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Your Bright Ideas Blogzine Dec 09
Sent Thursday, December 10, 2009
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Bright Ideas Blogzine - December 2009 Publisher: Laura Christianson http://www.bloggingbistro.com mailto:laura@bloggingbistro.com ____________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE ____________________________________________________________________ 1. FEATURE: Does Your E-Newsletter Break the Law? 2. At the Barista's blog... 3. My Hangouts 4. Share Bright Ideas ____________________________________________________________________ 1. FEATURE: Does Your E-Newsletter Break the Law? ____________________________________________________________________ If you've been trolling the Internet for any length of time, you've probably heard the term CAN-SPAM. The acronym stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing - it refers to the anti-spam Act Congress enacted in 2003. The law has been unsuccessful at stopping spam, which constitutes more than half of all Internet e-mails. More than 100 BILLION spam messages per year fly through cyberspace. Some of the spam I receive comes from well-meaning people I've met in real life. They assume that if we've communicated once, sometime during our lifetime, they have an open invitation to sign me up for their e-newsletter. I received two newsletters I never subscribed to today, in fact. Gazed at them in consternation, immediately opted out, then deleted them. After wading through umpteen pages of government-speak that outlines the law, I've come up with several rules of thumb - and some legal requirements you must follow - in order to ensure that your "commercial electronic mail messages" (e-newsletters that promote your services or products) are CAN-SPAM compliant. Rules of Thumb Use a reputable e-mail service for your e-newsletter. There are many low-cost services (Blogging Bistro uses AWeber http://bloggingbistro.aweber.com ). These services adhere to the CAN-SPAM Act and require their customers to do so. Get permission. Never, ever sign someone up for your e-newsletter without getting their permission in writing. How do you get permission? Let's say you're speaking or exhibiting at a conference. You have a drawing for a prize, and people fill out a form to enter your drawing. Those people are giving you permission to market to them. You could sign them up to receive your e-newsletter, which means they'd receive an automated e-mail from your e-newsletter service that asks them to confirm their subscription. I recommend taking it one step further. When I hold prize drawings, I first send a personal e-mail to each entrant, telling them about my e-newsletter and inviting them to subscribe. I alert them that they'll be receiving an automated invite from me, and explain that if they want to begin receiving my e-newsletter, they simply click the opt-in link. Use double opt-in. Always ask prospective subscribers to confirm their subscription. Yeah, it's an extra step, but you'll be SO glad you did it! Lots (and I mean lots) of spam-bots will attempt to subscribe to your newsletter. A double opt-in prevents automated spam-bots from reading "please confirm your subscription" e-mails and clicking the "confirm" button. Legal Requirements (there are lots of them, but here are the most important ones): Affirmative Consent - The recipient of your e-newsletter must expressly consent to receive the message, either in response to your clear request for their consent or at their own initiative. Easy Opt-Out - You must provide a way for subscribers to easily unsubscribe. If a subscriber opts out, you have 10 days to stop sending them messages. This unsubscribe option needs to be available for at least 30 days after the e-mail is sent. Identify Your Topic - The subject line of your e-mails must clearly and accurately identify the content of the e-mail. No misleading or bogus subject lines allowed! Return Address - Your e-newsletter must contain a legitimate return e-mail address, as well as a valid postal address. A PO Box works fine. If you're running a business (particularly if you work from home) and you don't have a PO box, get one. Now. No Harvesting - You can't send e-mail messages to addresses you collect from chat rooms, discussion forums, or blog comments. As your mom would say, "Big no-no!" Don't Offer Rewards for Forwarding - If you invite subscribers to "forward this newsletter to a friend," do not entice the forwarder with offers of money, coupons, discounts, awards, or additional entries in a giveaway. If the person who receives the forwarded e-mail considers it spam, YOU could be held liable. Sources: Federal Trade Commission Federal Communications Commission ____________________________________________________________________ 2. At the Barista's blog... ____________________________________________________________________ Planning your 2010 blogging calendar? Here's how to build a blog post around a special Event of the Month http://tinyurl.com/yg3962t The Cardinal Rule for Social Media Marketing http://tinyurl.com/yjjqgb6 10 Popular Phrases You Must Immediately Delete From Your Writing http://tinyurl.com/ykz5dfq How to Avoid Twitter Phishing Scams http://tinyurl.com/yj24rrz How to Connect Your LinkedIn and Twitter Accounts http://tinyurl.com/yl69vak ____________________________________________________________________ 3. My Hangouts ____________________________________________________________________ Twitter: http://twitter.com/BloggingBistro Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bloggingbistro Friendfeed: http://friendfeed.com/bloggingbistro ____________________________________________________________________ 4. Share Bright Ideas ____________________________________________________________________ I invite you to reprint any of the articles from this blogzine in your own e-zine or on your Web site/blog, as long as you include the following blurb and a link to BloggingBistro.com: Laura Christianson founded BloggingBistro.com, a company that serves made-to-order social media solutions for individuals and businesses. Please forward Bright Ideas Blogzine to others who want to maximize their social media marketing. To start your e-mail subscription, send a blank e-mail to bloggingbistro@aweber.com. You'll immediately receive an e-mail confirmation notice. Click the link and you're subscribed. I respect your privacy. I promise not to sell, rent, or distribute your contact information.