I'm a huge fan of SpamAssassin. I have many websites and all of my servers use it. It cuts out about 80% of the crap heading to my inbox. And while I do lose a few newsletters, it's worth it.

The problem is too many indie businesses just don't get it. They think flashy is the way to go, but more and more people realize as spam becomes ever more rampant that if you want to contact your fans, you need to make your newsletters accessbile first, flashy second.

How do you do that?

Start by doing away with HTML in emails.

That's right. Ditch it. It's useless. I know one music biz website that actually sends out HTML messages with graphics and all. And every edition gets SpamAssassinated. HTML emails are marketing heaven. A marketer can track which emails are opened and which not. They include javascript and cookies, and of course, HTML is easy to slip a virus into.

So stop using HTML newsletters. Remember the point of fan newsletters is communication. If you don't effectively communicate with your fan base, then you're wasting your time.

How do you know if your newsletter is being Spam Assassinated?

For the past year or so I've been using SiteBuildIt to optimize my websites for the search engines. SiteBuildIt is program designed to help you build a webpage that Effectively sells your product while helping you to top the search engines.

Warning: It's expensive. We're talking $299 a year. And yes, it's worth every penny. SiteBuildIt offers some incredible services, but I DON'T suggest you head over there and purchase the program.

Instead, join their affiliate program. You will find out about ALL the great services they offer, like their SpamChecker, and find out IF it's right for you.

Here's how it works:

1. Open a new email and send it to bard-spamcheck@sitesell.net
2. Insert your newsletter into the body of the email. Email it and wait.
3. The SpamChecker will send you an email that will tell you how likely your zine will be SpamAssassinated and how to fix problems BEFORE they happen.

Now that's a great service! And one of many SiteBuildIt offers. Find out more about SiteBuildIt here.

If you're looking for some web hosts offering SpamAssassin, check out my web hosting reviews.