** Use An Email Form **

Another way to cut down on spam originating from your own website is simply not to display an email at all.

Instead, allow customers and prospects to contact you through a form where they fill in fields, click a button, and your website emails you their message.

A note of caution: make sure form script you use does not keep your email address visible in form code.

If form code contains email address, spam robots can find it even though you don't see it on page.

** Make It Hard To Guess **

Sometimes you'll get unsolicited email because a spammer guessed your email address.

It's not a far stretch to imagine that someone probably has email Jim@yourdomain.com, so spammers will do a "dictionary" attack on common usernames.

One way to defeat this is to place a "dot" (.) in your email address, such as Jim.Edwards@yourdomain.com. The dot makes it virtually impossible for spammers to guess your email address.

-- Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website, affiliate links, or blogs...

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5. Include original transcript along with your reply. Imagine getting an email from your client out of blue that says: "Yes, I totally agree"--and nothing more. HUH? Avoid confusion of a delayed and incomplete reply. Instead, leave original remarks in so you can trail path of communication! If conversation is lengthy, you may want to copy a snippet from their email, add a response of your own in a different font or color, copy another snippet, so on and so forth. This ensures that you won't miss any questions or remarks that require further comments.

6. Utilize your subjectline. The subjectline is there as a handy reference, so be consistent. Let's say you're sending a draft of web copy. Choose a naming convention, such as: Web Copy Draft 1, and stick with it. Your next draft should be named, Web Copy Draft 2 using exact same punctuation and capitalization. Why? Because you'll be able to sort your emails later on and extract what you need when you need it.

7. Know when conversation is over. We're all busy, so as much as you want to be attentive to your client's needs, you don't want to pester them incessently, either. Suppose you've already had five or six email back-and-forths. All relevant points have been made and you're dwindling down to "Thanks alot" - your cue that This Conversation is Ending. If they say, "OK, thanks-- I'll be in touch," don't reply with "Great! When?" Just let it go until next time.

Email is a handy tool that can make or break your professional relationships. Use it to your advantage with clear and concise correspondence. If you do, you'll be sure that clients and colleagues alike will regard you as an excellent communicator!

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.