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Dealing with Spam Issues

Publishing, like all other ventures, sometimes requires dealing with issues that can be at best described as "unpleasant". When publishing or making the decision to publish, the issue of "spam" complaints needs to be addressed and a plan of action decided upon before the first complaint rears its ugly head.

Because of the popularity of e-mail marketing, sending "spam", or unsolicited commercial electronic mail, has become rather routine for the "spammers". Sometimes its simple ignorance of the issue of "spam", or sometimes its simply a non-caring and unconcerned view of this issue. Whatever the reason, "spam" is an issue that must be dealt with by almost everyone publishing, especially once a mailing list starts to grow auspiciously.

Because of the sheer number of publications available online now, competition for subscribers can be especially fierce, and enticements to join, by the way of "freebie" reports, e-books, and other offers, do sometimes encourage the subscription of readers. These types of subscribers may not actively have an interest in the topic of the particular publication and although these methods of garnering subscribers do indeed, work, this can lead to "spam" complaints by subscribers who were seeking the free offer and then "forget" that they subscribed. This can lead to an e-mail complaint or two at best, or in the worst case scenario, then a report to an e-mail server or ISP. Depending on the e-mail server or provider, service can be disabled until the complaint is brought to resolution, although this is usually an extreme case.

It does bear mentioning, however, as "spam" complaints can be avoided to a great extent by the use of "double opt-in" confirmation messages for subscribers. These involve sending a confirmation message to a subscriber before adding them to the mailing list, requesting that they either respond to the confirmation e-mail or that they click a link included in the e-mail confirmation message, thereby confirming their request to be included in the mailing list. By no means does this prevent "spam" complaints, but it does act as "proof" once a complaint emerges, that the subscriber requested the delivered mail. It can also have the added benefit of discouraging subscribers that are not really highly interested in the subject of the e-zine or newsletter, as those subscribers will undoubtedly not take the time to confirm the request.

"Double opt-in" methods of confirming subscribers, however, does have disadvantages. Although good mail management and publication creation software and publication creation programs usually provide a choice of either "double opt-in" or "single opt-in" features, statistics do show a lower rate of subscribers overall, in publications that are using the "double opt-in" method of subscription sign-up (Constant Contact, 2003). It stands to reason that because of the extra step involved in the "double opt-in" process of sign-up, that subscribers are lost that don't have either the time, or the inclination to go through the final step.

This does bear mentioning, as publishers do need to weigh the benefits of "spam complaint insurance" by using the "double opt-in" as opposed to easily and effectively signing up subscribers and growing their list more quickly with the "single opt-in" method of subscription sign-ups. It's not an easy choice, as both have merits and potentially negative considerations.

In the arena of co-op publishing, where several publications share both subscribers and advertisers, therefore growing the mailing list significantly in a short amount of time, research does need to be done before joining any co-op (co-operative). There does need to be a set standard for dealing with the issue of "spam" as well as the discouragement of "spamming" by members of a co-op. Any "spamming" that is done is likely to reflect on all members of the co-op and therefore the co-op will either develop a bad reputation, or be seriously deprived of service by its ISP. If this would occur, all publishers within the co-op would suffer, not just those that were guilty of the "spamming". When dealing with co-ops, good judgment must always prevail, as joining a rather lackadaisical co-op with "flexible rules" concerning "spam" could realistically subject a publisher to "guilt by association".

A new method that is employed by consumers (readers) in the avoidance of "spam" does relate directly to the success of many e-zines and newsletters. This method is "spam filters". These filters effectively filter out any "spam" before it reaches the receiver, either through a software program, or by coding via a Web site. Many ISPs are also now employing "spam tagging", in that any e-mail with an unknown or invalid e-mail address is "tagged" as "spam" before receipt, and this does speed up deletion of any "spam" e-mails without the need to open them and confirm the address as "live" in this manner. What this generally means for publishers today is that many newsletters, e-zines and other mailings either are deleted before delivery occurs, or they simply bounce back.

These filters, unfortunately, are harder to defeat than "spam" complaints, as there is really no easy way to disengage them partially, and they tend to edit out "wanted" e-mails as well as "unwanted" e-mails. There is some hope in delivering a greater number of publications with "spam checkers". "Spam checkers" check publications for "spam-triggering" words, phrases and punctuation, and once these are rectified, the publication stands a greater chance of greater deliveries. There are actually lists of "spam-triggering" words and phrases online, which change rather dramatically sometimes from week to week. When purchasing publication creation software or publication creation programs, it becomes imperative then, to look for the inclusion of "spam check" features, hopefully with "spam word alternatives" from which to choose, as these will greatly increase the chances of delivery.

The issue of "spam" will continue to be a hotly contested and talked about issue for many years to come. This issue alone, however, should not deter anyone from publishing a newsletter or e-zine, as the act of publishing, and sharing good information and content with others, does reap huge rewards. Every effort should be made, however, to be aware of the "spam" issue and to seek out e-mail management programs and publication creation programs and software that do include the options of "double opt-in" and "single opt-in". Just as flexibility is key to creation of any good publication, flexibility in sign-up options is key to perhaps avoiding and maintaining a "spam complaint free" e-zine or newsletter.

"Spam" is a fact of Internet life. Everyone knows this and to some degree accepts this. Publishing in the world of "spam" can be done effectively with a little effort and foresight. Great publication creation software or programs with "spam check" features are definitely a "must" for today's publishers, as are the selection of "double opt-in" and "single opt-in" features in newsletter and e-zine creations. Publications with good content and great resources will always live on, as a great publication is indeed, "timeless".