The blogging awards have obviously created a fervor in the blogosphere. As a result, many nominees are getting the word out via e-mail in hopes of raising awareness – and favorable votes.
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do this, kids. And many times the wrong way is actually an illegal way.
The Wrong Way
After receiving an unsolicited message from a recruiting blogger, a friend of mine replied to me with the following:
It amazes me how shameless and self serving some of the “recruitment” bloggers are. I don’t even know [name of blogger] …. never talked to the guy in my life …. and he is asking me to vote for his blog.
It’s one thing to ask someone to take a look at your blog as an introduction …. but to ask someone to vote for your blog … a little much.
1. Don’t e-mail people who haven’t opted-in for such messages. Yes, a few people will vote for you, but a lot of others will be ticked off and share their disenchantment with others (see above).
2. The e-mail in question failed to offer a way for the recipient to opt-out of future mailings. This is a no-no.
3. The e-mail in question failed to offer an address from which the message came. Another no-no.
4. For more on the wrong way to do mass e-mails, checkout the CAN-SPAM Act. Yes, this stuff is actually illegal.
The Right Way
Yes, I sent out a message via e-mail inviting people to vote for their favorite recruiting blogs. But:
1. Everyone who received it has opted-in to receive such messages.
2. Anyone can opt out of my mailing list with the click of a button.
3. My address is on every e-mail and adheres to all requirements as legislated by CAN-SPAM.
So, if you’re thinking about shotgunning an e-mail out to the world, you might want to think twice about your actions. Do it the right way.
Popularity: 7% [?]
December 17th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
Anyone who asked for my vote via mass-email didn’t get mine. It was enough of a popularity contest last year; didn’t need to become more so this time. However, the problem also lies in part in awards coordinator Jason Davis’ hands. Last year (2005 awards), each entrant’s blog name was hyperlinked to the blog so you could learn what it was about and judge on its own merits. In the SurveyMonkey link to vote for this year, the blog names were unlinked. So now you expect each voter to go find the blogs? Big issue for me.
December 18th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
The list on surveymonkey wasn’t hyperlinked last year, either. I remember this, because I specifically asked for the same thing, and was told that the surveymonkey tool wouldn’t allow the choices to be hyperlinked.
December 27th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
I guess your way works better !
Congrats on your big win Joel. I think the ebay thing put you over the top ;-)
You deserve the win too- I think its going to be a popular result.