© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 1 Is Email Dead? Communicating in...

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 1

Is Email Dead?

Communicating in the era of spam control

Bill PeaseChief Technology Officer

GetActive Software

NTEN, Washington DCOctober 14, 2004

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 2

Overview of Session

Email Publisher Perspective – Bill Pease, CTO, GetActive

Impact of spam on non-profit communication effortsSocial, legal, technical trends in spam controlBest practice advice

ISP Perspective – Charles Stiles, Postmaster, America Online

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 3

Email at risk as a means of communication

Spam flood65% of all email traffic in 2004 will be spam or virusIncreasing forgery, fraud and malware exploits make email untrusted

Triggers spam control measures Control “at any cost” results in considerable “collateral damage” Legitimate messaging is blocked or routed into oblivion

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 4

Non-delivery is a growing problem

Return Path March 2004 Blocking and Filtering Report

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 5

Impact on non-profits

Messages don’t get through Slower list growthGreater risk of brand damage

Stigmatized as a spammerSpoofed by a phisher

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 6

Social trends in spam control

Throw the baby out with the bathwaterBenefit of blocking offensive spam outweighs risk of non-delivery of legitimate email

Guilty until proven innocentNo special exemptions for messaging to members, for political or charitable appeals, etc.

VigilantismPrivate action required to stop spam; government action only makes it worse

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 7

Legal trends in spam control

CAN-SPAM of 2003Worsened spam problemOpt-out, not opt-in

Legalized unsolicited commercial messaging

Weak requirementsNo false headers/subjectsNo email harvestingWorking opt-outStudy do-not-email registry Pre-empted stricter state laws

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 8

Technical trends in spam control

Client-side delivery barriers to protect the inbox

Multiple, error-prone systemsAccessing each inbox becomes a job

Distributed spam id systemsMore complaints -> more barriers

Demand for sender authentication

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 9

Your deliverability depends on

List buildingSubscription managementContentEmail vendor performanceSpam complaint management

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 10

Value of permission

To establish & maintain a trust relationship with supportersTo improve response ratesTo defend the legitimacy of your messaging if challenged by ISP blocking, blacklisting, etc.

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 11

Getting it and losing it

Request explicit permission whenever you collect email addresses

Link brand or publication name to every opt-in requestDocument all opt-ins – especially those collected offline

Respect permissionLet subscribers control their communication preferences Honor opt-out

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 12

List-building methods to avoid

Questionable Opt-in without positive action

Pre-checked opt-in

Hidden opt-inTransactional opt-inAuto-adding to other lists – especially independent orgs

Transferred opt-inList shares or buysCo-registration

Indefensible Opt-outEmail harvesting

From web pages or directories

E-pendingTo voter registration listsTo any list source without permission

>80% of recipients do not think a mailer who has their postal address on file "has the right to send me email"

http://www.proclickexchange.com/news/easyway.php

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 13

Barriers to list growth:Challenge-response

Assumes sender is suspect unless listed in recipient's address book Imposes additional burden on publishers to “prove” their legitimacy prior to accessing inbox

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 14

Barriers to list growth: Getting into the address book

Serves as a local whitelist If you’re on it, email is deliveredIf you’re not, email will be blocked, routed or mangled

Use a persistent from: addressProvide instructions regularly

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 15

Barriers to list growth: Email address churn

Basic list hygieneQuality control email capture

Easy subscription managementSelf-serve profile maintenanceNo complicated log-inPersonalized links

Address correction services

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 16

Don’t make subscription management difficult

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 17

Make it the starting point for relationship management

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 18

Does content matter?

Generally, noMarket-leading spam systems rely on multiple filtersNon-profit content itself rarely exceeds triggers

But “false positives” do occurError-prone, rule-based systems exist among your audience

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 19

Understanding filters

Few filter by content aloneMarket-leaders like Spam Assassin

authenticate senderscheck blocklists & whitelistscheck distributed spam id systems

Spam complaints, list building and mailing practices drive delivery barriers

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 20

Email vendor mailing practices

GOODWhitelistedVerifiable senderThrottle by ISPCompliance with bounce mngmt standardsFeedback loops & Good ISP relationship mngmt

BADBlacklistedIncorrect DNSHigh send ratesHigh proportion hard bounce or invalid emailsNo respect for ISP customers & no relationship mngmt

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 21

Abuse complaint management

Operational removal/unsubscribeFeedback loops to automate complaint processingOngoing evaluation of list building practicesStrategic use of subscribers to communicate with ISPsMaintain a good reputation

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 22

What to expect (1)

Accountability For your list building & messaging practicesReputation based on measurable performance

VulnerabilityThreat to brand from being tarred a spammerIdentity theft by a spoofer or phisher

Increasing costsTo acquire permission-based namesTo respond to spam controlsTo obtain third-party certification

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 23

What to expect (2)

List growth challengesLess e-pending & co-registrationResistance to list sharing Decline in email viral marketing yields

New communication channelsAlternatives to email RSS syndication

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 24

Links - General

Best Spam resourceshttp://spamnews.com/blog/spamNEWS/index.htmlhttp://www.paulgraham.com/antispam.htmlhttp://spam.abuse.net

Spam legislation & regulationhttp://www.spamlaws.com/us.htmlhttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/index.html

Anti-Spam tools in usehttp://spamotomy.com/http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2003/0915spam.htmlhttp://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=322713&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=162693&bmUID=1057709143469

Anti-Spam activismhttp://spamlinks.port5.com/spamlinks.htmhttp://www.cauce.org/http://www.spamhaus.org/http://www.mail-abuse.org/

© 2004. GetActive Software. All rights reserved 10/1/2004 page 25

Links - Practical

Check your spam statushttp://www.senderbase.org/searchhttp://www.spamvertized.org/

Avoiding spam filtershttp://ezine-tips.com/articles/management/20020812.shtmlhttp://www.newsletterindustry.com/newsletterindustry-57-20021218AvoidingtheSpamTrap.html http://www.emailsherpa.com/barrier.cfm?currentID=2125http://www.emailsherpa.com/barrier.cfm?currentID=80

Challenge-responsehttp://blogs.onenw.org/jon/archives/000450.htmlhttp://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1204684,00.asphttp://www.templetons.com/brad/spam/challengeresponse.htmlhttp://kmself.home.netcom.com/Rants/challenge-response.html