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Content is King
Content is King
The best tip that can ever be given to help you with Search Engines is;
Content is King.
The more quality content you have on your website the better. Search
Engines are always looking to make their search results more relevant
and up to date so keep adding new content.
Deciphering Email Confirmation Requests
by Leo A. Notenboom
I emailed a colleague and within minutes got this email in response that
said something like "please visit this link and to confirm your identity
in order for your mail to be delivered". What's that all about? Is it
safe? Could it be spam, or phishing, or something else bad?
Welcome to spam wars. This episode could be entitled "Revenge of the
spammed".
What you're probably seeing is something called challenge/response. In
the last couple of years it's become a popular way for some folks to
control the amount of spam they get.
A lot of people love it. But a lot of people, people like you and me who
aren't spammers, absolutely hate it.
Here's how it works: when you sign up for a challenge/response (c/r)
service, all of your incoming email is filtered by the service. If the
email is from someone that the service recognizes is a legitimate, real
person or valid sender, you get the email. But if the email is from
someone the service has never heard of before, things get interesting.
When email is received from a sender that the c/r service has never
heard of before:
The c/r service quarantines the email. You do not get it right away.
The service then sends that confirmation mail you mentioned back to the
sender. That's called the "challenge".
When the sender follows the instructions, which usually involves
clicking a link, and filling in one of those "match the picture" forms,
they are validated as a "legitimate" sender. That's the "response".
Once validated, the original email they sent to you is delivered.
Once validated they are validated for good. They are assumed to be
legitimate, and their email to you is delivered without additional
delay.
Now if the sender never fills out that form, never responds to the
validation request, then their mail is never delivered, and you never
see it.
The theory is that spammers will not respond to the challenge, and their
mail will never be delivered. People who are legitimate will complete
the challenge, get validated, and have their email delivered as
expected.
There are so many problems with this technique, it's hard to know where
to begin.
Who's paying? - many people are vehemently opposed to
challenge/response, because it shifts the burden of spam prevention on
to the legitimate senders of email that isn't spam. The innocent pay the
price, as it were. In fact I know several folks who simply will not
respond to a challenge response system, ever.
Not all senders are people - say you purchase something at an on-line
store. That store sends you an email confirmation. The c/r system
quarantines that confirmation, sending a challenge back to the sender.
MOST online merchants (and other online services) are simply not able to
respond to the challenge. So the legitimate email will never be
delivered.
Not all senders are who they say they are - you've seen lots of issues
with email spoofing ... sending email as if it came from one person, who
had nothing to do with it. If that spoofed sender has been validated by
the c/r system, spam that appears to be coming from their address will
get through.
Challenges look like phishing attempts - how many times have we heard
"don't click on links in email you aren't sure of" ? The fact is that
most challenges look a lot like many of the phishing attempts we see
these days. If someone doesn't quickly and easily understand what it is
they're looking at, they should (rightly, in my opinion) delete it and
move on. That could mean that their legitimate email to you may not get
through.
Now in many cases, one of the positions that most c/r service providers
take is that you, the customer and email recipient, can proactively "whitelist"
email addresses. That is, you can tell the service that email coming
from addresses you provide does not need to be verified. Some will even
automatically whitelist addresses that you send email to. Both very nice
features.
But the practical reality is that c/r service users are not taking the
time to whitelist all the email addresses that they should. And many
cannot predict all the senders from whom they will get legitimate email.
Challenge/response is a nice idea ... but in my opinion, and that of
many, many others, it fails the test of practicality. In the real world,
it has too many flaws, and has the potential to prevent too much
legitimate email from being delivered.
Spam is definitely a problem. Challenge/response is a very flawed
solution.
Creating content
Here are three ways to provide your
readers with fresh and relevant content.
1. Write it yourself. By far the cheapest approach is to write the
content yourself. If you enjoy writing and if you have lots of ideas for
content, then this may be the best option
2. Hire writers to create your content. If you are not comfortable
writing your own content, you can hire a professional writer. Many
freelance writers specialize in writing newsletter articles.
FreelanceWriting.com is one source for finding freelancers.
3. Use existing content. There are several online article directories,
such as Ideamarketers.com, GoArticles.com, Articlecity and EzineArticles.
Articles posted on these sites are generally free as long as you include
the writer's byline.
Design your template
Just as a magazine has a certain look that appeals to its subscribers,
so must your email newsletter. Decide on a design and stick with it so
your subscribers know what to expect with each issue. Think about how
magazines and newspapers have regular columns in each issue. Divide your
newsletter into bite-sized pieces so the content is easier for readers
to digest.
HTML or plain text?
It's really a matter of what you think will most appeal to your readers.
The jury is still out on whether one sells better than the other, but if
in doubt offer two lists: one in plain text and one in HTML. Then let
your subscribers decide which one they want to receive.
Ready, set, go!
You've defined your objectives, secured your content, and designed your
newsletter. Now all you need to do is put it together and launch it to
your customers. For this you need a mailing list. Begin with your own
in-house list, made up of people who have specifically requested to
receive information from you. Put up a sign-up form on every page of
your site, advertise your newsletter in online ezine directories or in
other newsletters, and announce your newsletter in emails that you send.
However you choose to build your list, do not succumb to the temptation
of becoming a spammer. Never send your newsletter to anyone who hasn't
specifically requested to receive it. Remember, new anti-spam
regulations require every marketing email to include an opt-out
provision and a valid physical address. Violations can carry hefty
fines, so read up on the regulations and make sure you are following hem
to the letter.
Email newsletters are a boon to small businesses. They are a great way
to drive customers to your site, create demand for your product, gather
customer data, and help your company succeed.
Julia Hyde is an independent copywriter and consultant specializing in
advertising, search engine optimization, and search engine marketing
services. To learn more, visit her Web site at juliahyde.com or email
her at info@juliahyde.com.
