Using the Internet for business and marketing opportunities has become the norm for most
business websites. Overall, this is a good thing. Consumers are able to find and purchase products and services in their local area, if they are available, or find products worldwide and have them sent directly to their home. Businesses are able to target local customers but are also able to
sell their products and services online to a much broader area. Because of the potential benefits of online advertising, some businesses have taken it to an extreme and have started sending messages about their products and services to a mass number of people who may not have any interest in their product or service. This is known as Spam. It is much like junk-mail that everyone dreads getting in their regular mailbox. Typical methods for delivery of spam include: email, instant messaging, mobile phones, and social networking sites.
Because spamming is so cheap, practically free, it has become a favorite method of advertising for many businesses. A business can create a simple email or text message and send it out to thousands of people. As a result, email inboxes are literally flooded with unwanted advertising messages. Some are pretty straight forward about what they advertising, while others purposely try to deceive you by creating fake subject labels like "re: about our plans tonight", making you think that someone is replying to a message you sent. When you open the message it may contain a link with no additional information or may give a brief summary of why you should buy their product or service, or tell you how you can
make money online by visiting their site. Many spam emails are also
phishing scams that will try and get you to enter a username and password or banking information so they can steal your identity. Many of these will copy company images or logos to make the email look like it came from your bank or another business you may be affiliated with.
DreamHost is aware of what a huge problem this has become and has adopted an Anti-Spam Policy that is in affect for everyone using DreamHost services. The DreamHost Anti-Spam Policy is very specific about what is and is not allowed when you are using their email services and other web hosting tools. Spam is strictly prohibited by DreamHost and will result in immediate termination, without refund, of any account that is found to have used Spam. If you plan to send out any
bulk mail messages to your customers, or as part of an advertising campaign, be sure to read the entire Anti-Spam Policy to make sure you are in compliance with the terms and conditions set forth. Some general rules to follow when sending bulk email include:
- Always have customers subscribe to a newsletter or advertising campaign
- Only send messages to people that have subscribed
- Let subscribers know exactly what to expect and how their info will be used
- Offer an opt-out or unsubscribe option at the bottom of every message
- Don't bombard subscribers with messages that are too long, sent too often, or may be offensive in anyway.
By following a few simple rules and providing people with some common courtesy, you can create a successful online advertising campaign that will be beneficial to both you and your customers. Visit DreamHost for complete details of the Anti-Spam policy as well as a complete list of products and services available. Don't forget to use our
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