I’m sure many of you have experienced an ‘op-ins’ or’spam email’ in your inbox, from a company you didn’t know or remember signing up with. Maybe you got an email from a potpourri of marketing and sales companies trying to sell you something, or an email from a web host you signed up with trying to inform you about a pending security breach. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to prevent these types of emails from coming into your inbox.
The Solution
Disabling double opt-ins is actually pretty easy when using AWeber. As a best practice, always make sure your list is filled out and that you’ve opted-in to the double opt-in list for whatever service you’re using. If there’s ever any doubt, just check out your email’s Sent folder to be sure you haven’t received any double-opts before deleting them.
However, it’s no secret that many service providers get a bit lax with opt-in procedures and spam emails from time to time. While there’s no real way to prevent the occasional spam email, you can always add another layer of protection by using a service like SPAMfighter, which uses machine learning to filter out the garbage. In the case of AWeber, you can also set up automated filtering and blocking through their Advanced Settings. With these tools, you can rest assured that your email will be protected and that your inbox will only contain the emails you want to receive.
Why Is This Important?
You’ve probably received emails you didn’t want to receive, whether it’s from a marketing firm you didn’t want to hear from or a web host you don’t want to visit. In the case of double opt-ins, you’re essentially giving away your email address twice, and there’s no way of knowing whether or not you actually want to receive these types of emails in the first place. Essentially, double opt-ins is a red flag to a potential customer that something isn’t right.
Since there’s no easy way to verify whether or not you want to receive email from a company, it’s usually a good idea to avoid giving out your email address multiple times, especially if you’re doing it for free. Consider using a separate email address for marketing and promotions if you’re worried about getting spam or annoying emails. You can get a @gmail.com email address for free from Google, for example.
The Danger Of Relying On Single Points Of Failure
In recent months, we’ve all heard about the WannaCry ransomware attack, which struck hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, encrypting all the data on the infected devices and demanding $300 in bitcoin in ransom fees. While many have tried to argue that home computing devices are inherently less at risk of a large-scale attack, that’s certainly not the case.
If you’re using a single point of failure to authorize your email, such as a shared computer or an unencrypted email account, then all of the sudden you’ve got a lot of room for error. In the case of the WannaCry attack, all of the devices infected by the malware had the same password—’password’—leaving the people behind the attack easily access to all of the user’s data. Once the attackers got access to the email account, they had the PIN (Personal Identification Number) and Login ID for the account, which allowed them to complete the login process for all of the user’s online accounts, including their Amazon, Facebook, and Dropbox accounts. Thus, relying on a single point of failure like this puts you at great risk of losing data if that point of failure is ever hacked or goes down for some reason. You might also have an unencrypted smartphone on hand that could be used to access all of your device’s data if it gets lost or stolen. Even then, a security question for your password would need to be answered in order to decrypt the data on the phone.
Additional Concerns
There’s a reason why so many services recommend against using shared computers for accessing your email accounts—it’s because they’re at risk of being hacked themselves. The keylogging software installed on most shared computers makes it easy for someone to watch your every keystroke and to steal your login credentials. This is why it’s always a good idea to use a dedicated device for accessing your email accounts. The same goes for unencrypted Wi-Fi connections—it’s not just about avoiding being tracked online, but also about keeping your data secure. While there’s no easy way to prevent these types of attacks, using a VPN to encrypt all your Internet traffic is always a good idea.
In most cases, you’ll want to avoid sharing your email password with anyone, particularly anyone you don’t trust. If you have an email account that you use only for important communications and you don’t want to share it with your family or friends, you might want to consider using a disposable email address for that account. The same goes for your web hosting account. If you’re using a free service, always make sure that your email is hosted by a reputable company that hasn’t been hacked.
AWeber Vs. ProForma
You might be wondering how AWeber compares to ProForma, which is another email marketing service. Both offer the same basic features and have a similar pricing structure. That being said, AWeber is more user-friendly and has a better reputation than ProForma. Some people have reported receiving more helpful customer service from AWeber, as well. If you’re looking for a reputable email marketing service and you don’t want to spend too much time setting up campaigns and analyzing data, AWeber is a good choice.
Many companies offer multi-purpose email services, so it’s important to do some research before you commit to using one. If you’re looking for a free service, consider using a service like MailChimp, which is what we use here at Growtopia. MailChimp is incredibly popular, and they provide a useful service, so it’s important to do some research before you commit to using them. As we mentioned above, double-opt-in is a common issue with these types of services, and MailChimp has several features that help prevent this issue. For example, if you use their free service, you won’t have to worry about getting bombarded with hundreds of emails from various companies you don’t want to hear from. They’ve also integrated Google Analytics, so you’ll be able to see what’s working and what needs to be changed in your next campaign.
Final Takeaway
One of the biggest dangers of relying on a third party to provide your everyday computing needs is not knowing whether or not they’re doing their job correctly. If you use a third party service for handling your email, be sure to verify that they’re keeping your data secure and clean, and don’t store your passwords in plain text, especially if you use the same password for other online accounts. In the case of AWeber, you can rest assured that your account is being monitored and that your data is being stored securely. With these types of services, it’s always a good idea to follow the advice of people who know what they’re talking about. AWeber’s experts have a lot of tips and tricks for reducing spam, so be sure to check those out if you’re ever unsure of how to use the service effectively. Keep your data secure, and you’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits of an email marketing campaign without any worries.