Search Engines Spam Busters Email Spam
What Is Internet Spam?
Spam is a word that was created to describe any internet activity that created repetetive nuisance, using the internet. This section discusses the various ways internet marketers can be penalised for unintentionally (or intentionally) spamming upon the world wide web. This includes spam upon web pages, spam within messages sent via email, and last but not least, spam in Search Engine listings.
What does SPAM mean? 
Some believe that SPAM means stupid pricks and morons (!) and you will soon discover why if you are new to the internet, but the use of the word SPAM can be traced back to a 1970's Monty Python movie, where vikings sang a repetitive song about spam, until told to shut up ... Brad's Article about Spam tells us more.
Email Spam
The Sending of unsolicited Emails
It has been outlawed in most Western Countries on some level to forward email "solicitations", sales and marketing jargon or product newsletters to any recipient via email, including friends and family, without first having their proven consent.
The Australian Spam Act of 2003 stipulates:
- Consent Only send commercial electronic messages with the addressee’s consent - either express or inferred consent.
- Identify Include clear and accurate information about the personor business that is responsible for sending the commercial electronic message.
- Unsubscribe Ensure that a functional unsubscribe facility is included in all your commercial electronic messages. Deal with unsubscribe requests promptly.
Inferred Consent can be a very broad term in the minds of many Australian Internet Marketers, and it is easy to become confused about the rules, when American Internet Marketers forward sales and marketing emails, with a disclaimer at the bottom of their emails quoting the Can Spam Act of USA. Look carefully however ... they will only forward one email per domain and that email will always contain an opt out clause somewhere on the page.
SPAM Internet Marketers have no interest in the rules, or the privacy or nuisance value to their target audience, and elude the authorities by setting up and closing down, "spoofed" email addresses upon bogus servers with falsified i.p. addresses that can be changed within minutes of conducting the spam. They use special "spider" robots to harvest email addresses from website copy and inject action scripts into the contact forms and bulletin boards, of unsuspecting websites.
In Australia we may forward as many Emails and ECards as we like, but if that ECard contains any form of solicitation, product news or invitation, (including a request to exchange links!) then it will be considered SPAM.
In Australia, one spam email is too many, and we can prosecute each other accordingly ... but any marketer who believes they can succeed by annoying future prospects, has got to have rocks in their heads!
It is an easy mistake to make, and I despite my supposed years of expertise, I recently, hurriedly emailed a client list for a charity, that I was volunteering my companies services too ... sure enough Mr. Angry KnowAll responded in a flash about how I was breaking the Law. Fortunately, I got him (or her) on a good day, because I shouldn't have sent it at all.
Email Permission Guidelines
It is important to keep physical records of dates of when your prospects agree to the receipt of your email, so this can be quoted back to them during a dispute. The safest ways of gaining permission include:
- Telephoning for Permission and carefully recording the name, the position plus the date and time of call. A thank you email should be forwarded immediately confirming these details within the context of the email.
- Email Opt-In Request from Website. In Australia, particularly for newsletters a double opt-in email system is preferred to protect customers from false sign ups, with the number of bogus directories now popping up all over the web, anybody can lodge a business into a listing.
- Personal Permission Smart sales and marketing professionals always include a mention of their website newsletter within their marketing materials, for distribution at seminars, trade shows or any function they may attend. If a largish campaign you can gain permission on a written form with a signature, if you choose, however a verbal request for permission will satisfy the rules. Request a business card (if they have one) and record/diarise the date and time you gained their permission, and always verbalise that you will be sending your first edition newsletter, and that they can opt out at any time! A thank you confirmation email confirming all of the above should be forwarded as quickly as possible.
If you value your prospects time ... they will value your advice.
< Back Internet Marketing Cheats - Internet Marketing Website Spam Next >