I found an old interview with Dave Taylor (inventor of Elm Mail and Internet Mall), the interviewer is Doc Bob (Rankin).
Doc: The visibility you’ve gained from the Internet Mall has certainly been “good for business”. Let’s be brutally honest- did you think at the outset that it might be a good tool to help you market yourself?
Dave: No, I really didn’t. It was never meant to be a personal marketing tool, but one thing I have found is that many people who do selfless things on the Net end up getting recognition.
In case you couldn’t guess – I’m in a contemplative, philosophical mood and needed that little trip down memory lane.