Is It SPAM? W


email Judy Ramsey judyramsey@scbaptist.org


E’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT AN ENTRÉE that became popular during World War II and is on the menu in some fast food restaurants in Hawaii. This article is about the unsolicited email that comes to


the inbox of your email account. With electronic communications increasingly becoming a


preferred means of communicating, unsolicited email has be- come so prevalent that most people get more of it than legitimate messages. Email address lists are sold, harvested through Website usage, and obtained through unethical means such as hacking into a contact’s list. Every day email accounts are bombarded with messages from companies and individuals with whom the user has no relationship. Email is a great method to communicate to send messages


and distribute news which can save time and the costs associ- ated with traditional mailings. However, one has to be careful when sending messages to numerous addresses so that they are not perceived as spam. Internet Service Providers and email providers are becoming


more vigilant in protecting their customers from unsolicited email. Filters can be implemented that will send messages to junk mail or spam folders which can block email from specific addresses if those messages do not meet established protocols. If messages are sent to a large number of addresses in one mailing, they can be perceived as spam. If this happens repeatedly, the sender can have his email address “blacklisted” as spam so that no


messages from that email address can get through. Churches are increasingly using electronic means for communicating with


their congregations to distribute newsletters, mailings to announce upcoming events, reminders for meetings, etc. Good email standards are necessary to avoid the church’s email address from being blocked by email service providers. Some good standards include: • Dividing contact lists into multiple lists of no more than 20 email addresses. • Obtaining permission from individuals to send messages and asking them to add your address to their contacts lists.


• Using a subject line that is clear about the content of the message. Avoid using words with all upper case or lower case letters.


• Writing the content of your message so that it is interesting to read, clear, and concise.


• Using a bulk email service.


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