Spam and the Common Criminal

The first thing I noticed when I decided to write about this (hot) topic is that there isn't really a definitive definition for the word - mostly they're opinions. But here's the one I like (and I'll explain why after):

Spam is an email message that the recipient -- and only the recipient -- deems inappropriate, unwanted, or no longer wanted for any reason.(As defined by Paul Soltoff here: http://www.clickz.com/em_mkt/em_mkt/article.php/1492521)

What I like most about this definition is that it hits the nail on the head for me. It's mail that I deem unwanted or inappropriate. NOT what someone else thinks. It "allows" me to make my own choices.

Yes, spam is a nuisance. No, I don't like spam or spammers. But there are people out there (apparently with nothing better to do) that accuse EVERYone of spamming - and doing some serious damage to legitimate business persons reputation.

There are also "spammers" out there that are really nothing more than someone who is technically challenged when it comes to running a mailing list.

Is that possible? Someone who is spamming without even fully understanding that they are?

Sure is.

Let me explain what I mean. Maybe those of you who consider yourself technically challenged will save yourself some headaches.

As well as putting out this newsletter, I also run a small hosting business. One of my best clients was recently shut down due to excessive spam complaints. But before you say "Well, then he deserved to be shut down!" let me tell you HOW there came to be so many complaints in the first place.

This client is very successful OFF line at what he does. So successful that he wrote a book on his subject. He decided some time ago to try to peddle his book on the internet, to try to boost his sales.

Things were going along well - but a little slow for his liking. He decided to develop a six-part email course in hopes of boosting his sales. Nothing unusual there. After all, those of you who are on line marketers know this one basic thing: The money is in the list.

Well, things were still a little sluggish, so in an effort to speed things up a bit, he bought into an optin co-op with a site similar to his own. Eureka! Instant access to a list of almost 30,000 prospects!

So he set himself up with his new e-course, and a popular Optin/Follow-up software package. I installed it for him because he didn't know how. He imported his list and started his e-course.

At first, he got unsubscribe requests, and a few minor complaints. That's to be expected. As long as you take care of these ASAP things should be okay. But he started to notice that the complaints from the same people kept coming in with each installment of his e-course. He asked me to investigate, and I noticed that he hadn't had an unsubscribe link in his emails (cardinal sin in this business). We fixed that.

Next, there were a few of his own new subscribers that complained that they were not receiving the ecourse installments. After his own investigation, he decided to restart the course.

Oops! He didn't realize that it restarted everyone - including those that wanted off his list (but couldn't get off because of the lack of an unsubscribe link).

You guessed it - more complaints.

Not long after that, a server crash caused some serious downtime. Three days worth to be exact. His site had to be uploaded from scratch - including re-importing his mailing list. When he got back on-line, he thought he should restart the e-course again.

Well, another big problem! The list he imported was the original list. Even though many of the subscribers had opted-out of his list (once the unsubscribe link was included), he never backed up his list. So when he restarted his e-course, those that opted-out started receiving his mailings again!

Well you can imagine the slew of "hate" mail that ensued. The complaints poured in - both to him and to Spamcop.

I don't blame the recipients for their complaints. I would have complained too. The point of this story is to make those of you with lists aware - sometimes our own limitations can cause us problems.

Now my friend has lost his site, his online business and his reputation. He's now known as a spammer when in reality he just needed an education.

To be branded a spammer on the net is comparable to being called a common criminal in the off line world. And just as a common criminal who's trying to go straight knows - it's extremely difficult to regain peoples trust.

Remember - having a mailing list comes with much responsibility. Including the responsibility to educate yourself with the technical know-how (to run the list and the list software) and proper netiquette (knowing the in's and out's of dealing with subscribers).

Always leave a subscriber a way out. Always be prepared to help them to get off your list just in case they don't know how to.

And finally, no matter how "nasty" they may get in their email complaints to you, never respond in kind. Simply remove them. If you send a removal confirmation, make it polite. It never hurts to be polite.