By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Today's Automotive - Salem, Ore.
www.todaysauto.com
This shop offers convenience to its customers through its Web site. An online appointment scheduler and night drop-off form allows customers to do a lot of the paperwork for their vehicle repair at their home. Car care tips and a list of the shop's Code of Ethics make the site informative as well. Well-written "About Us" and "Services" sections add professionalism to the shop and its Web site.
Web Wise
Conquering Spam - Part II
In the September 2003 issue of AutoInc., the Net Worth column focused on the introduction of the SPAM (Stop Pornography and Abusive Marketing) Act in the U.S. Senate. Since that time, Congress approved the first national effort to stop unwanted e-mail, and the state of California has passed conditions that make sending spam more difficult. The California bill goes into effect this month, while the national bill still awaits President Bush's signature.
Until the national effort passes, our inboxes will continue to be flooded with unwanted e-mail. But here are a few tips to keep in mind that could help you reduce the amount of spam you receive:
First, consider investing in software that filters e-mail. Most filtering programs allow the user to customize the settings. This customization can be extremely strict, allowing only e-mails from certain addresses to enter your inbox; or more lenient, looking for filtering based on certain keywords found in the body or subject of the e-mail.
Second, before submitting your e-mail address to any Web site, make sure you view their privacy policy. This policy should be in a prominent place on the company's site and should specifically outline how e-mail addresses will be used.
If your shop has a Web site, consider creating a generic e-mail address such as info@yourshop.com. Try to avoid putting your personal address on your site. Many spammers scour the Web for addresses and will send unsolicited e-mails to your personal address.
Many people are leery about requesting their e-mail address be removed from a mailing list. For some, this is simply a way for spammers to verify a working e-mail address, which will cause an even larger flood of unwanted e-mail to encompass your inbox. Under the legislation passed by Congress, an opt-out option is required and must be honored. Not honoring the request is against the law.
Finally, forward deceptive e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov. Regulators are creating a comprehensive spam database that will help them punish the most deceptive spammers.
Net Numbers
In a random sample of 1,000 pieces of unsolicited commercial e-mail from three Federal Trade Commission data sets, 66 percent contained false "From" lines, "Subject" lines, or message text.
Source: Federal Trade Commission
ASA Web Ways
ASA Members Can Renew Their Dues Online
The Automotive Service Association offers a convenient way for members to renew their dues. Current ASA national members can renew their dues through the Members Only area of the ASA Web site (www.asashop.org). Using a secure Web site, members can fill out a simple form that will renew their dues for another year, allowing instant renewal 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To enter the Members Only area, click on "Member Login" from the top of the ASA home page and enter your six-digit ASA member number into both the username and password fields when prompted.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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