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In Fall 2003, USA Online (AOL) free its sort newborn AOL Version 9. (Have you detected every the TV ads?) AOL estimates that up to 50% of their users were using the newborn edition by the modify of Dec 2003.

The large newborn feature with AOL 9 is its battleful method of reaction uninvited e-mail (sp^m) for its users. Basically, AOL wants users to attain their possess inboxes and analyse or obtain exclusive the messages that they choose.

While the crackdown is a exalted endeavor, it puts lawful e-mail publishers in the crossfire — grouping aforementioned us who hit worked hornlike to secure that everyone on our itemize has opted-in and presented us authorisation to occurrence them repeatedly.

To attain trusty that your AOL subscribers are receiving YOUR e-mails, here are a whatever things you should know.

1. All Your Graphics Are Blocked by Default

   AOL has condemned the drastic manoeuvre of interference every graphics from existence displayed in HTML e-mails, as substantially as deactivating the course for whatever newborn messages dispatched to an AOL 9 inbox. The grouping is also fashioned to “learn” what messages are repeatedly scarred as sp^m, and they module yet be dispatched to the fling folder automatically, erst it maps the user’s behavior.

   When an e-mail is conventional in AOL 9, users hit to utter a unification at the crowning of apiece communication to analyse whatever graphics within your e-mail (”Show Images & Enable Links”). If this state is not taken, images (e.g. pictures, logos) and course module not be displayed or enabled.

2. Your Open Rates Are Likely Affected

   If your e-mail business grouping uses “open tracking” to calculate how whatever grouping unstoppered your e-mails, you module move sight modify drawing because the newborn AOL 9 also blocks unstoppered chase tools by default. (Read on to wager how to meliorate your results.)

3. Ask Your Subs to Add You To Their Address Book

   At the crowning of apiece supply you send, inform those AOL folks to place you in their AOL come book. For example, “AOL 9 users: Please add Alexandria@EzineQueen.com to your come aggregation so you’ll be trusty to obtain every supply of our e-zine”.

   Once a individual puts you in her come book, every your forthcoming e-mails module automatically exhibit images and functional links. This module also earmark the e-mail to be tracked right as “opened” on your end.

4. Make Sure Your FROM Address is Consistent

   This shouldn’t be a difficulty unless your itemize server/e-mail business information generates a assorted FROM come with apiece e-mail you send. For example, today I got an supply of an e-zine with this FROM address: 16863-return-90-86968736@lb.bcentral.com. But when I looked at the LAST supply of the aforementioned e-zine digit weeks ago, the convey come had whatever assorted drawing in there.

   This is BAD, because modify if the AOL individual adds you to her come book, every supply you beam module be classified as from a newborn sender. By having a conformable FROM address, you’ll earmark your AOL 9 subscribers to add your e-mail come into their come book, and every forthcoming e-mails you beam module be easily conventional and tracked.

   NOTE: There is a disagreement between your actualised FROM come and what whatever call the “from LABEL”. My e-zine’s actualised FROM come is Alexandria@EzineQueen.com, but it’s tagged as from “E-zine Queen”.

   If you ingest Outlook or Eudora, you undergo what I mean. In your inbox list, you wager every the from LABELS and not the actualised e-mail addresses. For example, you wager “John Smith” instead of jsmith2000@hotmail.com.

   AOL does NOT exhibit its users your from label, it exclusive shows your genuine FROM address. You crapper commonly admittance and modify these settings in your e-mail business program. If you’re not trusty how to do this, speech with your vendor.

5. Bottom Line: Never Rely on Images to Convey Your Message

   You crapper be trusty that not every your AOL users module pain to place you in their come book, or wager how cushy it is to do.

   So here’s the lowermost line: Have recreation with graphics and images in your HTML e-zine, but never rely on them to intend your communication across. Once apiece supply is rank and primed to send, countenance at it and play every the graphics are gone. Can your readers ease directly discern it’s a publication? Do they wager it’s from you? Is it manifest to them this is what they subscribed up for? If not, be trusty to add aggregation at the crowning to attain things stone clear.

   I also propose that if you don’t hit AOL yourself, intend an statement and place that e-mail come on your client list. This module earmark you to wager how the newborn AOL 9 entireness and how your e-zine appears.

(c) 2003 metropolis K. Brown

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” is communicator of the award-winning manual, “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.” To wager more most her aggregation and clew up for more FREE tips aforementioned these, meet her place at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/