Internet users can now access the email privacy ratings for more than 1,000 online firms in a public ratings database published at Relemail.com. These ratings are the result of a secret audit conducted by Relemail that sought to determine the email privacy practices and anti-spam compliance behaviors of the top organizations on the internet. Each firm is given a rating from one to five stars, with five stars indicating full compliance with all fifteen points monitored by the audit.
Some of the firms achieving full five-star ratings include eBay, Kohler, Bart's Water Sports and Global Computer. The ratings are the first of their kind focused strictly on email privacy and best practices behaviors.
Relemail, launched this week, offers a paid certification service that monitors the email behaviors of organizations, then allows qualified email senders to use the Relemail Certification seal on their email subscription pages and other promotional materials. The benefit is improved credibility with website visitors and a sharp increase email subscriptions, according to an end-user survey.
The 2004 survey showed 91% of internet users are more likely to give their business to an organization that follows ethical email practices and respects their privacy. Seventy-two percent reported they were more likely to subscribe to an email newsletter that has been independently certified, while 83% of users said they have avoided subscribing to an email newsletter because they weren't sure they could trust the publisher.
"Relemail certification proves to your customers and website visitors that they can trust you," explains Relemail founder Mike Adams, a veteran of the email marketing industry. "Internet users are skeptical of self-stated privacy policies. What they want to see is an independent audit, a third-party observer who watches the actual behaviors of email senders and makes sure they adhere to strict standards of ethics and professionalism."
Relemail email ratings are posted at:
http://www.relemail.com/ratings.asp
Results of the 2004 Relemail Email Privacy Survey and other privacy statistics
http://www.relemail.com/statistics.html
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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