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Interland Survey Finds Majority of Small Business Owners Unsure How The CAN-SPAM Act Affects Their Business |
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Free Guide Explains Complicated Legislation, Offers Tips and Resources to Small Businesses Marketing on the Web
ATLANTA (March 3, 2004) ¯ Interland, a leading provider of Web hosting and online services for small and medium-sized businesses, today revealed the results of a recent nationwide study, which shows a huge lack of understanding of the new CAN-SPAM Act among small businesses. In response to this obvious need for more information, Interland is making available a free, new publication A Small Business Guide to Understanding CAN-SPAM Legislation.
According to the survey, which was conducted in February among small businesses already online, the majority (62 percent) have either not heard of CAN-SPAM or are unaware of how the Act affects their business. Yet the same respondents showed heavy dependence on e-mail communications. Among small business owners:
* 85 percent communicate with existing customers via e-mail,
* 80 percent communicate with their partners and business associates via e-mail, and
* 67 percent communicate with potential buyers via e-mail.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 is the nation's first federal legislation regulating spam. Designed to curb offensive, misleading and costly bulk e-mail, the law criminalizes the act of sending commercial e-mail with falsified headers and has established new rules for e-mail marketing. In order to send legitimate commercial e-mails, it is imperative that small business owners review and follow the guidelines set forth in the CAN-SPAM Act. To make this easier, Interland developed A Small Business Guide To Understanding CAN-SPAM Legislation.
“Companies caught unaware of the new law but engaged in e-mail marketing could be in for an expensive lesson,” warned Jonathan Wilson, vice president and general counsel at Interland. “The CAN-SPAM Act creates very specific requirements for commercial e-mails, including both civil and criminal penalties for violations. We have recently seen a flurry of litigation surrounding unauthorized downloading of music from peer-to-peer networks, and it is very likely that, sooner or later, some unaware small business is going to feel the power of this new anti-spam law in a similar way.”
The 13-page guide contains a collection of articles, tips and resources on how businesses can work within the new law to correctly use e-marketing techniques, specifically e-mail, to facilitate commercial interactions and transactions. Written in a straightforward style that sidesteps legal and technical buzzwords, the publication was assembled with the busy small business owner in mind.
“As technology evolves and small businesses have access to more communications options, it is critical that they are aware of any legislation or guidelines that regulate how they communicate with their customers, prospects and business associates,” said Kim T. Gordon, president of National Marketing Federation, Inc. “Savvy small businesses will educate themselves on the Act’s requirements and adopt best practices to ensure their compliance. Those that don’t could be putting their businesses at risk.”
Some of the nationally-recognized industry experts that have contributed to A Small Business Guide To Understanding CAN-SPAM Legislation, include:
* Kim T. Gordon, president of National Marketing Federation, author, small-business coach and one of the country’s foremost experts on entrepreneurial success.
* Jeffrey Tarter, executive director of the Association of Support Professionals (ASP).
* Jonathan Wilson, vice president and general counsel at Interland and founding chair of the Internet Industry Committee for the American Bar Association’s Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law Section.
Small business owners interested in receiving a free copy of A Small Business Guide To Understanding CAN-SPAM Legislation should visit Interland’s small business resource Web site www.SBsuccess.com or call toll-free 1-800-336-9883.
About Interland
Interland, Inc. (Nasdaq: INLD) is a leading Web hosting and online services company dedicated to helping small and medium businesses achieve success by providing the knowledge, services and tools to build, manage and promote businesses online. Interland offers a wide selection of online services, including standardized Web hosting, e-commerce, application hosting, and Web site development, marketing and optimization tools. For more information about Interland, please visit www.interland.com, email moreinfo@interland.com or call 1-800-335-9883.
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