The Deadbeats Hall of Lame

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Kill the Spam

I want to email a lot of people, but I don't want to be a spammer. What do I do>

There are many legitimate needs for sending out large amounts of email. None of what you see in the archives here fall into those categories. If there is a valid need to send out large amounts of email, please read this document before proceeding. It could save your account.

Confirmed opt-in in the only acceptable method for adding people to a mailing list. This system will generally involved a web-based form, in which the end user will voluntarily supply their email address because they want to sign up for the list. An automated reply is then sent out that typically will contain some sort of unique code. The user must then return the code to the listmanager program, usually via a reply to the sender function. Once the code is received, the subscription is confirmed. A variant to the above is sending an email to a listserver using a specific subject requesting a subscription. That method takes the place of using a web-based form and is also a valid request method.

Be prepared to have real and valid proof of all list sign-ups in the event of complaints, and you will get complaints. Ensure your proof includes time, date and IP stamping of the sessions involved in the sign-up. Real list operators should not have a problem doing this.

Purchased, rented, leased, and stolen lists can never constitute opt-in. Why? Simply put, assuming that those lists are valid opt-in lists for the original list owners, those users did NOT opt-in to you using those lists. Therefore, opt-in is invalid, and if you email those lists, that is spam. Period.

If you are running a true opt-in list, ensure that removal requests are promptly processed. Listservices will typically have an automated procedure for removals.

Include removal instructions within each list mailing so those who want out can get out. Get them out quickly.

Even if you obtain a list and assuming that list is on the same subject that your mailing topic is, it's still spam if you use that list. Why? They did not sign up for your list, even though the content and subject are the same.

Be honest. I know it can be a stretch, but honesty is essential and a requirement. Be up front and open with your ISP. Let them know what you intend to do and ensure that such activities are not a violation of any terms of service or acceptable usage policies.

People can't find you if they do not know about you. Direct email is not the way to let them know about you unless you like losing your account frequently. I suggest you get a web site operating and properly register that with search engines as well as use meta tags to properly describe each and every single page. This will help properly place your site within the search engines as well as improve search results. Be aware that this is not an immediate process so be prepare to be patient.

While you wait for your web site to be crawled and indexed via the various search spiders, you can properly promote your web site and list via usenet. My suggestion is a 4-6 line signature that goes at the end of each post you make. Participate mostly in groups that are on-topic to your web site's and list's subject matter. I am not suggesting posting blatant ads. I am suggesting that you participate in discussions in a rational, intelligent and polite manner. However, you do not need to restrict your usenet participation to just groups within your web site and list's topic material, after all, there are over 30,000 usenet groups out there. Just ensure that whatever group you participate in, you keep your conversation within the topics of that usenet group. Also, before actively participating, please see if you can read the group's charter. If that is just not possible, I then suggest you read for a few days or a week to get the feel for the group.

Usenet participation will increase traffic to your web site if you promote your web site in a signature file. This makes it important that you get and maintain your web site and do sign-ups via the web site.

Do not send out messages like crazy. I am not sure what a good pacing is, but I would think one mailing a week should be more than sufficient.

Please keep in mind that email ends up costing people. It takes up their disk space, their time and therefore their money. Do not send loads of bulk.

Introductory messages are often percieved as spam. In fact, if you do that here, you'll get your account whacked because I do consider that to be spam. However, in my case, it is illegal and against policy to sign up for email lists using a Studio42 account, so in my case it is easy. Still, unless people get quick confirmation that they have signed up for a list, they'll forget and you'll get nailed.

Do not scrape addresses from web sites and usenet. That is spammer-behavior.

Sending an introductory message and including opt-out/removal instructions is typically spammer behavior. People are sick and tired of such practices because removal requests are typically spammers harvesting valid live addresses for re-sale. Also, opt-out is illegal.

If you have a direct mailing or are using postal services to collect addresses(people providing you their email addresses), make sure you inform them that by providing their email address, they are going to be added to your email list. At the same time, provide a clearly marked opt-out box and do not add those people to your lists.

Do not share your lists. This violates the privacy of those who signed up for your list. Many addresses may be created just to deal with your list and they can back-track that address to you, resulting in legal action or just getting your account nuked. Protect the privacy of your list memembers.

Connectivity can be a major concern if you are personally sending this stuff out. Again, ensure that your ISP allows this behavior. Dial-up can be painfully slow. ISDN, even with both B-channels connected up via MPPP can be rather slow. DSL, especially ADSL is going to typically provide the same type of sending speeds as an MPPP-bonded ISDN link(128K) but the connection is always on and the costs are fixed. Cable can be faster when it comes to uplink speeds, but keep in mind that this is a shared wire technology and the more folks on the wire, the slower it gets. T1, frame relay and over permanent circuits are typically going to be cost prohibitive unless you are a corporation.

Do not use spamware. Spend money and get a real email server package. Sometimes it is cheaper to off-load the sending to a listservice. There are several out there, so search the web and check it out.

Moving your operations overseas does not make your business look good. It makes you look suspicious and will hurt your business in the short and long run. While such behavior may prevent your site from being nuked, there are many other creative methods of blacklisting and blackholing your server to essentially make it appear to not exist.

Do not use forgeries or otherwise deliberately falsify who you are.

Do not use a third-party mail server to send out your messages unless you have made arrangements with that server operator/owner to do so. If you do not have permission, then you are hijacking an open relay or otherwise engaging in what is known as "relay rape". Expect legal repercussions if you do this sort of thing. It is dishonest and unethical.

This document is a work in progress. I'll add stuff as I remember to or feel like it.

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