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E-Mail:- (electronic mail)     

is the exchange of computer stored messages by telecommunications. Email messages are usually encoded in ASCII text. However, it's now possible to send non-text files such as graphic images and sound files as attachments. Email was one of the first uses of the Internet and is still the most popular. A large percentage of the total traffic over the Internet is email and is predicted to remain so for some time. Email can also be exchanged between online services and over networks other than the Internet, both public and private.

Sending threatening, unsolicited, obnoxious, or sexually explicit messages to others by email is a form of harassment, as is continuing to email someone who has asked you to stop.

Mass-mailing and junk email (spam) is: flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising. There are several types of spam:

Sending spam to public or private mailing lists using automated tools to subscribe to as many mailing lists as possible and then copying the list of addresses is another favorite devious tactic used by spammers.

I urge you to never even consider using spam, severe penalties can apply from your ISP, Associate company etc. and also from the recipient, who can and may take legal action against you. On signing up for associate programs etc. you are always required to firstly agree to a no-spam policy.

Mailing Lists:-  You work very hard to attract visitors to your web site. A visit to your site means that someone has sorted through the abyss of the Internet and found you. The mere fact that you have attracted a new visitor indicates that you are a success in your search engine placement, word-of-mouth popularity, or advertising campaign. Even if your visitor has found your site to be informative and useful and made a mental note of its value, there's still a chance that they may never return. They may have even book-marked your site, but have you taken a look at your bookmarks recently? You're probably overwhelmed and lost even within your own selected and book-marked sites. This is why it's imperative that you're granted permission to communicate with your visitors in future --that they submit their email address information to you  via a form and so on. The development of a mailing list becomes your bread and butter -- it may be the guts of your success on the web.

There are various methods you can employ for obtaining email addresses, but most important is to make sure that it is easy and convenient for visitors to contact you from every page of your site. Then anyone who has visited your site can easily and instantly sign up for future news from you or get a response to a query re more information etc. Remember, your site should always have all your contact details on each page, - email address for information, queries or comments and also a contact for the webmaster?

Direct Email Marketing: - not suggested or recommended, you will be accused by some recipients of your unsolicited email of spamming - always have the prior permission of your prospect before you send an email to them.

Opt-In Mailing Lists: Opt-in email is fast becoming the traffic and lead generation vehicle of choice for online marketers. Unlike banners and other Web-based advertising, email is delivered directly to the consumer, the second they log on to the Web. People love to receive email (non-spam of course) and the email in-box is as far as many people get when they log on to the Web.

An opt-in list is a list or database containing email addresses of individuals who have chosen to receive your email messages. Your message may be web site updates, product updates or an ezine. They provide you with a direct line of communication with potential customers and enable you to promote your products or services.

In order for you to start collecting email addresses, you'll first need to set up a system that will enable your visitors to submit their information, automatically subscribe them to your list and automatically enable you to send out messages. Most email and autoresponders can get you started, but you will be using your own computer to possibly send out 1,000's of emails so look at this aspect closely. You may find your computer tied up for some time just generating emails!

Before we go any further, I want to make sure that you understand that the above pertains to "opt-in-" lists. Not Spam. Under no circumstances should you ever add anyone to your list without their knowledge and approval.

Collecting Email Addresses - There are many free list services on the Internet that will enable you to set up a mailing list; however they won't allow you to personalize your messages, they generally require that your subscriber reply to a confirmation message and  they can unsubscribe from your list at any time. You can also buy a mailing list but be very cautious as you may not get value for money and the addresses supplied may have been improperly collected ?

Forms/Scripts: Your first step in setting up your system will be to get a good form processing script. This script will enable you to have results emailed to you or to a specifies address, can write your information to a database file and even have a personalized thank you page. In addition, you can even have multi-page forms with no limit on the number of pages. Free scripts are available with the above features. (see forms, scripts page). Whatever form you select, make sure that it will allow you to use email templates, as you will need each subscription request to contain certain words in the subject for processing. Email form templates will enable email messages sent to your subscription address to contain any information you'd like.

Setting up a database:  Your next step will be to set up a database to enable you to store your subscriber's information on, process subscription request and email your subscribers. A great program to use is Group Mail by Aureate. This program will process your subscription requests, store your subscribers information in a database and enable you to send personalized email messages. Best of all, it's free. You will find it on my email and communications free links page.

Note: Make sure you download all of the extra, free plug-ins. Once you've got the Group Mail and the plug-ins installed, your next step will be to create your mailing list. Simply follow the instructions provided. After you've set up the your new list, click on "Plug ins"  then on "Subscribers." You'll now have to set up your subscription filters to enable the program to process your subscription requests. 

Now that you have your site up and ready to collect email addresses, you'll need to place a form on your web site. Create two input fields for your form; one for your subscribers name and another for their email address. Your new system will take some time to set up, but it will work for you continuously. It will take care of all your subscription requests and undeliverables  and store your subscriber's information in a database for easy access. In , addition, you'll be able to send personalized messages with any of the following: 

Now, you're ready to begin collecting your visitor's email addresses and start building your targeted list of potential customers.

Building your subscriber base: - there are many powerful ways to build your subscriber base however, we'll only focus on a few of the best ways. 

If your not collecting your visitor's email addresses, don't wait another day to start. Op-in lists can be one of the most powerful marketing tools on the Internet.

Adding a Poll or Survey to your site can be a useful tactic. Poll software is available free and can be  fun and  a means of gaining further contact and information from your visitors. A Poll is a series of questions  that invite the visitor to respond and give their opinion. It is generally a small boxed form with a drop-down menu that provides a series of pre-determined answers to questions usually related to your site, business, or general questionnaire. You can customize your poll questions to suit your particular business, it may  ask your visitors  to answer your question or react or respond  e.g. by going to your offer if they are looking for a new bizop, or if they are unhappy with their existing one. It could be used for visitors to express their opinion of your site's content,  relevance, appearance etc. Great Feedback!  and without having to email you.

Adding a Feedback Form to your site will  allow visitors an easy means of requesting more information, providing constructive criticism about your site/business, or perhaps praising  your site etc. This will enable you to add them to your mailing list  and respond to them having gained your visitors permission. Make sure you include a Feedback Form link on all your web pages.

Adding a Guestbook to your site- guestbooks can be an alternative to a Feedback Form on your site, many people will not volunteer information about your site, product, give their opinion, or ask a question etc. unless you give them a simple, easy to use opportunity to do so. This feedback is priceless as you firstly get to establish two-way communication, perhaps get constructive criticism that may help you to design and present a better-looking site or find out the negative aspects of your offer or service that you should be able to overcome.

Have a competition and give away a gift or prize. Of course you'll need your respondent's email addresses to notify everyone of the winner and perhaps future competitions. Give away a suite of "freebies" or an affordable prize - maybe pay for their initial entry fee for your own program, add free lotto and other sweepstakes entries from your site.

Start a Discussion Group and exchange ideas and information with others. 

Why offer discussion boards and chat?

Some friendly advice:

Don't share email lists, your customers may view your giving away (or selling)  their email address as a violation of the trust they've put in your site and an infringement of their privacy.

Don't post email addresses, if your site has a guest-book or message board to which users register their visit or post their comments, be careful not to publish a person's email address without his or her explicit permission. Spammers can use automated systems to scour the web to find and copy these addresses. The message poster then becomes a target for "spam"