Autoresponder Faux Pas

IMO autoresponders are wonderful! They can be used to achieve a variety of goals, but there are several ways that autoresponders should not be used. Using autoresponders in improper ways will not only make things more difficult for your contacts, it can significantly impact your business negatively.

One example is an autoresponder loop. Having one autoresponder respond to another autoresponder creates chaos, and in some cases, it can overload servers. This happens when you sign up for something, using your autoresponder email address. You sign up, and a message is sent to someone else’s autoresponder that responds to your autoresponder, which responds to that autoresponder – and this continues on and on until it is manually stopped and straightened out.

Others use autoresponder powered email addresses on purpose on blogs, forums or discussion lists. This causes their autoresponder message to be sent to the entire list, or to one person on the list, each time a person adds a genuine message to the discussion list. Needless to say, discussion list members and owners frown on this practice, which often results in the banning of the autoresponder’s email address or member altogether.

Avoid these problems and use your autoresponder in ways they were meant to be used. Do not use autoresponders irresponsibly!

Whatever you do, be certain to use autoresponders in ethical ways, that are pleasing not only to the recipients of your automatic computer powered response, but also glorifying to God almighty.