Steve O'Keefe is an Internet Publicity pioneer. The founder of Internet Publicity Services, Steve has helped hundreds of companies promote their products and services online. He has made every marketing blunder imaginable and invites you to learn from his mistakes.
Steve writes the syndicated column "Online Marketing" and his work has been anthologized in the book Publicity Basics by the prestigious Council of Literary Magazines and Presses. His writing have also appeared in Internet World, The Wall Street Journal, Harper's, Small Press, HotWired and dozens of trade newsletters, zines, and electronic publications.
Visit Steve's Internet Publicity Resource Center for links to the best resources available for online publicity and promotion. Steve can be reached by e-mail at okeefe@
olympus.net.
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Publicity on the Internet
by Steve O'KeefeFounder, Internet Publicity Services
Unsolicited E-Mail is OK
With apologies to all my Internet-correct friends and colleagues, don't let anyone tell you you can't send unsolicited e-mail over the Net. You can, and it's okay. Don't let anyone tell you it's immoral, impolite, or not good netiquette. Don't worry about the acceptable use policies you agreed to when you signed up for Internet service. What counts is your relationships with people, not the fine print of the contract. I wonder how many of the people citing acceptable use policies have violated the fine print that comes with every piece of software they own or use? A good friend of mine and a fellow Internet author says in one of her books, "Don't ever send unsolicited e-mail." I get a kick out of sending her notes now and then, knowing she has not asked me to. My sister Janet sends me unsolicited e-mail and I'm glad to get it. I send queries to magazine editors over the Net all the time. At least half of the mail I receive every day is unsolicited and I'm happy to get about 90 percent of it.
When people say, "Never send unsolicited e-mail," what they really mean is "Never send me anything I don't want to read." They like unsolicited e-mail if it's something they're interested in. People are funny that way. I have one of those great big country mailboxes at home, shaped like a barn and large enough to raise small livestock inside. I never know what I'm going to find in there: magazines, catalogs, solicitations, letters from friends, bills, merchandise, photos, sometimes small creatures. I like getting all the interesting stuff, and I throw away the stuff I don't care about. Simple.
But online, nothing is simple. Some people take offense at junk e-mail and, instead of just deleting it or asking to get off your list, they carefully compose hate mail to you, your Internet provider, and anyone else who will listen. Sensitive people, like myself, are often so turned off by the one pyromaniac on their mailing list that they ignore the "thank you" notes from other people. Fortunately, tempers have cooled a little online, and following some standard operating procedures should keep you in the good graces of the Net cops. As I've said, I've received some nasty flames, but those days are mostly behind me. I wish I had archived a couple of the choicer ones, though, so I could accurately reproduce them here. On the other hand, recently I received this compliment in my mailbox; if you follow the advice in this book, you too could be getting fan mail from journalists:
I love the fact that I get your "pitches" by e-mail, rather than "tree." Much easier at this end.
.......................................................................
JACLYN EASTON
Host/Creator, Log On U.S.A. (Radio Show)
Weekly Contributor, Los Angeles Times
Author, "Shopping on the Internet and Beyond!"
Unsolicited e-mail is not the same as spam. Spam is the indiscriminate distribution of messages, without consideration for their appropriateness. Definitely don't spam. Only post messages to discussion groups when you are reasonably certain they're appropriate. Only send e-mail to people you believe are interested in your message. Remove anyone from your mailing lists who asks to be removed. If you follow these simple guidelines, while you may still get a flame now and then, they'll be few and far between. After a while, you'll get a good feel for what works and what doesn't. Agree? Disagree? Go ahead...send Steve some unsolicited e-mail!
All material contained herein is copyright (c) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1996-97 All Rights Reserved. No use of this material may be made without express written permission of the copyright holder.
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