| LED Digest 1910: Using Challenge Response Email |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam,led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com ............................................... December 16, 2004 Issue #1910 ............................................... .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ===== NEW ====================== --== Dynamic DNS? ==-- ~ Brett Swooshman ==== CONTINUING ================= --== The Challenge-Response Approach ==-- ~ Michael Linehan ~ Veronica Yuill ~ John Barendrecht --== The PayPal vs Merchant Accounts Debate ==-- ~ Richard Stubbings ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Theft of Copywritten Material ==-- ~ Karen Chalmers-Scott --== Browser Wars ==-- ~ Linda Buquet ======= NEW ====================================== From: Brett Swooshman Subject: Dynamic DNS hosting packages I received an email the other day from Network Solutions with the following offer: ----------------- "Network Solutions has partnered with No-IP.com to offer Dynamic DNS - a service that allows you to run your own Web or e-mail server using your cable or DSL connection - no matter when your IP address changes." ----------------- I didn't think this could be possible and I bet it would violate the usage policy of many providers but I was curious about what everybody thought about this type of service? I would never get this type of service for a client but it sounds like a good way to get your feet wet with running your own server. Thoughts and feedback would be welcome. Thanks. Brett Swooshman ===== CONTINUING ================================= From: Michael Linehan Subject: Challenge response > The only way to block spam 100% is to > use a challenge-response system - Scott Wang, LED 1906 Why are you getting spam in the first place? I have NEVER yet worked on someone's site that didn't have the email address fully exposed in the text, site code or both. Ironically, this is true for several people in the last newsletter. Such an exposed email address is, to the best of my knowledge, the single largest source of spam for any site owner. Lock the barn door BEFORE the horse gets out. Encode your email address or use a contact form that doesn't hold the address in the site code. After having my site for several years, I've recently experienced a huge surge in my spam --- up from 0-2 to around 5 per day! Michael Linehan www.marketing-alchemy.com ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Veronica Yuill Subject: Challenge response Mark Whitman wrote: > Challenge-response is a very simple process that is in no way > a burden on a sender. It's a routine opt-in process. A sender gets > a message back from an autoresponder asking the sender to > click on a link that confirms the sender's email address. How > much hassle is that? It takes less than 5 seconds. I doubt it's > going to make someone change their mind about contacting you. A couple of comments on that: 1) If you are on dialup and are reading your email offline, it takes a lot more than 5 seconds to click on the link and confirm the address. We don't all have the luxury of broadband connections ... 2) If you are the editor of a popular newsletter, it's not unusual to get dozens of C/R emails from subscribers when you send out an issue. If you decide to confirm them all, rather than filtering them straight to trash, this also takes more than 5 seconds and is an annoying hassle. Just ask Adam ;-) So if you insist on using C/R, please use a separate, non-C/R address for your newsletter subscriptions! Incidentally, Mark, you say you get all your email, but how do you know about the email you didn't get? ;-) Regards Veronica Yuill Archetype Information Technology Ltd http://www.archetype-it.com/english/ <Moderator Comment> No doubt! I'm surprised I haven't heard from other list publishers on this until now (thanks Veronica!). This is a pretty large burden for publishers. Comments?? ------- new post - same topic ------- From: John Barendrecht Subject: Challenge response > SPF yourself and folks won't forge your address. - Ken Evoy, LED 1908 I have to disagree with Ken on this. We have an SPF DNS record. Unfortunately, only about 200,000 mail servers world-wide use this. We can implement Challenge-Response (C-R) but it would be our last line of defense. On a typical day, our mail server will get 800 unwanted pieces of mail: 1. Real-time Blackhole List - refuses 435 connections from mail servers. 2. Virus filter - refuses 95 viruses (>>> 554 Message cannot be accepted, virus found 'Win32:Mabutu [Wrm]') Why let the mail server accept viruses? We also use a different brand of anti-virus program to check files on disk, just in case the mail server misses one. 3. To slow down dictionary attacks, we implement tar pitting after x unknown-users attempts. 4. Content filter - 100 deletes (To, From and subject, all 3 are blank) 5. White lists/Blacklists 6. Spam filters (variety of filters with integrated SPF) - 170 delete or deliver to 'spam box' or tag as spam (user preference) We could implement C-R as #7 on the 400 messages remaining but only 2 were spam (yesterday). One was from Norton Anti-virus and one from an out of office auto responder. Why subject 1200 (800 + 400) people per day to C-R when it is easier just to delete the 2 messages. If both these people/robots had used SPF, they would not have spammed me. Also, one must take care not to setup a mail-loop between your C-R and an auto-responder. Someone said "no one complains about C-R". How many don't complain but simply don't respond or deal with your company? Also what mail are you not getting? If you order from our site, our robot sends out a confirmation with details about your order. I think the point isn't whether C-R works for you or not but how many innocent people are you spamming with your C-R system? Do you think they will ever do business with you? Also, if you use a 3rd party C-R, your mail comes from 3rdparty.com rather than yourdomain.com. It doesn't look professional. I have to agree with Ken, C-R should be used as a last resort in a well-rounded program. John Barendrecht Centralhome.com Company Inc ------- new post - new topic ------- From: Richard Stubbings Subject: PayPal vs other I have read with interest the various opinions here about using Paypal for your shop. It is not simply a matter of cost (it has been suggested that paypal is the cheapest solution if you have a low volume of transactions). It is not even a matter of perception (some customers think paypal equates to 'not a real shop'). It is in fact a very real legal difference. I am speaking in the UK now, and with UK law. It may be different in the US. If you have a merchant account, when a customer pays you by credit card they get their full protection in the consumer credit act. If you fail to deliver, then the credit card company is jointly liable. The customer has good protection. If however you use paypal, the customer pays paypal using their credit card, then the consumer credit act no longer applies. Many credit card companies consider paypal to be an agent under section 75 of the act and thus they are not liable for non delivery. The customer is left with getting a refund from paypal. Not always possible! Now this has not been tested in court, BUT it is believed that the credit card companies have a case. Either way any publicity arising will serve to further put off customers using shops with a paypal checkout. As a customer I would NEVER use a paypal method of payment. So naturally my shop does not accept paypal. Richard Stubbings Kulture Shock http://www.kultureshock.co.uk ==== BILLBOARD =================================== From: Karen Chalmers-Scott Subject: Copy theft Just wanted to thank Mark Frank for that very useful copyright violation template letter. It's another example of how valuable this discussion list is - thanks also to you Adam for all your work. Karen Chalmers-Scott Scott Concepts Pty Ltd ------- new post - new topic ------- From: Linda Buquet Subject: "Affiliate Marketing 2005" Survey Results I participated in MarketingSherpa's recent Affiliate Marketing survey and have been anxious for them to publish the results. Here is is, hot off the press. "Special Report: Affiliate Marketing 2005 -- Do Merchants & Affiliates Have Unrealistic Expectations?' "MarketingSherpa's December affiliate marketing survey results are in -- and the results are stunningly different from our expectations. 2004 has been a particularly tough year with merchants' fears of cookie stuffing and dishonest adware/spyware, CAN-SPAM legalities, and paid search arbitrage. Many experts, including us, worried these factors would drive the estimated $1.5 billion affiliate marketing industry into a decline. Guess what? According to our survey results, affiliate marketing is alive and well. Overall 91% of surveyed merchants and 82% of affiliates expect revenue growth in 2005." Here are the results of the survey, plus 5 tactics e-tailers can use to increase affiliate revenues from Shawn Collins. http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=2878 Linda Buquet, Affiliate Management Consultant http://www.5staraffiliateprograms.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains Copyright 1995-2004 Adam Audette. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children." - William Makepeace Thackeray |
