How To Use Safe Lists And What To Avoid
These days, even proactively signing up for a list isn't considered good enough. After all, anybody can fill in a web form or send an e-mail request with your e-mail address.
Responsible list owners want to ensure that their subscribers consist of only those people who want to join. Aside from the obvious spam approach of using harvested addresses, it's all too easy for people with a malicious agenda to sign someone up for lots of lists (for example, to "mail bomb" the unsuspecting user with thousands of pieces of unexpected E-mail,) a common form of Internet revenge.
Opt-in is a process in which the mailing list software gets a positive confirmation from the E-mail address that has requested the subscription. This will confirm that the E-mail address really exists and if the person using it really wants to be on the list.
The confirmation usually contains a token, a unique string of characters that can be sent back through E-mail, as part of a URL, or pasted into a specified Web form. The token will prove that the E-mail address owner got the message with the token and wants to be on the specified list. This multi-step process is often referred to as "double opt-in" or "opt-in and confirm."
True opt-in requires you to send back a confirmation message that includes a unique token or password to defeat an automated sign-up attack, There is a consistent pattern among spammers to call something an opt-in list and everything else as double opt-in. In a spammer's eyes, opt-in means somebody has signed in for the service, but never confirmed it. This is obviously open to abuse. Real opt-in always has to be confirmed.
More generally, true opt-in requires some form of confirmation. Although E-mail or Web-based confirmation is the most common, it's also possible to do the confirmations by phone or even snail mail if you have enough trust or knowledge of the confirming parties.
For example, on a private mailing list, they process all add requests by hand, so nobody's added unless he explicitly requests itby E-mail, phone, running into me somewhere, telling somebody else who tells me, etc., and the "confirmation" pass is my asking anyone who they don't recognize to provide enough bona fides.
By using SMass, you can advertise your products, services, or affiliate programs by email without fear of being accused of SPAM. Your email messages are only sent to people who have subscribed to double opt-in safelists; therefore you're reaching an audience of recipients who've requested your messages.
Using the submitter is easy; you simply join the safelists, type in your email message, click a button, and your message is automatically sent to many thousands of double opt-in recipients, 100% Spam Free!
Some advice and thoughts from experienced list-runners are:
Saying a list is "opt-in" doesn't necessarily make it so.
Some spammers have been known to put up a Web-based subscription form, simply to have something to point to for when somebody complains that they never signed up for the list, they can say - "Here's our form; you must have signed up." You should avoid spam; all you need is a legitimate way to have your list and have a healthy environment for your prospects. Sometimes, you cannot avoid some problems due to a list they have subscribed to but forgot to opt-out.
Subscribers often forget they opted in or don't want to bother unsubscribing.
Subscribers are often too lazy to unsubscribe and find that it's easier to submit you to a spam-reporter or blocker. And once you're on a blacklist, other subscribers are hurt because many blacklists are used as a blunt instrument. What you do to avoid these is to provide your prospects with a mailing list.
A mailing list is a powerful way of reaching out and communicating with people. But, as almost all E-mail users are not companies and do not know that many users, many others would not want to be added to the lists. They will be forced to opt-out to get off the list. This is to deliberately but explicitly ask them to add opt-in to their list.
So the bottom line for any email marketer is to avoid spamming and to play it safe and only email those people who have specifically asked to be contacted, preferably having double opted-in to a mailing list.
For further information on using SMas can be found at http://bcp-systems.com/Recommends/SMas
Ian Simpson is the owner of http://surefire-systems.com providing powerful software and resources for active internet marketing.Verna Blog95372
Fae Blog35743
Responsible list owners want to ensure that their subscribers consist of only those people who want to join. Aside from the obvious spam approach of using harvested addresses, it's all too easy for people with a malicious agenda to sign someone up for lots of lists (for example, to "mail bomb" the unsuspecting user with thousands of pieces of unexpected E-mail,) a common form of Internet revenge.
Opt-in is a process in which the mailing list software gets a positive confirmation from the E-mail address that has requested the subscription. This will confirm that the E-mail address really exists and if the person using it really wants to be on the list.
The confirmation usually contains a token, a unique string of characters that can be sent back through E-mail, as part of a URL, or pasted into a specified Web form. The token will prove that the E-mail address owner got the message with the token and wants to be on the specified list. This multi-step process is often referred to as "double opt-in" or "opt-in and confirm."
True opt-in requires you to send back a confirmation message that includes a unique token or password to defeat an automated sign-up attack, There is a consistent pattern among spammers to call something an opt-in list and everything else as double opt-in. In a spammer's eyes, opt-in means somebody has signed in for the service, but never confirmed it. This is obviously open to abuse. Real opt-in always has to be confirmed.
More generally, true opt-in requires some form of confirmation. Although E-mail or Web-based confirmation is the most common, it's also possible to do the confirmations by phone or even snail mail if you have enough trust or knowledge of the confirming parties.
For example, on a private mailing list, they process all add requests by hand, so nobody's added unless he explicitly requests itby E-mail, phone, running into me somewhere, telling somebody else who tells me, etc., and the "confirmation" pass is my asking anyone who they don't recognize to provide enough bona fides.
By using SMass, you can advertise your products, services, or affiliate programs by email without fear of being accused of SPAM. Your email messages are only sent to people who have subscribed to double opt-in safelists; therefore you're reaching an audience of recipients who've requested your messages.
Using the submitter is easy; you simply join the safelists, type in your email message, click a button, and your message is automatically sent to many thousands of double opt-in recipients, 100% Spam Free!
Some advice and thoughts from experienced list-runners are:
Saying a list is "opt-in" doesn't necessarily make it so.
Some spammers have been known to put up a Web-based subscription form, simply to have something to point to for when somebody complains that they never signed up for the list, they can say - "Here's our form; you must have signed up." You should avoid spam; all you need is a legitimate way to have your list and have a healthy environment for your prospects. Sometimes, you cannot avoid some problems due to a list they have subscribed to but forgot to opt-out.
Subscribers often forget they opted in or don't want to bother unsubscribing.
Subscribers are often too lazy to unsubscribe and find that it's easier to submit you to a spam-reporter or blocker. And once you're on a blacklist, other subscribers are hurt because many blacklists are used as a blunt instrument. What you do to avoid these is to provide your prospects with a mailing list.
A mailing list is a powerful way of reaching out and communicating with people. But, as almost all E-mail users are not companies and do not know that many users, many others would not want to be added to the lists. They will be forced to opt-out to get off the list. This is to deliberately but explicitly ask them to add opt-in to their list.
So the bottom line for any email marketer is to avoid spamming and to play it safe and only email those people who have specifically asked to be contacted, preferably having double opted-in to a mailing list.
For further information on using SMas can be found at http://bcp-systems.com/Recommends/SMas
Ian Simpson is the owner of http://surefire-systems.com providing powerful software and resources for active internet marketing.Verna Blog95372
Fae Blog35743
posted by policeman70554 at 9:55 PM
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