E-mail Whitelist Etiquette

A big-time dilemma is brewing online. In an understandable attempt to bypass all that annoying spam, e-mails that onliners want to receive are getting lost in the shuffle. Newsletter subscription requests are not being completed and important e-mails are not getting to their intended parties.

Your "Whitelist" is the list that contains the e-mail addresses of those you do in fact want to receive e-mail from. Some services require the accepted addresses be in one's address book to be added to the whitelist. While other software/services call this list the approved or allowed senders list and require you manually add those you want to accept e-mail from to your list. Regardless of what this feature is called, it is clearly not being utilized correctly and in many cases, at all.

What can be done about this? A little user education and E-mail Whitelist Etiquette is in order!

=> When signing up for an online newsletter, mailing list or Web site service, immediately add their e-mail address or dot com to your approved or white list. This will ensure smooth communications with you and that e-mails will get through with the information you requested or confirmations necessary for you to acknowledge your request.

=> If you initiate the request, it is your responsibility to promptly add the other side's e-mail address or dot com information to your whitelist. This extra step will reflect that you are courteous and tech savvy! In addition, doing so will avoid those who you have requested information or services from, from having to follow verification e-mail instructions just to get you the information you requested. Besides, you cannot count on everyone responding to those verification e-mails-many simply don't or can't (automated subscription systems).

=> Before getting upset because you perceive someone didn't respond, check to see if their e-mail was inadvertently deleted or sent to your Trash or Junk folder. Then, upon finding these e-mails in your Trash or Junk folders, add their information to your whitelist straight away. Too many onliners become belligerent about a supposed lack of response when in fact a response was sent and because they didn't clear the way for the e-mail to be accepted it was diverted to trash or not allowed through.

=> Web sites and newsletters should have a response or thank you page that clearly requests site visitors and subscribers to add the required e-mail address to their whitelist right then and there. If onliners know the address to expect e-mail from, it is much easier to expect that they will add that address to their whitelist and your e-mail will get through.

It is important that every onliner make a conscious effort to become aware of the above issues and integrate these suggestions into their day-to-day activities. Only then can an informed online community use e-mail for the efficient and convenient communication tool it was meant to be.

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has played @ http://www.TheIStudio.com for over a decade. Check out her E-mail Etiquette Web Site and Book @ http://www.NetManners.com

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


The Opt-In Secret

Everyone knows that in order to be successful online you... Read More

How To Improve Your Open Rates And Click-Thru Rates In Your Email Campaigns

In this article I will give you several tips that... Read More

Top 3 Reasons Why RSS Is Better Than Email

Everyone is talking about RSS. Blogs, newsites and the like... Read More

Using Mirror Pages Effectively

Thought I would share with you a very effective technique... Read More

A Little Secret That Produces BIG Results

What if I told you that with each passing day,... Read More

How To Use a Message Sequence to Increase Your Sales

If there's one thing I've learnt in over 3 years... Read More

You DO Have an Email List Dont You?

No matter what type of business you operate, you need... Read More

Track Customer Response With an Autoresponder Service

Another powerful reason for making the switch from using the... Read More

Real Estate Agents ? What Type of Content Should You Include in Your Newsletter?

One of the biggest concerns for Realtors who publish their... Read More

Lumpy Mail Gets Your Message Through

When it comes to your gravy, lumps are bad. When... Read More

Internet Tip of the Week: Seven Rules of Email

Now there is no law that says you have to... Read More

Increasing Email Deliverability

Most email marketers know that it is important spam-check email... Read More

Why Does Your Business Need An Autoresponder?

Suppose you have a website with 500 visitors a day,... Read More

Email Microtargeting

Email marketing is undergoing rapid changes. Now, more than ever,... Read More

Can You Win The Battle By Using A Toothpick?

Every business needs a low cost way to reach targeted... Read More

Dont Attach That!

The topic of sending attachments by e-mail is not one... Read More

5 Things You NEED to Know About Your AOL 9.0 Subscribers

In Fall 2003, America Online (AOL) released its brand new... Read More

3 Important Tips to Write Money-Making Autoresponder Messages

Sending autoresponder messages is one of the most powerful email... Read More

Email Marketing Kung Fu

Have you ever heard email described as, "the killer Internet... Read More

What Is An Email Signature And What Do I Do With It?

You hear it all the time... email signature, sig file,... Read More

Email Etiquette II

I had great feedback from my last article, and was... Read More

Free Email Accounts ? Pros and Cons

Free email accounts are great if you want to hide... Read More

Sucking in Readers: Proven Ways to Increase Reader Interaction

You've probably heard this educational philosophy:Tell me, and I'll forget.Show... Read More

Choose The Right Business For You In Less Than 15 Minutes

3 Characteristics Of "The Right Business" ModelThe business must service... Read More

Email Marketing: How Much is Too Much?

I have a special new email address. It's in addition... Read More

Is Your Email Address Blacklisted?

A lady emailed me yesterday very upset over the fact... Read More

Taking Email Marketing To The Next Level

How to use the latest e-messaging strategies to increase profits.Many... Read More

Analysing Autoresponders

An autoresponder is an automatic or software-mailing program. Why... Read More

Viral Marketing with Your Signature File

Computer viruses are usually a bad thing. They can compromise... Read More

Direct Marketing Strategies for Holiday Email Promotions

Tis the season to leverage customer interest data for successful... Read More

Run Profitable Contests Using Autoresponders

Running a contest for your e-zine subscribers or web site... Read More

How to Do an E-mail Interview in 9 Easy Steps

Need a fresh idea for your e-zine content? Do an... Read More

The Game Is Changing, Are You?

It's happening. Again.The Internet marketing 'game' is rapidly changing... again.Email... Read More