in this issue DO: Get Everybody Online DO: Use Your Domain Name DO: Manage Your Spam Filters DO: Use Text Where Possible DON'T: Spam People DON'T: Chain Mail DON'T: Expose Unnecessarily DON'T: Request Read Receipts

LET'S TALK ABOUT EMAIL. The focus of our practice--and normally this newsletter--is designing websites that look good, rank high, get traffic and make money for their owners. This month, however, we're going to give you 8 tips (4 Do's, 4 Don'ts) to help you better exploit Internet email. Why? Because E-commerce does not work without E-mail . . . and how you make use of it is a key determinant of your success.

DO: Get Everybody Online

Using Internet email to keep in touch with contacts, market to customers and communicate with colleagues and associates is infinitely less expensive and often more effective than telephone calls, faxes or traditional "snailmail". For best results, though, you have to make sure all of your contacts, clients or membership have email addresses.

This may sound obvious or absurd, but just last month I was reminded that over 10% of the 150 members of a prominent Miami business group claimed they had no email address! Hard to believe, isn't it?

Don't let laggards force you to keep wasting time, money and natural resources making calls, sending faxes and mailing reminders. Instead, tell them about all the benefits that email enables, and that email accounts are free for the asking from Hotmail, Yahoo and a host of other sources. If they still don't "get it", then open the email accounts for them, give them their login instructions, and tell them your communications will be there waiting whenever they choose to read them.

Tough love, perhaps, but hopefully they'll thank you in the end.

click here for more . . .

	DO: Use Your Domain Name
If you have a business, and you don't have a website, GET ONE. And as soon as you do, brand your domain name on everything: your business cards, letterhead, brochures, advertising, storefront, door panels, and YOUR EMAIL. Every time you send an email, your email address makes an impression. Recipients may not always read everything you send, but they will almost always read your address. That means that every email you send could be an advertisement for your business ... IF your email address ends with "@YourDomain.com". Every email address is an ad for somebody. If your address is "YourName123@yahoo.com", you are promoting your web portal, Yahoo. If your address is "YourName456@earthlink.net", you're promoting your Internet access provider, Earthlink. But if your address is "YourName@YourDomain.com", you are promoting yourself! Have you ever received email from a Global 2000 company with a reply address that ended "@Hotmail.com"? Is the telephone company giving you free minutes for promoting "BellSouth.net"? Have you ever received a check from Time Warner with a thank you for advertising "AOL.com"? I doubt it. click here for more . . . »

	DO: Manage Your Spam Filters
Spam is big business. People are purportedly making big bucks sending it, and people are certainly spending big bucks trying to stop it. There is an unfortunate trade-off here: The more functions and filters you put in place to keep spam out of your inbox, the more likely you are to flag or miss an innocent--and perhaps important--communication. Last month, for example, I sent a confirmation mailing that included the following: "I am not trying to sell you V(i)a(g)r(a) . . . and I don't need your (u)r(g)e(n)t a(s)s(i)s(t)a(n)ce to get my (f)o(r)t(u)ne out of (A)f(r)i(c)a. . . . Receiving my monthly newsletter places you under n(o) (o)b(l)i(g)a(t)i(o)n whatsoever. . . ." [read it without the '()'s] In so doing, I set off spam flags all over the place. Why? Because my perfectly legitimate email contained "sensitive words" (the ones I obfuscated above with '()'s) that some spam filters are now using to flag email as spam and delete it before you see it. BUT . . . what if this was a legitimate prescription request? Or, what if you really did need help in a hurry? And what if a 30-day trial of your new widget honestly involved no commitment from your customer? Would you want those emails eradicated before they ever reached their intended destination? I don't think so! I hate spam . . . but I am not willing to let "Big Brother" decide what emails I will or will not receive in order to avoid it. If you feel similarly, then MANAGE YOUR SPAM FILTERS. Find out what your Email Service Provider's spam filters are doing for (or to) you, and modify your account setup and email preferences as necessary to make sure you aren't missing important communications. click here for more . . . »

	DO: Use Text Where Possible
Emails created using HTML with embedded graphics and even flash animations are commonplace and can be quite attractive. Be aware, however, that some Internet users see their emails as text only, and the graphics in your HTML may come across as attachments (rather than part of the presentation), or not come across at all. And speaking of attachments . . . they should be avoided in mass marketing or membership communications. Why? Because many people cannot or will not open email attachments, regardless of who the sender is. This may be wise on their part: Sender addresses can be spoofed, and opening attachments is a common way to trigger a computer virus. Plain old text is the safest form of email, for recipients as well as senders. Use inline text where possible, either standalone or as a complement to your HTML and graphics. This newsletter is an example of a communication that is readable by either text-only or HTML-enabled email clients. click here for more . . . »

	DON'T: Spam People
Everybody hates receiving spam . . . even spammers! So suggesting that you not spam people probably comes as no surprise. The real issue here, is that there is no generally accepted definition of what constitutes "spam". In the broadest sense, spam is "unwanted email". But as far as a standard goes, could this definition be any more subjective? I mean, if your boyfriend emails you a date cancellation right after you bought that new dress, that would certainly be an "unwanted email", but is it spam? Or, if your ex-wife emails a complaint about a late alimony payment, that would certainly be unwanted as well, but does that make your former dearest a spammer? What if we refine the definition of spam to be "unsolicited commercial email"? The meaning of "commercial" is clear enough, but think about "unsolicited": Dictionary.com says this word means "Not looked for or requested; unsought." So if this is the standard, then you cannot email anything to your commercial contacts unless they first email you to solicit the communication. . . . But wait! They can't send you that solicitation email, unless you first solicit it from them. It's a Catch-22: The first one clicking "Send" is a spammer! So what is the best definition for spam? I'm afraid there isn't one. Unless you want to call everyone you email to get their permission before you send it, sooner or later someone is going to flag one of your emails as spam. My advice is to accept that we live in an imperfect world, and follow your own judgment. click here for more . . . »

	DON'T: Chain Mail
Spam may defy definition, but "chain mail" doesn't. If you receive an email that requests you to read it then forward it to others, that is a chain mail. Chain mails are the Internet analog of the "chain letters" used by multi-level marketeers and other pyramid schemers of the last century. Chain mails, however, offer far more opportunities for malevolence than their snail-mail sisters. First of all, it can be impossible to trace the source of origin on a chain mail, and therefore difficult to verify the authenticity of the message. The originator's address may have been deleted through forwarding, or may have been a spoofed address in the first place. Recipients of the message who forward it as requested often end up embarrassed to learn that they contributed to the proliferation of a scam, and disappointed when they realize they're not getting rich quick after all. You know . . . it never ceases to amaze me how many seemingly intelligent people actually believe Bill Gates will sending them a $40,000 check . . . just for forwarding a message about Bill Gates sending them a $40,000 check! What's worse than all this is that participating in a chain mail is a great way to expose your email address--and your contact addresses--to spammers and other ne'er-do-wells. If you forward an email to 16 contacts, who each forward it to 16 contacts, who each do the same thing, your email address will exposed to over 65,000 people . . . one of whom is bound to use it for purposes other than your best interests. click here for more . . . »

	DON'T: Expose Unnecessarily
Participating in a chain mail is a great way to guarantee that your email inbox--and the inboxes of your contacts--will be filled with spam for years to come. Great for you, and just think how grateful your contacts will be! Here is some other exposure you may want to avoid: Every address you put in the "To:" or "Cc:" field is exposed to the recipients and anyone they forward it to. That may or may not be a problem. If it is, you can circumvent it by using only one "To:" address, and putting the rest of the recipient list in the "Bcc:" (blind copy) field. If you use "Bcc:", be aware that some spam filters will automatically flag your incoming email as spam. This is another area where, unfortunately, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. When you forward an email, the addresses in the header usually get forwarded along with it. As a courtesy to your contacts, consider deleting that header before you click "Send". Finally, be careful using email "autoresponders". Autoresponders automatically send a reply to every email received, and usually have no way of knowing whether the reply is going to spammers or not. If it does, then you've just let the spammers know your address is active . . . and guess what they're going to do! click here for more . . . »

	DON'T: Request Read Receipts
Your email software may allow you to send email with a "read receipt requested", which means that when the recipient opens the email, they will be asked whether they want to send you an acknowledgement that they received it. This is the Internet analog for "certified mail". It has many valid and legitimate uses, especially in assuring delivery of and accountability for critical documents and information. Some people request read receipts on marketing communications as a way to track results, but I advise against it for two reasons: First of all, just because you request a read receipt does not mean they are going to click "Yes" and send it to you, so the value of the tracking is limited. Secondly, requesting read receipts can have the same psychological impact on people as receiving certified mail, and let me ask you this: How often have you received "good news" via certified mail? ;-) click here for more . . . »

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