Having been in online business for over seven years, I've seen a lot of trends come and go. I have in my archives a vast history of online ecommerce news - good and bad. I studied it over the past couple months and realized something as fact, that I didn't want to be true. I will be publishing my thoughts on this phenomenon right here for the next couple weeks. 
 

PUBLISHERS ARE THE ONLINE MEDIA
by Bobbette Madonna
Copyright 2005-2006

Granted, there are many different styles publishers create when 
choosing their electronic magazines (ezines) or newsletters. We 
all have to start somewhere and most of us developed a more 
professional look as time goes on. We are dedicated to what we 
do and to pleasing our readers. We love comments from them and 
will go out of our way to help them. We subscribe them and 
unsubscribe them constantly. They tell us what they like and don't 
like and we acquiesce. Why? Because we love what we do to say 
nothing of the fact that it is our livelihood - a way to work at home 
and earn money. Most ezines and newsletters are free. Many 
hours of labor goes into our editions and we are proud of our work.

That being said...

With the rise of the net-cops working against us - with the help of 
ISPs and anti-ecommerce groups - over the last 5 years, things 
have deteriorated into heart wrenching chaos for publishers and 
business list owners. We are threatened with charges for email to
get through, getting shut down, blocked by the ISPs we pay, filters
deciding for us how we write our news, not knowing how many of
our subscribers and/or customers are getting our email and the
FTC forcing changes upon us and trying to keep up with it all, we
have become slaves to our profession. A lot of the joy is gone.
What is not gone is the determination to regain the joy and secure
the respect we have earned. 

And, the subscriber to our publication is not as happy as they once 
were. They jump from one ezine to anther, posting free ads and 
purchasing advertising to promote their programs. Are they actually
reading the content? Who knows. Are publishers just ad pushers?
Has advertising taken over what was once news, trends and other
topics in most ezines? Just what IS a newsletter or an ezine? Who
are the subscribers today? Anyone know? Growing pains always 
changes the direction any business travels. I am of the opinion that
ezine and newsletter publishing has come of age and things need
to change to insure the respect we deserve.

TO EARN RESPECT PUBLISHERS MUST TAKE A STAND

The disrespect ezine and newsletter publishers, co-op owners 
and others are getting from many of their readers and customers 
as well as the big news hounds - who report discontent to the masses 
WITHOUT giving equal time to the disrespected is getting on my 
last nerve. It used to be just the rouge cops (as in spam) we had 
to do battle with but lately subscribers and kooks who want to 
cause grief are just as bad and a bit more hurtful because they 
are (were) in our family. 

Competition has become fierce - name calling and accusations 
are common in the field. There are also many great friendships. 
Word gets around, feelings are hurt and angry business owners 
have long memories. Where is the union, the tie, the hope for a
professional recognition by Internet users? It's time.

The Internet Press (publishers) should not have to bow down to 
every whim and demand by people who have subscribed - forget - 
and file complaints to the FTC, the ISPs and the anti-ecommerce 
zealots (spamcop, et el) to stay in business. Publishers need to 
unite and demand respect or they won't get it. Anyone interested?

The Internet business world has given birth to the 'anger response 
syndrome' - the spewing of mean, rude and unprofessional rhetoric 
by disgruntled humans WITHOUT responsibility or conscience. 
And, not only is it prevalent in the publishing world, it is rampant in 
the co-op and business owner realm. There seems to be a need to 
build ourselves up by tearing others down. The online competitor 
has become our enemy. We avoid them, demean them and smugly 
justify ourselves knowing it is unlikely the person we offended will 
knock on our door. I hope this is a passing trend.

Many are not aware of all this and some may think I'm crazy. Well, 
being a publisher, an Ad Agency owner and CEO of an investigation 
service for many years, I see, hear and find out a lot. I am not one to 
cover up facts with pleasantries. Facts are facts - as I see them, 
I call them. I report and you decide.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Here are some PUBLISHER facts:

They are overworked and love it.
They come in all sizes, shapes, temperament  and color.
They don't charge a penny for their work - most of them.
They are unappreciated and abused by lots of subscribers and others.
They are accused of spamming by people who have never read a publication.
The ISPs have NO respect for them even though publishers PAY for their services.
They spend endless hours preparing their ezines only to be deleted by readers.
They are blocked by ISPs for no reason other than "we're stopping spam" claims.
They are watched by the FTC and told they can get fined, shut down and/or sued.
They are the ones EXPECTED to make changes to keep everyone happy.
They bend over backwards to help their subscribers and others become successful.
They perform a much needed service - the online newspaper.

Hey, has YOUR spam slowed down?

Now, I've been publishing several ezines and newsletters for 7 years. 
I've seen anti-ecommerce zealots like Julian Haight of spamcop become 
a millionaire by selling his covert software to get publishers (and others) 
shut down by their ISPs. I've seen respectable publishers close shop 
because of continual grief and harassment from Haight and his cohorts - 
Spamhaus, NANAE weirdoes, etc.. who go after the publishers and list 
owners because they can't catch the bad guys. Easy targets, publishers.

Most are respectable hard working moms and dads, some elderly, 
just trying to publish a decent ezine and make a few dollars promoting
subscriber's businesses with ads in their ezines and newsletters. Haight's 
software allows any nut to make one unsubstantiated false complaint to 
Haight and it's automatically forwarded to the ISP who promptly shuts down 
the publisher - without notice - without recourse. Why? Because the self 
appointed net cop said so and ISPs get nice kick backs for playing the game. 
Let me ask you - has he stopped or slowed down your spam?

AM I SAYING THERE IS NO SPAM PROBLEM?

NO! Of course there is. I get over 1000 a day. What I am saying is - most 
publishers DON'T SPAM. Most are professionals. I know for a fact that if one 
publisher sees another doing something unethical or down right wrong they 
do something about it and if they can't or won't, they ask me to. Some don't 
even know what they are doing is wrong and when they realize it, they make 
the necessary changes.

Publishers are honest and hard working. Do they deserve to be shut down 
without due process or any chance to defend themselves? I think not.

I have written about this situation for years. Haight nor anyone else has put 
a dent in spam. Haight himself sends spam. Yes, he does. Every time someone 
gets one of his arrogant "for your comfort" email, it's spam! No one asks for 
that junk. He has NO authority given to him by anyone. He does it for self 
aggrandizement and to make money. He does it because he can. ISPs go along 
with him because they want to be seen as "doing something about spam" and 
there is money to be made. Read YOUR ISP's terms of service policy. 

SO, WHAT DO I PROPOSE SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT ALL THIS? 

Legitimate e-mail marketers and business people suffer from this, too. The more 
unwanted e-mail people receive, the less patience they have with e-mail they have 
requested which gives them less time to read legitimate commercial e-mail. Spam 
is ruining e-mail as helpful communication and a useful business tool. Newsletters 
and ezines are not getting through to the subscriber because ISPs block and filter 
and people don't TRUST PUBLISHERS because they do not know the truth of what 
is happening. 

One of the reasons could be all the negative publicity they are getting in the Internet 
press. Well, publishers are the Internet press, too - the Electronic Commerce Internet 
Press - Association of Online Media Publishers.

Yes, spam is getting worse. Reports by so called experts who take surveys however, 
say - Spam Suspicions Greater Than Realities -

"The main point is that customers don't trust the online privacy policies of e-mail 
newsletter companies," said Michael Adams, founder and chief executive of the 
Tucson, Arizona based company. "Most Internet users believe these policies are 
routinely violated. However, research we did contradicted that assumption." 

Read the rest of this article here:
http://www.clickz.com/stats/sectors/email/article.php/3449201

No matter what the anti-spammers say or do, they are not making a difference in 
stopping spam. They are making money and they don't like publishers and other
business owners making money on the Internet as that is whom they must blame 
for all the spam. I spoke, one time with Haight on the phone back when he was just 
starting out. He had accused me of spamming and sent one of his infamous 
"FOR YOUR COMFORT" spam email. I asked him what right he had and who gave 
him the authority to accuse me of anything. He answered - "I can do anything I like, 
it's the Internet!" - he still does.

I believe it's time that PUBLISHERS unite and take action to do something about 
this injustice or... get out of the kitchen. Like what, you ask?

Food For Thought:
THE WORLD INTERNET PRESS HAS ARRIVED - laying down the rules.
Knowing the difference between ezines and newsletters.
Charging for newsletters - what would happen if we ALL did? 
The Online Internet Press - United and Strong.
Is it time to send ezines and newsletters WITHOUT email?