What Filter

  Last time, I wrote about gibberish email subject lines. Sure I know they are designed to get around a person's filter. But then, so what. You've not gained a sale. You've just intensified the receiver's determination to see you out of business. If one could call you actually doing business. I received an email the other day with only the subject line of Allow Popups. They must not understand what a pop up really is. It's what advertisers want me to make you, my reader and subscriber to this newsletter, look at every time you open a new page. One reader had boldly suggested that I could just delete the pop ups. Oh yes, I do that but most automatically record my address and I start getting more unsolicited emails. A few will stick and I cannot remove them until I shut down and restart my computer. The pop ups are encountered when I or my readers visit other websites. Some sites are worth the hassle but most at least deserve a warning to the visitor. There is no magic combination of buttons that will prevent them from appearing later. The gibberish is certainly a method for me to know that this item can be deleted without reading any further. 

  Our provider offered a filter but it screened out our sign ups and confirmations as well so we had to turn it off. All the time, people sign up but forget to let their filter program know that we should be on their "friends" list. Only one system allows me to ask the new member if they will do so and all the rest just delete my message or bounce it back to me. Then it is left to the subscriber to wonder why they are not getting a newsletter.  

  When we first considered an online business, I went to Commission Junction to look for items that might sell. Most big name companies that require online sales, don't consider us big enough to make enough sales for them. Well, that's because few to none will actually buy the products offered. There are for real marketers out there trying to make some serious sales on for real products. But they don't consider that there are 100 or more selling each and every product to any one active address. Some emailers are bold and send not just one a day, but more like one an hour, each and every hour all day and night. Why; they cannot be making any sales by being obnoxious. Some have actually purchased our address and are told that we asked to be receiving emails on similar subjects. Well folks, as I've said before, they are lying to you just to get your money. The only way you will make any money is if you turn around and start selling a list of active email addresses. That's one thing I don't do and won't do. I have worked too hard to get a list of people who want to get our newsletter and I want to keep it that way.

  As soon as we get a new answering machine that will work, I will be back to sending out advertising offers. I don't need to charge a lot for our needs since we have a very low overhead but the openings are few and selective. I like products that we use in everyday life and the kudos are from actual use.