Does "info@" work for you? It's like the black hole of Calcutta for me.

To say that I surf the Internet would be a lie. I prefer to say I seek information from the Internet for worthwhile business purposes. And besides, whenever I go to the beach in Florida or California (there's no surf at my cottage on the north shore of Cape Cod) I never feel as though I relate to the lean, young, blond, WASPish teenagers who practically walk on water. And besides, they're having fun. When I'm on the Internet, I'm working. So now I hope I have set the stage of one grumpy old man whose experience says that info@ is a fraud.

I go to info@ in order to learn more about bank tech companies that I might want to include in my annual research report. There are only 110 companies in this report because I hand pick them. The first step is to get some basic information. Since no one answers their phone anymore, an e-mail is a good way to get into their system because it also serves as a record. I realize that info@s probably attract a lot of jerks and tire kickers. So I explain the reason for my query and provide credibility data in an attempt that maybe the recipient should notice my request. Now I hope I have convinced you that I am a legitimate player in the system.

Although I have not kept an exact record of responses to info@, I'll offer with confidence that I'm running at about 2%. In other words, 98% of my queries went into the black hole. If you think that I'm exaggerating, let me invite you to try just one that I selected at random.

[email protected]. Now please don't act like a jerk. Ask a legitimate question. This is a compliance company so make your query pertinent. If you get a response please tell me so I can adjust my approach, or change my name, or find a good shrink to tell me what's wrong with me.