Tips for Managing Spam Complaints

Managing spam complaints can be a daunting task. Here are some tips that can help you lesson the burden:

• Make sure your abuse@ and postmaster@ addresses are valid and are able to receive email. Make sure that you have access to those addresses and can review incoming mail. These addresses are recommended by Internet standards set by IETF for reporting of complaints.

• Register the above addresses with www.abuse.net. Abuse.net is a clearinghouse for registered abuse addresses and is used by many network administrators and tools to send complaints to the right destination.

• Register for a feedback loop. Some ISPs, such as AOL, will share with you complaint data they receive from their users. AOL's feedback loop is set up as part of their whitelisting process. More information can be found here: http://postmaster.aol.com/

• Provide instructions for complaints in your Privacy and Anti-Spam policies. Often times a less tech-savvy recipient will want to complain to you but will not know how. Make sure that your privacy policy is linked at the bottom of your email as part of the footer.