Don't Fall For This Email Trap
One of the ways you can get ‘blacklisted’ and blocked from sending emails to certain email providers is by falling in the dreaded spam traps. Once you’ve sent an email to a spam trap it’s like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. Here’s a quick little article to learn from and to be smarter.
What are spam traps?
Spam traps are seemingly valid email addresses that are created with the sole purpose of identifying spam emails. These addresses are scattered over various locations on the internet, without ever using them to actually send emails.
Should any emails arrive on these addresses, then there is no other explanation possible than being the result of harvesting. Or at least, that is the idea.
What can I do to prevent sending emails to spam traps?
There are a few precautions you can take to prevent spam traps from ending up on your address list:
Verification
Make sure that anyone signing up for your emailings is human. You could do so by adding a (re)captcha to your sign up form, or by requiring someone to log in before he can sign up. One of the big issues with this method however is that it annoys a lot of people, raising the bar for someone to sign up.
Double opt in
Double check every opt in for your newsletters by letting someone confirm his subscription by clicking a link in an email (or by sending a reply).
Keep your database clean
Always be sure to maintain a clean database. Don’t limit yourself to only processing opt outs, but also check for bounces that might be the results of expired email addresses.
(via Be Relevant)