(Deliverability) AOL and certification - still problems!
Latest posts | Feed | By Mark Brownlow on February 07, 2006
So it all turned out to be a storm in an electronic teacup. Or did it?
Contrary to original reports and statements, AOL's whitelists and email delivery practices remain more or less the same as before. But there is an additional for-fee certification process that guarantees delivery with working images and links, provided you can meet the certification criteria.
So far so good. Now for the problems.
1. Email's credibility took a hit, which nobody needs. Why this damage? Because people don't read articles properly. All over discussion boards you'll see people who think certification means *spammers* can now pay to bypass spam filters.
That's not true, of course. Certification implies a checking procedure which spammers, by definition, cannot pass. But reality is irrelevant - it's what people perceive that counts.
2. Related to this inability to read is the return of the "email marketing is dead" fraternity. They think certification means your emails are not delivered if you don't pay.
Also not true. While whitelist criteria may get tightened etc., not a lot has actually changed for those who don't want to go the paid certification route.
But there are career pessimists and the vendors of alternative delivery systems (like RSS) who stupidly or conveniently misinterpret the situation to poke a stick at email marketing.
3. Though the "paid" system is not replacing the "free" one, the idea is now out there. It may have received public rejection and forced AOL to backtrack. But the seed is planted.
Next time someone suggests it, the shock factor is less and acceptance is easier. People will eventually follow the money. This is the most important issue. Economic reality says that charging for email delivery will increase. And I'm not the only one saying this.
Interesting times...
P.S. There are now hundreds of media reports of the AOL / Goodmail situation. Check out Google News and enter AOL as a keyword to find them.
Contrary to original reports and statements, AOL's whitelists and email delivery practices remain more or less the same as before. But there is an additional for-fee certification process that guarantees delivery with working images and links, provided you can meet the certification criteria.
So far so good. Now for the problems.
1. Email's credibility took a hit, which nobody needs. Why this damage? Because people don't read articles properly. All over discussion boards you'll see people who think certification means *spammers* can now pay to bypass spam filters.
That's not true, of course. Certification implies a checking procedure which spammers, by definition, cannot pass. But reality is irrelevant - it's what people perceive that counts.
2. Related to this inability to read is the return of the "email marketing is dead" fraternity. They think certification means your emails are not delivered if you don't pay.
Also not true. While whitelist criteria may get tightened etc., not a lot has actually changed for those who don't want to go the paid certification route.
But there are career pessimists and the vendors of alternative delivery systems (like RSS) who stupidly or conveniently misinterpret the situation to poke a stick at email marketing.
3. Though the "paid" system is not replacing the "free" one, the idea is now out there. It may have received public rejection and forced AOL to backtrack. But the seed is planted.
Next time someone suggests it, the shock factor is less and acceptance is easier. People will eventually follow the money. This is the most important issue. Economic reality says that charging for email delivery will increase. And I'm not the only one saying this.
Interesting times...
P.S. There are now hundreds of media reports of the AOL / Goodmail situation. Check out Google News and enter AOL as a keyword to find them.
[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
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