E-mail “Whitelist” Etiquette
by Judith Kallos
Published on this site: July 1st, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
A big-time dilemma is brewing online. In an understandable attempt
to bypass all that annoying spam, e-mails that onliners want to
receive are getting lost in the shuffle. Newsletter subscription
requests are not being completed and important e-mails are not getting
to their intended parties.
Your “Whitelist” is the list that contains the e-mail
addresses of those you do in fact want to receive e-mail from. Some
services require the accepted addresses be in one’s address
book to be added to the whitelist. While other software/services
call this list the approved or allowed senders list and require
you manually add those you want to accept e-mail from to your list.
Regardless of what this feature is called, it is clearly not being
utilized correctly and in many cases, at all.
What can be done about this? A little user education and E-mail
Whitelist Etiquette is in order!
=> When signing up for an online newsletter, mailing list or
Web site service, immediately add their e-mail address or dot com
to your approved or white list. This will ensure smooth communications
with you and that e-mails will get through with the information
you requested or confirmations necessary for you to acknowledge
your request.
=> If you initiate the request, it is your responsibility to
promptly add the other side’s e-mail address or dot com information
to your whitelist. This extra step will reflect that you are courteous
and tech savvy! In addition, doing so will avoid those who you have
requested information or services from, from having to follow verification
e-mail instructions just to get you the information you requested.
Besides, you cannot count on everyone responding to those verification
e-mails—many simply don’t or can't (automated subscription
systems).
=> Before getting upset because you perceive someone didn't
respond, check to see if their e-mail was inadvertently deleted
or sent to your Trash or Junk folder. Then, upon finding these e-mails
in your Trash or Junk folders, add their information to your whitelist
straight away. Too many onliners become belligerent about a supposed
lack of response when in fact a response was sent and because they
didn't clear the way for the e-mail to be accepted it was diverted
to trash or not allowed through.
=> Web sites and newsletters should have a response or thank
you page that clearly requests site visitors and subscribers to
add the required e-mail address to their whitelist right then and
there. If onliners know the address to expect e-mail from, it is
much easier to expect that they will add that address to their whitelist
and your e-mail will get through.
It is important that every onliner make a conscious effort to become
aware of the above issues and integrate these suggestions into their
day-to-day activities. Only then can an informed online community
use e-mail for the efficient and convenient communication tool it
was meant to be.
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology
Muse
who has played @ http://www.TheIStudio.com
for over a decade.
Check out her popular E-mail Etiquette Web site and Book @
http://www.NetManners.com
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