What a pleasant, nostalgic experience. The poor grammar, their admission of stealing $70,000,000 from Nigerian government (death sentence ?), offering me 30% to committ a federal crime by laundering money. All I had to do was provide them with information necessary to raid my bank account and steal my identity. Sure it was spam, but it was entertaining. The Yahoo! account made me suspicious that this might be a "fake" Nigerian scheme. I hope not, as I thought it was uplifting to know that Nigerians were using Internet to improve their economy.

I've even received some educational spam. Got a long chain letter scheme in Spanish (or Spammish as it is referred to in Stupidman household). It became a project for my son, Greased Lightning, and me to translate. As he'll be taking Spanish II next year this was a worthwhile family project. He even enjoyed it.

I don't like receiving porn spam. It might be okay if I was single but I'm not. I worry that I'll be accused by The Boss, Mrs. Stupidman, or kids of being a porn addict. (It's bad enough being a spam addict.) All I can do is delete it. On rare occasions when they offer an "unsubscribe" you have to do it at a website. That sounds like a good way to get on even more porn lists.

If you are viewing an empty mail box and missing out on rich, cultural experiences like Nigerian letter and Spammish email, it may not be because you are unpopular. It's probably due to your spam filters. Turn them off, have some fun and read spam.

**Reachability

One of first things many people do right before they purchase--myself included--is to check to see if there is a way to contact website owner if there is a problem, or if they need to make an inquiry. (Examples: Where's my order? Can I get that in green?) The more ways to get in touch with you, more comfortable they will feel. Also, this adds to overall impression of stability, like having a domain name. At a minimum you should supply an email address, and it adds a lot of bonus points if you have a mailing address. Cyberspace is very abstract ("somewhere out there"), but Paducha, Kentucky can be found on map.

**Face, Name, & Credentials

First of all, putting up a face and a name on your website really helps people feel comfortable (even if you use that great picture from 12 years ago--wink,wink). Also, If you have any special credentials that are related to your web site products/services, it will help if you mention them. If you sell dog-grooming services and have three prize winning Dobermans, mention it. If you sell consulting services and have an MBA, then mention it. If you run 7 newsletters, and 3 websites for a total of 9 years Internet experience, spin it up, and use it.

**Evidence of Stability

If you have been in business for some time (say more than 2 years) mention it on your front page: "Serving you since 1999!" Also, you must accept credit cards online if you sell anything. This is not only for matters of convenience for your visitors, it shows that another entity (the financial institution that allowed you to accept credit cards) has checked you out to some extent. Another factor here are organizational memberships, whether they are related to your website theme or product (e.g., ), or consumer organizations like BBBonline.org and Truste.org. Another big plus in stability area is referrals and testimonials. Put testimonials where everyoine will notice them. If people see that others have purchased and liked what you sell, then it must be good! Also, having an affiliate program shows evidence of stability as well. I guarantee that if you incorporate these tips into your site now, you will see at least some increase in your conversion rate (visitors to buyers), assuming you have traffic in first place.

Michael Martone is the webmaster at ProfitMonkey.com and is also the editor of the free newsletter Ebiz Edge. Additional articles on eBusiness and a Free welcome basket are available at http://www.profitmonkey.com/newsletter.html