UberSafeList Newsletter July 2005
Issue # 00004
CAN SPAM Compliance – An Online Business Essential!
AUTHOR: By Ralf Bich

Another day, and another legitimate site goes is offline due to a SPAM complaint. I do not have all the details in my possession at this time. All I know is that within the last three weeks three sites that I have heard about have been temporarily unavailable due to complaints. It makes me all that much more aware of how I send my emails out and ensuring that all information is per the FTC CAN-SPAM Compliant. For a short over view Click Here or use the prior link for the full report.

If you aren’t familiar with the laws governing commercial email and you operate a business online in any capacity, then you owe it to yourself to become familiar with them. The guidelines are very clear and very easy to follow. There is no reason to be sending out non-compliant email.

What does being compliant mean?

RESPONSIBLE EMAIL:
  • You can only send email to someone who has requested information from you.
  • You must verify their request prior to sending a commercial email or URL.
  • It is NOT ok to send someone your commercial ad just because they sent you theirs.
  • It is NOT ok to send email to people who post Safelist ads. You may request permission if someone includes their personal information, or you may comment on their email, however, you may NOT include a business URL unless they have given you permission to do so.
  • You must include all your personal details when sending a commercial email; Full name, physical address, phone number and valid email address.
  • Every email MUST include a disclaimer and directions to be removed from your list with a valid email to do so.
    • Click Here for examples.
  • Never send email unless you know it's right and that you have all your bases covered.
I know that many home-based business owners feel that if they do not have a large emailing list that they do not need to worry about SPAM complaints. As the rules above outline, that is not the case. You do not need to be sending out huge batches of emails to be considered a spammer. A single email sent to an individual can be considered spam email if it doesn’t meet the CAN-SPAM guidelines.

Of course, most people you meet online are not going to report you for SPAM on the first occurrence. Many of us simply learn to use the delete key to effectively deal with SPAM. However, as more and more of the population gets plugged in to Internet life, it is becoming even more important to ensure your business communications are in peak condition and are completely compliant with regulations. Not everyone you meet is going to be forgiving of email that does not meet the standards of commercial email.

As a business professional, I know I can’t afford to have my site go down while I deal with the details of getting it back online. This is definitely a case of better safe than sorry. I encourage you to examine your email policy today and ensure that all your commercial email is CAN-SPAM compliant.