SWeCS NEWSLETTER - 22 March 2004
In this issue...
- New Australian Spam Laws - How Will They
Affect You?
- FREE Software To Remove Spyware
- Australian Domains for only $55! (And transfer
to us for free!)
- Competition Services
- Resources For Small Business
NEW AUSTRALIAN SPAM LAWS
The new Australian Anti-Spam legislation
comes into effect on 10 April 2004. Here's how it will
affect sending and receiving email.
There's two sides to this story. How the legislation will affect sending emails, and how it will effect the amount of spam that arrives in your Inbox.
First, the sending of emails. The legislation only covers emails of a commercial nature. So personal emails aren't covered, but if you want to send a commercial (business) related email after 10 April, you are not allowed to do so without the recipient's consent.
That's right. A bit harsh isn't it? After 10 April it will be illegal to send someone a commercial email unless you know that the person has consented to receiving it. Now this of course has huge ramifications for any kind of business email communication, but before you panic too much, the legislation does say that consent can be IMPLIED.
What does this mean? It means that you can imply that the person has consented to receive your email. This could mean, for example, that if you already have a business relationship with the receiver, that it could be implied that they are happy to receive emails from you. Another situation of implied consent would be when someone has subscribed to your email newsletter. There could be other situations where consent could be implied, but you really do need to be careful, especially when sending an email to someone "unannounced".
The legislation also goes further to say that all emails of a commercial nature must have the following:
- Accurate information about who the sender is (ie. you can't pretend to be sending from someone else).
- A functional way for the recipient to unsubscribe. This does not need to be an automatic system - it could simply be a message along the lines of "If you do not wish to receive emails from us in the future, please reply to this email and advise us".
The legislation will also make it illegal to "harvest" emails off the Internet, or to purchase email lists that have been obtained in that way (eg. the ones you sometimes see for sale - 1 million email addresses for $50).
It is important to note that the legislation covers all emails of a commercial nature. It does NOT matter if it is a single email, or part of a bulk mailout. The legislation also covers SMS messages on mobile phones.
The penalties? Up to $220,000 for a single day's contraventions, or up to $1.1 million for ongoing breaches. Obviously these maximum penalties would be reserved for the most serious of cases.
Now, how will this legislation affect the amount of spam that arrives in your Inbox? In our opinion, it will have almost no effect. The reason for this is because the legislation is only applicable in Australia, and some studies show that over 90% of spam comes from overseas. In fact, a recent survey by the United Nations showed that 60% of spam comes from America, with China second (6%) and the United Kingdom third (5%). Australia wasn't even in the top 5.
Not only does this legislation not apply to spammers in (for example) the United States, but in the US spam is almost perfectly legal, due to their laws relating to Freedom of Speech etc. So, unfortunately, expect spam to continue arriving.
So, in summary, this legislation has a BIG effect on how Australian businesses can communicate via email. But if you're hoping that it will reduce the amount of spam you get, we don't think it will have much effect (we hope we're wrong!).
If you are interested in trying to stop spam, you could try SpamArrest. They have a 30 day trial, but after that it costs about $5.00 a month. It does stop almost 100% of spam, but like all spam filters it will also occasionally filter out ones you want too.
FREE SOFTWARE TO REMOVE SPYWARE
"Spyware" is a term used to describe hidden programs on your computer, sometimes secretly downloaded when you click on certain links on web sites, that then infect your system and produce annoying results such as advertisements that pop up on your screen or behind your work on your desktop (not including the normal browser popups than can occur sometimes when you click on a link).
There is a free program available (for personal use only, not commercial use), that will clean up your system. No free trials or other catches, this is completely free.
It's called Ad Aware and you can find it at www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/.
AUSTRALIAN DOMAIN NAMES
We now handle domain name registrations at
fantastic rates. Are you currently paying $140
every two years for your domain name?
We offer Australian .com.au domains for only $55 for two years, plus fantastic rates on all the other major domain name types such as .net.au, .org.au, .asn.au, .com, .net, .biz, and so on.
The even better news is that even if you have had your domain name registered with someone else, you are able to transfer over to our system for free, and still keep the length of time you have already paid for.
For example, if your domain runs out next year, you can transfer over to us now, and when your domain is due for renewal next year you'll be able to renew through us at the lower rate!
So, whether you're purchasing a brand new domain name, wanting to transfer, or simply interested in checking what names are available, then check out our new domains registration web site at http://domains.southwestecommerce.net.
COMPETITION SERVICES
Running a competition is a great way to build awareness of your product or business. If you are ever interested in running a competition over the Internet, we have a new competition management service which includes:
- A competition entry page, tailored to look EXACTLY like your web site, with entrants being returned to any page you like
- Complete management of all entries, including random drawing of a winner
- Many options available, such as automatic confirmation email sent to entrants, "Refer a friend" option, and more
- Full statistics on how many entries etc, plus a text file of all the email addresses of entrants, for your own use
- Free promotion of your competition via various competition directories and mailouts
Prices for this service will vary, depending on the nature of the competition and your web site, so simply contact us for a free quote.
RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS
Browse through the SWeCS Ecommerce Library, full of FREE information about getting more out of the Internet. Sections include Web Site Development, Web Site Promotion & Internet Marketing, Online Commerce, Computer & Technical Issues, and Miscellaneous.
The SWeCS Newsletter archives provides a wealth of FREE information on small business and the Internet. Browse through the main topics or search for your particular query.
Start up another income stream, by earning commissions for each referral who signs up for one of our services.
Do you know of a resource that should be added
here? Email us and let us know. There is only one
condition - it must be free.
OTHER EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
Here's some other email newsletters you might
like:
www.dunsboroughbayvillageresort.com/news/newsindex.htm
www.west-oz.com/enewsletter/enewsletteronline.asp
http://derekstockley.com/newsletters/news-index.html
This newsletter is produced by South West eCommerce
Strategies - © 2007
PO Box 2340, Bunbury, WA 6230
Ph: (08) 9721 1326
Fax: (08) 9721 1352
Email: admin@southwestecommerce.com
Web Site: www.southwestecommerce.com
