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Is Your Ezine Being Zapped?
Written by Michael Southon
About a year ago I wrote an article titled Winning The War On Sp^m. Unfortunately, the war on sp^m is not being won at all.
In fact, the problem is now so serious that sp^am is shaping up to be the greatest threat to online marketing.
The threat comes not from sp^mmers themselves, but from the filters that are being used to block them.
These filters are hitting hard at the very core of ecommerce - Ezine Publishing.
Anti-sp^m filters operate at two levels: (i) client-side programs that reside on individual computers and (ii) server-side programs that ISPs are using to block incoming sp^m.
The problem is that the filters are now so sensitive they are blocking even the most innocent of Newsletters.
For example, if your Newsletter contains the words remove, unsubscribe or click here it will trigger anti-sp^m filters in many of the programs that are now being used by ISPs.
The result?
Your Ezine is zapped, deleted - and a large percentage of your subscribers will think you have stopped publishing your Newsletter.
What can you do about it?
Here are some tips to avoid sp^m filters:
Post your Newsletter online and then email your subscribers to tell them that the latest issue is now available online.
In your Newsletter carefully avoid (both in the subject line and the body text) all words that are likely to trigger anti-sp^m filters. Use the free service listed at the end of this article - it will flag any words in your Newsletter that trigger anti-sp^m filters.
Instead of saying to unsubscribe (which is a phrase commonly found in sp^m), say If you no longer wish to receive... or If you wish to leave this mailing list... or To take yourself off this list...
If there are trigger words that you simply cannot avoid, you can disguise them using carets (^) or other symbols. The F word would become fr^e and the U word would become uns^bscribe.
Include the word Newsletter in the subject line of your email - this will help the filters identify your email as non-sp^m.
Avoid whole words in upper case. In many Newsletters the headers are capitalized - this will trigger the filters.
If your Newsletter contains ads, scrutinize them carefully - ezine ads, by definition, contain words frequently used by sp^mmers.
Here is a fr^e service that will help you avoid sp^m filters. Before you mail out your Newsletter, just send a copy of it to the email address below with TEST in the subject line: mailto:spamcheck@sitesell.net
Within a few seconds youll receive a report that analyses your Newsletter and gives you a score (0 to 5=no problems 12-16=over the limit for most ISPs).
If you write articles, its worth submitting them to this test as well, together with your Resource Box (I just sent this article to Sp^mCheck and got a score of 4.6).
Sp^mCheck is operated by Sp^mAssassin, a filter that is widely used by ISPs - so this is a good test of whether your Newsletter will get through to your subscribers.
© 2002 by Michael Southon
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3 years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this simple technique to get massive free publicity and dramatically increase traffic and sales. To find out more, please visit: http://www.ezine-writer.com
This Article may be freely published in its entirety exactly as it appears above. No alterations or changes to the Article are allowed, without the express permission of the Author. The Resource Box must remain with the Article just as it appears.
Additional Articles by Michael Southon
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How To Use the Multiplier Effect in Web Marketing
5 Power Tips To Double Your Sales
A Guide To Automated Email Marketing
Eight Tips for Ezine Writers
Great Ideas For Your Next Article
How To Boost Your Affiliate Sales With Free Articles
How To Choose the Right Ezines For Your Ads
How To Create and Market Your own EBook
How To Make Your Resource Box Sell
How To Mind Map Your Business
How To Reverse Engineer Your Success
How To Set Up an Ezine Encyclopedia
How To Tweak Your Website For More Sales
How To Use Articles To Build Your Affiliate Program
How To Win The Affiliate Game
Interviews with WellKnown Ezine Writers 1 Bob Leduc
Interviews with WellKnown Ezine Writers 2 John Colanzi
Interviews with WellKnown Ezine Writers 3 Shelley Lowery
Popularity Your Key to a Page 1 Listing
My First Year In Cyber Space
Profit From The Author Inside You
Read Faster Read Smarter
Review eBook Secrets Exposed
Review Profit From The Author Inside You
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