Don’t Use Catch-All Addresses, Advice to Businesses

September 29, 2008 By Tim Gary 17 Comments

I’ve been reminded recently that sometimes what seems like a great idea, can totally backfire.  You may have experienced something similar.

My Great Idea was to use different email addresses for everything I sign up for, whether online or off.  Each domain can have a “catch-all” email address where all email which doesn’t have a corresponding email account can be sent to.  This way I can effectively “key” every email address I give out, and determine if it’s being spread to other sites without permission, etc..  It also allows for very easy sorting in my email software of choice (Thunderbird).

All was well until about 2 years ago when my host at the time disallowed this functionality for all accounts.  It seems that their servers were being overrun with spam, partly due to this setting.   No problem, I was about ready to explore new hosting anyway, so I moved someplace which still allowed my “great idea”.

Well..  Over the past year, I’ve seen first hand what what the prior host have been talking about with an overload of spam.   You see, these automated spam programs will often use a random domain as the “sender” for their email.  So, even though an email doesn’t originate from your account, it still has a return/sender’s address from your domain.  Worse yet, it makes up new email addresses when doing this.

Why does that matter?  Well, every time an email blast gets sent by one of these programs, I end up getting several hundred (or even thousand) bounce messages from the systems of email addresses which don’t exist anymore, etc..  Some months this happens several time, others not at all.

There’s more… but I’m really here to rant a bit about the process of cleaning this up.  Since I have literally hundreds of these made up email addresses, it’s an ongoing process of updating everything to use one of a small handful of descriptive, but managable addresses.  Should be relatively simple.  Every time I get an email, just go to the link at the bottom to change my address in their system (or just unsubscribe).

Yet, almost half the time I either have to jump through hoops to make the change, or am only presented with the option of unsubscribing.  That’s insane!  Imagine someone moving their Internet provider, and not being able to move their subscriptions over.  The result is lost business, and a very sour taste in their mouth.

The worst of these are certain sites “powered by Infusionsoft” which apparently doesn’t have a single link to unsubscribe OR change user options.  The business owner must setup two links in the email footer… One for unsubscribe requests, and another for option changes. That would be fine if these business owners would provide both links.  often only the unsubscribe option exists.   So that’s what I do.  If it’s somethng I really want to track, I’ll sometimes resubscribe, but not always.

Other programs will require me to “log in” or otherwise  waste a lot of time making the change.  I only do this for relatively important sites.  All of the rest will simply get bounce notices when I make the switch away from the “catch-all” email addresses.

Sometimes, they allow me to change my name,  but not my email address!  How whacked is that?  While my brother actually legally changed his name, and women often change their name after getting married, I suspect email address changes happen a heck of a lot more often.

The simplest?  Everyone who uses Aweber, GetResponseor or 1ShoppingCart. The process is one or two clicks, and entering the new address.  Just like it should be.

So before you get your whole autoresponder or broadcast email list going, be sure to consider this simple usability issue.   It will reduce frustration from your customers, and possibly keep them for unsubscribing or falling off when their email address changes.

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Something is Happening (not that it’s obvious)

September 12, 2008 By Tim Gary 7 Comments

Yes, this is going to be one of those posts which happen from time to time on blogs that aren’t updated in a while.

But… It will not make a feeble attempt to explain away the reasons, or apologize.

Quite simply, I’ve been focusing on other projects.  I’ll probably talk about them here in the future, but for now they’re a secret.

It’s likely I’ll reinvent this site into something a little more fun, and include more personal info and news.   If you care to tune in, great.  If not, that’s fine too.

For more posts like I’ve done here in the past, I expect to start updating my other blog site: www.successunstuck.com with the same sort of real-life examples of self development for personal and business success that I’ve done here.

Additionally, I intend to get into the nitty gritty of Internet Business on an all new site devoted to more specific steps to profiting online.  It’s unlikely (for a long while at least) to be as comprehensive as Terry Dean’s Internet Lifestyle Retirement System Course, so if you really want to fast track your online business, just get this course (yes, I did), and do what it tells you.  Let me know if you get it via the link above, and I’ll send some bonuses your way.

Also, thanks to everyone who left comments this Summer.  It’s good to see people still reading and making use of the content found here–even if it’s just for some back-link luv (you didn’t think I’d notice, did you?)  Feel free to keep it up, but you may have noticed, I don’t generally approve obviously generic comments, nor ones that appear to be machine generated.  Relative and useful comments only please.

-Tim

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“six-pack” follow up – dang if it doesn’t work like it should!

May 6, 2008 By Tim Gary 11 Comments

In my relatively recent article “Have you been six-packed by your thinking” I talked about how your self talk could be hurting your chances of success–and even attract more of what you don’t want.

It seems simple. It seems obvious. We might say “yeah, that’s true”, but unless we start actually experimenting with, and changing things that aren’t working, we’ll keep getting the results we have programmed ourselves for.

So, it’s been a couple of weeks since the volleyball realization that my self-comments may be keeping me from playing better. What happens when I purposely change those thought patterns?

This past weekend, I played volleyball for the first time since that post (3 weeks). Knowing that my self talk is probably a habit worth changing, I caught myself every time I was about to make a critical remark about my play (and boy, I could’ve made a few comments). Instead, I chose to move on, and tell myself that I will do better next time, and that I’d learn something about this specific experience.

Sure as ____ (well, you know)… The next time, I *did* play better. I passed, hit, or served better. I improved 1000% over that previous dud of a play. Better yet, I acknowledged it, and congratulated myself on how I’d improved. As the games progressed, this became a self fulfilling mechanism where I’d continue to play better and better. Instead of a downward spiral of self defeating talk, I’d progressed upward in a self promoting whirlwind.

It was most obvious.

It was clear in how I played, how I felt about my play, and the outcome.

My positive encouragement and thoughts attracted positive results. I have no doubt that the outcome of these games would have been different if I’d continued my negative attention.

How does this relate to success in other areas? Well, first you must identify things that bring up your own negative self talk. They could be anything. It’s easiest to pick obvious areas so that you can better observe your progress, like my volleyball example. Later, you can move to more ingrained and meaningful situations such product creation, blog posting, etc… Choosing something simple first will allow you to observe the dramatic change that will occur, and really “get” the results. This will prime you for the bigger and more important projects at hand.

What methods will you use to change your self talk? Please share!

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Have You Been “six-packed” by Your Thinking?

April 14, 2008 By Tim Gary 16 Comments

Ok. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know I like to take every day situations, and think about the effects they are having on my business and personal success. You wouldn’t believe the long list of interesting and useful things I have to talk about.

Last night I played volleyball in a local league. It’s been many months since I’ve played, and to say I was rusty would be a serious understatement. I used to be a pretty top-notch player, especially for someone who had nothing but “on the job” training (I played in pick up games, and worked my way up to better and better teams–throughout my 20′s in the bay area).

Today I’m sore, and stiff–in a good way, since I need the exercise, but that’s not why I’m writing.

I noticed something that I’ve noticed before, but never really equated it to anything important.

In reality, it could be one of the most important lessons I could learn, as long as I recognize it, and make the necessary course corrections in my life. It also may also be familiar to you.

So… Here’s the situation.. I’m rusty and not playing as well as I used to… I know this, and am beyond frustrated with myself. Every time I do the slightest thing wrong, my self-talk puts me in my place. I shoulda been faster. My timing should have been better. I should have “dug” that “spike” or “dink”.

I was focusing on the things I did wrong, instead of the things I did right. This is a sure-fire way to continue to struggle in life, love, business, etc..

Basically, the “Law of Attraction” states that you will get what you focus your attention (and take action) on. Focus on your failures, and you’ll get more failure, focus on your success, and you’ll get more of that too. I did the worst thing possible, and focussed on my “failures”. It was automatic, and emotional–the worst possible combination!

Here’s the funny thing. I played as well or better than most of the other players, and whenever I was congratulated on a good play (yes, there were quite a few of those as well), I shrugged it off. Can you believe it? I couldn’t take a compliment on my success! I also didn’t acknowledge my own strong plays myself–which is something that I’m sure is holding me back in other areas.

The term “six-pack” in volleyball slang means to be hint in the face by an opponent’s “spike”. This is a ball that is hit so hard and fast that it hits you before you can defend yourself. I see focusing on failure instead of success as and failure “six-pack”. It hits us in the face. Then does so again and again.

Or does it?

Maybe you’re like me, and just keeping the failures in your mind, and don’t focus on the “digs” (volleyball slang for being able to pass a “spiked” ball). We probably have many such successes, which are not celebrated nearly as much as the failures.

What do you think would have become of Einstein, Edison, Bandler and many other great thinkers if they focused on their failures instead of their successes? Do you think they’d have made the breakthroughs the they did if they focused on what didn’t work?

How about in business? Do you think Terry Dean, Bill Gates, Jimmie D Brown, and many others focused on what didn’t work? NO! They worked at things until they found formulas that worked for them. They focused on what worked, and moved from there. They didn’t (and don’t) dwell on whatr didn’t.

This shift in thinking is probably responsible for more successes and failures than anything else.

In fact, it brings up one of the most valuable articles of Terry’s I’ve read:

Why Believing in Yourself Will Change Your Life

If you and I do nothing but read that post, and start to recognize, and then change our self defeating behavior, I have no doubt at all that the success we desire will find us.

Please share any ideas you have in regards to “digging” the spikes that life and business throw you, and avoiding getting “six-packed”!

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