is? 

And here’s what I’ve seen, working with leaders from startups to Amazon execs:
The next breakthrough almost never comes from another strategy.
It comes when you stop leading on autopilot.

I work with driven entrepreneurs and leaders who’ve hit a plateau—not because they lack drive, but because their structure, habits, or mindset quietly stalled behind the scenes.

If that sounds like you, I offer something called the Leadership Blind Spot Audit.
It’s a quick, no-pitch session where I help you identify what’s keeping your performance from catching up with your potential. Book your leadership audit today.

Best,
Tony Schmaltz 
www.tonyschmaltz.com/

—

Dear Dr. Geert Lovink,

We are excited to extend a personal invitation to you for the International Conference on Neuroscience & Brain Disorders, taking place on July 22–23, 2025, at the Holiday Inn Express Arena Towers, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Theme: NeuroInsights: Advancing the Understanding of Brain Disorders. This global event will bring together top experts, researchers, and practitioners in neuroscience to exchange ideas and present the latest developments in the field. You can choose to attend in person or participate virtually, with an option to present a 20-minute virtual talk. 

Special Offer: 50% Registration Discount

We are currently offering a limited-time 50% discount on registration fees — available for a select number of participants on a first-come, first-served basis. This applies to both speakers and attendees.
Learn more and register here: https://neurology.inovinemeetings.com

to claim your discount, reply to this email or contact us at
Email: neurology@inovineconferences.com
WhatsApp: +44 7477 465451

We hope to welcome you to Amsterdam or see you online!

Warm regards,
Laura Thomas
Program Manager
Neuroscience Conference 2025

—

Hello Geert Lovink,

Greetings from London!

We are Sovereign Wealth Portfolio UK Limited. We provide custom tailored financial services to Governments and Private institutions across the globe with focus the online media industry. We have a institutional clients interested in Institute of Network Cultures, Noord-Holland, Netherlands,  More details on your response.

Regards
Steven Baldwin
Business Development Officer

—

Hi Geert,
Scaling AI without ballooning cloud bills is tough. We bring AI engineering, app modernization, and automation to help. I’d like to offer a 40-hour free PoC.
Does a 20 min call work?
If not, I’ll tell my dog about DevOps pipelines.
Caden

—

Hi Geert,

I hope you're doing well.

I recently had a look at your  Institute of Network Cultures’s website and wanted to share a quick suggestion. Based on current design and performance standards in 2026, I believe your site could benefit from a refresh or proper maintenance to improve user experience, speed, and overall functionality.

In addition, have you considered developing a mobile app for your business? With the increasing shift towards mobile usage, having an app can:
    • Enhance customer engagement and loyalty
    • Offer a smoother, more personalized user experience
    • Increase brand visibility and convenience
    • Improve communication through push notifications

If your company is currently looking to revamp or maintain the website—or if you're open to exploring mobile app development—we’d be happy to support you with reliable, cost-effective solutions.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

With Regards, 

Nick Michael
Director of Sales & Business Operations

—

Hello Geert,

When I mentioned “systems sending smoke signals” last week, I was referring to what we often see in growing teams manual work increasing, tools not talking to each other, or processes that worked before but don’t scale cleanly anymore.

That’s typically where practical custom AI or lightweight internal applications make a real difference by removing friction instead of adding complexity.

Out of curiosity, Would it be a bad idea to give you guys understanding of what you can do if your system is sending smoke signals ?

If 'no', Let's connect and give you guys some ideas.

Jerry Brown 
Sr. Business Consultant 
SoftAims 

—

Hi Geert,

Found your company online - hope business has been good in 2024!

Reason I'm reaching out - curious if you could use a really good, outsourced marketing team that I personally manage from our offices in the Philippines. I have experienced web developers, graphic designers, social media marketers, SEO, video editors, and much more. I've had an agency in California for 16 years, and for the last 5 years have been building our Philippines offices where we are focused on working with agencies to provide high-quality work done on time, at 70-80% lower cost, with every task itemized according to your client tasks.

If you wouldn't mind, please let me know if you have any questions, and if you have any interest in exploring if we could help your business with outsourced web development and a digital marketing team we can jump on a quick call.

Feel free to let me know a time that works for you or schedule a meeting at https://calendly.com/john-smulo/purple-cow

Thanks so much for your time Geert - really appreciate it. Nice to meet you and look forward to connecting!

Sincerely,

John Smulo CEO, Purple Cow
M08, 1Nito Tower
Archbishop Reyes Ave
Cebu City, Cebu 6000
www.youtube.com/johnsmulotv | www.purplecowph.com

—

Hi Geert,

Reserved a front-page slot to feature a story about Institute of Network Cultures on Tech Crunch.

Would it be okay if I send over a few more details?

Best wishes,

—

Hi Geert,
I noticed Institute of Network Cultures is scaling fast—how are you handling remote hiring for your dev/design/marketing teams these days?
Many growing teams we work with like Cognixion System and many more struggle with:
    • Long hiring cycles (60+ days for niche roles)
    • Sky-high salaries for local talent
    • Quality control with global candidates
We’ve helped solve this by providing pre-vetted, full-time remote talent for roles like:
    • Full-stack developers ($3K-$9K/month)
    • UX designers ($2.5K-$8K/month)
    • Growth marketers ($2K-$10K/month)
Zero recruiting fees. Just plug-and-play teams that report to you daily.
If you’re open to it, I’d love to share 3 candidate profiles matching your needs or jump on a 10-min call to discuss your hiring roadmap
Either way, keep up the great work at Institute of Network Cultures!
Best,
Alexander

—

Hi,

We would like to publish a post on your website and kindly ask for your best price.
 
Kindly let us know the details. "General / "Casino / "Crypto currency / "CBD post.

Looking forward to your reply.

Kind regards,

—

Hello

I’m Olive and I run an advanced AI service called UnrealPerson.com <http://unrealperson.com/>.
UnrealPerson is a Free and customizable AI Faces generator of fake persons that look 100% real. UnrealPerson is based on a powerful neural networks and an AI face recognition to define the age and gender of the generated face.

I stumbled upon your website https://networkcultures.org/performanceofcode/2015/09/01/trondheim-academy-of-fine-art-calling/ , and I just have to say: WOW!

I had a quick proposal, I was wondering, would you be interested in featuring a link to my website in your piece regarding AI and Neural Networks solutions?

I think it could be a great reference for your own article to provide your readers with more valuable information!

Either way, thanks for the shout out and keep up the great work!

Thanks,
Olive
UnrealPerson.com CEM

—

Hi,

Would you be interested in acquiring the attendees’ mailing list for TOKEN2049 Dubai 2026, scheduled for April 29–30, 2026, at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE? Attendees include: Web3 Founders, Blockchain Developers, Crypto Funds, Venture Capitalists, DeFi Project Teams, NFT Creators, Exchange Operators, Token Issuers, Institutional Investors, DAOs, Metaverse Builders, Regulatory Experts, Compliance Officers, Fintech Executives, and many more professionals in the blockchain and digital assets ecosystem!

Please pick the number which describes you:
1. Yes Interested, send me pricing and other data information.
2. OPT-OUT

Best Regards,
Caitlyn Christensen
Trade Show & Events Data Specialist

—

Dear Dr. G. Lovink,

Warm greetings to you.

After reviewing your work online, the Editorial Office found your paper titled “Principles of stacktivism” to be exceptional.

Given your profound insights in this field, we would like to sincerely invite you to publish an article free of charge. The submission deadline is July 1, 2026.

*Standards-related Regional Innovation and International Cooperation* is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal publishing research and reviews on regional innovation and global standardization, with a focus on how innovation policy, technology governance, and international cooperation support sustainable development and global policy alignment across areas such as digital transformation, standard-setting, technical regulations, inclusive innovation, smart cities, and emerging technologies.

If this opportunity does not align with your current work commitments, please let us know, and we will respect your decision by refraining from sending further invitations.

Looking forward to your reply soon.

Sincerely,
Zach Goo
Managing Editor
Editorial Office
zachgoo@zycentre.com
Standards-related Regional Innovation and International Cooperation

—

Hi Geert,
I hope you are doing well. I am reaching out last time. I would be incredibly grateful if you could write a reply to me.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Best,
Matilda Quinn
ZAPTA Technologies
1832 Norfolk St, Houston, Texas 77098, USA



-- 
# distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
# <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
# collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
# more info: https://www.nettime.org
# contact: nettime-l-owner@lists.nettime.org