Email As a Business Tool
Not always a reliable source of communication.
If you have a Hotmail or other free email account you are probably familiar with the thousands of spam messages you get every day. In efforts to keep their clients happy, bulk email providers, like MSN, and Yahoo have put up "heavy duty" spam blockers to keep the garbage down. The user has no control over what gets blocked and what is let through. Therefore, a completely legitimate email address can be blocked just because Hotmail's or Yahoo's spam blocker does not recognize the server or the entire domain address space is on a "black list".
After some complaints from clients about not being able to get through to Hotmail accounts, we set up our own Hotmail account and tested it out in our office. Just as it was reported: Emails sent to the Hotmail account just simply never got there... they were gobbled up by the spam monster. Further investigation with MSN technical support indicated that the word "test" in the subject was what the spam filter was kicking out. We asked for a list of "blacklist" words but were denied that information. The point being is that you have no idea what information in the title or the body will cause your email to get rejected. Not a good way to do business.
What does this mean for small business owners and their clients? Avoid using Homail, AOL, Cox or SBCGlobal email accounts when conducting business. These accounts are unreliable and can break down communications between businesses. We would recommend for business purposes using an email account set up through your domain name. This was recommended in our last newsletter, but we can't emphasize it enough. Not only does it put out a professional look, but it is also far superior in communication capabilities than a typical free, personal email account.
This is not to say email accounts through domain names don't get spam; they do. In fact you will probably see more spam, but you also won't miss that important email from a client or prospect. Therefore you have more control over what goes in and out so you don't miss a prospect's email or an important business document that was sent to you via email! To control spam you should use an email client that has built-in spam tools. In this way you control and manage what is spam and what happens to your email.
Helpful Definitions and Tips:
There are two technologies that often get confused. Let us help clarify them for you:Blog (WebLog) - A web log. A way for an individual or business to publish articles and have the public comment on them. This is a good low cost way to publish newsletters, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), Customer support tips and instructions and other information that is of immediate and changing.
Forum (Discussion Group, News Group) - Commonly known as a "Chat Room", this online communication hub allows users to come in and have discussions on different topics, ask questions, user support, etc. This format is better used for support tasks and developing a "community of users".
Which do you need?The first question is "How much to you expect your "reader" to respond and interact with the information?" If the answer is that there will need to be more of a "converstation" then a Forum is the best answer. If the need is mostly to read and learn from the posted information then a Weblog is the best solution. A Forum is also a good solution for "tech support" tasks in that your customer can "ask a question" about your service and product and you can then create a converstation with that customer to clarify, solve, and/or answer their query.