In <p06000f13bad47eac81f5(_at_)[192(_dot_)168(_dot_)1(_dot_)104]> Kee Hinckley
<nazgul(_at_)somewhere(_dot_)com> writes:
So. Let's say you are that company. You have tens or hundreds of
thousands of clients with millions or tens of millions of email
addresses.
[ ... ]
What kind of system will make this all work with maximum success?
Perfection is not a goal, it's not possible. What's going to give
optimal results?
And don't say "confirmed opt-in". That's a policy. Maybe right,
maybe wrong. But anyone can say it. How are you going to enforce
compliance with the above list managers?
You raise some good points (most of which I've snipped). However, I
will say "confirmed opt-in". And I would enforce the compliance in
part by using complaints and DNSBL listings.
Actually, I will say "confirmed opt-in with yearly renewals". Every
new list you get, you require all list members to "renew" their
subscription to the mailing list and they must continue to renew their
subscription every year or so. Save these confirmations and renewals
so that if there is any dispute, you have something to show that you
are not sending unsolicited email. Unlike initial subscriptions, I
think it would probably be reasonable to send maybe two emails about
the renewal. Just like initial subscriptions, the renewal request
must not contain any advertising and the description of the mailing
list should be brief and approved by the bulk mailers.
Bulk mailers should get as many IP addresses as possible, preferably
some in different CIDR blocks. New customers (not subscribers) with
their own lists would be put on "high risk" IP addresses that DNSBLs
may quickly blacklist. As time passes and the number of emails sent
to the list increases without complaints, you can move the lists to
lower risk IP addresses. How many different pools of risk levels you
need will have to be determined by experience.
Bulk emailers need to watch DNSBLs and abuse complaints very
carefully. If complaints start coming from a particular mailing list,
then they need to moved into higher risk IP blocks or segregated into
an IP address by itself.
New customers should be required to physically sign a contract, and
place a "large" damage deposit which will be refunded when the mailing
list has reached a low enough risk category. Maybe a $1000 +
$0.01/email deposit would work.
The bulk emailer could then almost advertise about how their low risk
customers are rarely, if ever, placed on DNSBLs. Actually, this kind
of procedure would probably scare away most spammers also, so the bulk
emailer would mostly have to deal with people who don't quite
understand email rather than people who are outright trying to deceive
them.
Basically, I think that nothing really needs to be changed at the
technical level. It is all a matter of bulk emailers implementing
policies that keep them out of trouble rather than send the most
email.
Some might complain that this type of system will cost a lot more
money, but I'm not so sure that is true. The low risk lists will cost
the bulk emailer below average costs and they will probably be able to
charge above average fees and that can pay for the expense of making
sure the lists are clean.
-wayne
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