AOL and Yahoo may start charging commercial users fractions of a cent to deliver e-mail.

See stories here: Slashdot Clickz

And while you might think this is outrageous- it’s actually a good thing. The Can-Spam act has done virtually nothing to stop SPAM and to increase the effectiveness of direct marketing through e-mail, many people you’ve opted-in for mailings- have pushed way too much junk your into your inbox.

The solution is already here- it’s called RSS. I’ve written several posts about it already- most recently “A site without RSS is like a phone without a ringer.”

RSS allows your customers to choose when to see what new and interesting things you have on your site- and to visit at their leisure. Smart marketers will soon offer different RSS feeds to different types of customers- with different deals on different products. For now, the key is adding RSS to your site- no matter what (WordPress does this automatically).

To read some interesting views on how to make RSS simpler to use see:

Dave Winer “How RSS can bust through” 

Fred Wilson “E-mail vs RSS (Continued)”

While what I’ve read about AOL and Yahoo’s plans seems heavy handed, something has to be done to eliminate junk e-mail- and this is one option.  I remember seeing a proposal not long ago about requiring a secure type certificate for every e-mail server that would be revoked if too many spam complaints were lodged against that server. Earthlink implemented a barrier that would require a response to send e-mail to protected addresses that was highly effective during an outbreak of one really horrible virus a year or so ago. This is not the first time a radical solution has been suggested.

The best spam fighting solution I have seen is the Spam Karma 2 plug-in for WordPress that works through the collective wisdom of a shared knowledge base. It would seem that if implemented Internet wide- this type of Spam filter would quickly stop the current deluge.

How to Build a High-Traffic Web Site (or Blog)

The reason you have a site is to get your message to other people – preferably customers. The blogosopher seminar is all about getting traffic to your site- using the easiest possible way (a WordPress blog) – and working your web stats to make sure you have content that works.

Steve Pavlina has a very well written set of suggestions on how to build your content- and make no mistake- content is king. Useful, helpful, informative content can do a lot to drive traffic to your site- and while he has general tips- here are a few important ones that I think will help:

Think about the questions you get every day from your customers- and write the answers on your blog. If you are the expert in your field, you got that way by answering questions- so do that on your site. In today’s seminar I had two physicians- both of them looking for ways to build their practices. Every day the local paper has at least one health related story- and if it fits your specialty- someone will be reading it- and looking for answers on the web. Write your opinion on the story- and make sure you mention the name of the local paper- and the writer of the story in your post. This will help you localize your blog- and capitalize on the visibility of another media outlet- same goes for segments on local TV news- if it relates to your practice- write about it as soon as possible.

Another client in the seminar was a sign company. They often deal with start-up businesses that need a sign. A good way to have customers find you would be to write about your experiences with local building codes and permits and how to cut through the red tape- people will find you. Another subject would be all the permits you need to open a new business in your jurisdiction- to help the new businessperson find the answers they are looking for- and establish a relationship with your sign company.

It’s this kind of content that can help you get in front of your customers before the competition does.

Leave It Behind > Brian Bailey: Building a Better Blog

As I keep telling students in my Blogosopher seminar- the answers are out there- you just have to look for them.

Here are easy ways to get more hits for your blog- and how to build posts- and a great tip about clicking on your links after you make them (so the linked site can see your hits in their stats).

There are some really good blogs on how to blog- I’m working on making this site one of them. While I only offer the seminar in Dayton right now- I hope to soon take it out as a road show- to other locations. I’d especially like to start making presentations to Ad Clubs around the country.