Is AOL Spam Reporting Banning Your Site?

Is AOL Spam Reporting Banning Your Site?
By: Martin Lemieux

As I read the awful truth of the nature of aol's new spam
reporting from their 9.0 version, I left with a knot within
my stomach. Have they gone too far?

Last week I received a message from my hosting company
notifying me that AOL has just banned them completely from
ever sending aol members any e-mail messages. Sadly my
hosting company told me that it was because of my newsletter.

Not only were they banned but in order to lift the ban they
either had to; a) Prove that my company does not indulge in
bulk mailing or b) Delete my account entirely!

If you're thinking ouch, you are so right!

So I went through my e-mail list and realized that only one,
I repeat, there was only ONE e-mail account found from aol!

Here's the sad truth, one person, one voice hit their "Spam
Report" button to aol because they received a message from
my company and presto, aol set's a ban on all the servers
assigned to my hosting provider.

Is this fair?

I mean do we really hate spam so much as to having the ability
to hurt people's future? The thing is it wasn't even spam!!!

Here's another sad reality, my newsletter has a "double opt
in". So in other words, not only do you need to submit your
information but you also have to go back and confirm your
e-mail address after you submitted it to my company.

Better To Be Safe Than Sorry:
Because of recent events, my newsletter NO LONGER accepts any
submissions from people using AOL E-mail Accounts. I suggest
you implement the same strategy. Is it really worth it to you
to go so far as to having your web site banned?

Power To The People:
I really feel we should all have a word in this matter and
protect our rights to provide e-mail information to people
who ask for it and we shouldn't be subject to a ban from one
voice, one mailing. AOL has given too much power to
individuals.

What If Your Competition Has AOL?
What is stopping your competition from buying aol and opting
into your newsletter just for the sheer opportunity to report
your company as spam!

A Concerned Marketer:

Martin Lemieux
Founder and President of Smartads.

http://www.smartads.ca & http://www.smartads.info
Here to provide you with effective web design &
web advertising services.

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