SKYLIST First Email Marketing Service Provider to Incorporate CAN-SPAM Mandates Into Email Platform

StormPost Provides Email Marketing Customers With Streamlined Campaign Creation Process Containing CAN-SPAM Requirements

AUSTIN, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/07/2004 -- Less than one week after the CAN-SPAM law went into effect, SKYLIST, a leading email service provider, today announced it's StormPost™ email marketing platform is the first to integrate relevant CAN-SPAM mandates -- particularly those associated with list management -- into the campaign manager ensuring companies have the tools to be fully compliant. CAN-SPAM intends to control unsolicited commercial email messages by requiring them to be labeled and to include opt-out instructions and the sender's physical address. It prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers in such messages and authorizes (but does not require) the FTC to establish a "do-not-email" registry.

According to Joshua Baer, founder and CEO of SKYLIST, "The CAN-SPAM law isn't necessarily going to solve the problems associated with spam, but our clients need to feel confident their email programs and their email marketing platforms are in full compliance with the law."

"If email service providers can help their customers comply with CAN-SPAM, it is definitely a step in the right direction," said Trevor Hughes, executive director of the Email Sender and Provider Coalition of which SKYLIST is an active member. "As Josh states, the CAN-SPAM Act may not solve the spam epidemic, but nonetheless it is imperative that legitimate email marketers comply with the standards set forth."

Comply with Unsubscribe Mandates Without Adding Extra Workload

After extensive conversations with customers, SKYLIST discovered that many clients anticipated additional communication costs and time consuming data management associated with CAN-SPAM. SKYLIST's working anti-spam knowledge combined with merely one or two extra clicks in the campaign creation process of StormPost, provides customers with the tools to be in full compliance without added cost or campaign management headaches.

StormPost's automated unsubscribe features and reports make it easy to comply without adding more work for the campaign manager by providing the ability to:

-- Unsubscribe members in real-time by email or one-click web page
-- Distinguish advertiser unsubscribes from list unsubscribes
-- Store unsubscribe lists permanently (Many systems delete addresses that unsubscribe.)
-- Deliver daily unsubscribe reports to the original advertiser automatically via email

Be Prepared For Audits With Detailed Reporting

StormPost has detailed logging of signups, file uploads, mailings, and other information that may be required in an audit, including:

-- Track source url, signup date, and signup IP for every address
-- Maintain a detailed audit log of every file uploaded
-- Include email body footers that ensure the appropriate legal disclaimers and contact information are on each outbound message
-- Fully RFC Compliant Internet headers, checks for common mistakes

On-the-Fly Suppression Lists

StormPost now also supports on-the-fly suppression lists. This critical feature allows list managers to avoid mailing to a suppression list -- supplied by an affiliate advertiser -- without permanently removing the addresses from their own proprietary member lists. This is essential for handling the day-to-day rotation of different suppression lists for multiple affiliate advertisers.

"In preparation for CAN-SPAM going into effect, SKYLIST educated our clients and discussed the impact and essential steps to safeguard their email programs and comply with mandates," said Baer. "In addition to issuing a set of guidelines and CAN-SPAM compliance programs designed to educate our clients, the executive team determined it was extremely important to augment our StormPost platform. Our development team burned the midnight oil to ensure that, come January 1, 2004, our clients had the tools to be in full compliance."

"Like most businesses which regularly use email, we are still assessing how to confirm that our business is CAN-SPAM compliant. It's little surprise that SKYLIST is leading regulatory compliance efforts. SKYLIST's email marketing leadership is a key reason that we selected them as our premier provider." Christopher V. Sherman, President Sherman Ventures.

About CAN-SPAM:

The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act requires unsolicited commercial email messages to be labeled (though not by a standard method) and to include opt-out instructions and the sender's physical address. It prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers in such messages. The FTC is authorized (but not required) to establish a "do-not-email" registry. State laws that require labels on unsolicited commercial email or prohibit such messages entirely are pre-empted, although provisions merely addressing falsity and deception would remain in place. The CAN-SPAM Act took effect on January 1, 2004.

About SKYLIST:

SKYLIST has been providing organizations with email marketing software and hosting services since 1996. StormPost™ is SKYLIST's flagship email marketing platform. SKYLIST's unparalleled email campaign delivery and reporting solutions and commitment to industry best practices have earned it a world-class portfolio of clients, including the United Nations Population Fund, Sherman Ventures, and Anheuser-Busch Employees' Credit Union. SKYLIST is a member of the Email Sender and Provider Coalition and has been extremely active on several sub committees to help combat spam. SKYLIST is self-funded and profitable. For more information about SKYLIST, please visit http://www.skylist.com or contact marketing@skylist.com.

Contact:
Kathleen Bagley Formidoni
blast! PR for SKYLIST
919-833-9975
skylistpr@blastpr.com