CircleID, June 29, 2004

If you haven't already heard about Sender Policy Framework (SPF), you will. It's one of the leading anti-sp*m authentication schemes and last month Microsoft announced that it will be merging it's Caller ID with SPF to form a new joint standard, 'Sender ID.'

I'll admit it -- this two-part article is a little tech- focused. But if you're sending e-mail you'll want to understand the ins and outs of this new initiative, and this is the best article I've found to date to explain it.

Marketing Sherpa, July 2004

Looking to change e-mail vendors? Or just wondering if you're getting the best service at the best price for your needs?

Either way, this report is for you, with detailed profiles of 51 vendors and 70 service offerings (from 'uber-cheap' to 'money-is-no- object' price points).

Cost: $149 for immediate access to your own PDF version of the report. 100% money-back guarantee.

Kris Oser, DIRECT, April 2004

Targeting, reputation and content are the three keys to success cited in this quick read article about an e- mail newsletter that generated 15 calls from potential customers and 3 sales, with another 5 or 6 sales expected shortly. And that was just the first issue.

A great read for anyone looking to use e-mail to make sales, especially of high-dollar products or services (the average sale here is $28,000).

Liane Cassavoy, Yahoo! News/PC World, July 6, 2004

"We're out to make the Internet a better place with e-mail marketing." So says Scott Richter, who is being sued over his company's e-mail practices.

I don't agree with him on that, but he makes a good point in another area: there are some legitimate companies that are as abusive in their e-mail relationships as he is, that are damaging the 'opt-in' e-mail channel just as badly as he is, but for the most part they aren't being sued. Why is that?

Bigfoot Interactive, May 17, 2004

I love stats, and while this is a bit of an a la carte assortment ( a few here, a few more there), it's still a good point for reference. Their most complete data is on the Financial Services industry, but even if you're in retail, automotive, media or another area you'll appreciate the quantitative data.