FireDrum’s Zero Spam Policy

At FireDrum, we are aware of our responsibilities and are dedicated to protecting the privacy rights of every internet user. We strongly oppose the act of sending unsolicited Email (spam) and have made every effort to discourage and prohibit spam solicitation.

Due to FireDrum’s stringent spam policy, we maintain the right to refuse business from known spammers. If a current FireDrum customer uses our products or services for spamming purposes, their product use privileges and/or service contract will be voided without refund.

We are highly sensitive to the privacy of each of the subscribers on our hosted Email lists and will keep their name, address and any other information confidential. We require that each broadcasted message includes an easy way for the subscriber to unsubscribe from the list, and in cases where the subscriber cannot remove themselves from the list for technical reasons, our support staff is available to help with this request.

FireDrum maintains the right to determine whether a customer is spamming. To determine whether a customer is in spam violation, FireDrum considers a number of factors including:

• Complaints sent to abuse report addresses
• SpamCop reports
• Complaints sent to any of FireDrum’s upstream providers
• The evaluation of a customer’s mass e-mail statistics and recipient addresses

All decisions to terminate a customer’s FireDrum account due to abuse of FireDrum Email services are final.

Definition of Spam

Spam is unsolicited Email also known as junk mail or UCE (unsolicited commercial Email). By sending communication to only those who have opted-in to receive Emails, you are following accepted permission-based Email guidelines.

Examples of Spam

• An Email sent to a recipient who had previously signed up to receive newsletters, product information or any other type of bulk Email but later opted-out by indicating to the sender that they did not want to receive additional Email.
• An Email sent to recipients who have had no prior association with the organization or did not agree to receive communication from the organization.
• An Email sent to a recipient without a way for a person to opt-out or unsubscribe from future mailings.
• An Email that does not have a valid Email address in the reply-to line.
• An Email that contains any false or misleading information.
• Unless the recipient has specifically requested information from an adult website, any Email with adult-related content is prohibited.
• Any communication sent to Email addresses that have been harvested from websites, newsgroups or other areas of the internet.

What is Not Spam

• An Email the recipient requested to receive from the sender or the sender’s organization.
• An Email sent by an organization which gives the subscriber a way to opt-out of future mailings (so long as the subscriber did not previously opt-out.)
• An Email sent to recipients who agreed to receive information or promotions from a partner organization (as long as there is a clear opt-out option).

If you have any questions about our Anti-Spam Policy, or if you want to report spamming activity by one of our customers, please contact our abuse department at abuse@Firedrum.com

FireDrum has a strict policy against spam and has consistently taken a leadership role in abuse prevention. To help find solutions to the problem of unsolicited Email, FireDrum is proud to be a active member of highly influential organizations of the Email abuse prevention community including TRUST-e, the Email Service Provider Coalition, the Internet Alliance and other organizations that are dedicated to protecting consumer privacy, curbing unsolicited commercial Email and promoting responsible Email practices.

Permission-Based Marketing Policy
FireDrum is a powerful e-marketing tool designed for permission-based communications. Our clients use FireDrum to send Email newsletters and promotions to customers and prospects. FireDrum’s policy strictly forbids the use of our service for the transmission of unsolicited “bulk” or commercial Email. All FireDrum customers have agreed not to use the system to send unsolicited Email.

Clients use FireDrum to send Emails to individuals with whom they have an existing relationship or who have expressly indicated through an opt-in process that they want to receive Email communication. If a customer chooses to use an opt-in list, they must provide FireDrum with the source of that information. Additionally, the customer will be required to include verbiage in the Email body explaining that the recipient is receiving the Email based on the fact that they previously indicated an interest in receiving this type of Email communication.

Unsubscribing from a FireDrum Email. 
Each Email sent through FireDrum’s Email system contains an easy and automated way to unsubscribe from receiving Emails from the sender. You may also change your expressed interests at any time. If you wish to unsubscribe or change your interests, simply follow the instructions at the bottom of any Email. If you have received an unwanted Email sent by FireDrum’s Email system, please forward a copy of the Email with your comments to abuse@Firedrum.com
.

Members Agreement
Our clients agree not to use our system to send unsolicited Emails. For any opt-in list of Email addresses used in our system, clients agree to provide FireDrum with the source of the Email addresses, the method used to capture the data and verification of the customer’s expressed consent indicating the desire to receive Emails. We also encourage our contacts to respect their customers’ time and attention by controlling the frequency of mailings to individual Email addresses.

Our clients certify that they will not use borrowed, rented or purchased lists, Email append lists or any other list that contains Email addresses captured using methods other than opt-in. The use of Email addresses on opt-out lists is prohibited in our system. FireDrum retains the right to review client lists and Emails to verify that clients are abiding by the privacy and permission policies set forth herein. However, our clients are ultimately responsible for compliance with our policies.

What to do if you believe you’ve been spammed. 
If you believe you have received an unsolicited Email using FireDrum’s Email system, please take a moment to tell us about it. Please forward a copy of the offending Email to abuse@Firedrum.com
. We strongly believe in permission-based Email marketing and do not tolerate spam. We will immediately investigate, and if abuse is proven, take immediate appropriate action to eliminate future abusive mailings from the involved company.

In addition to our strong anti-spam policy, we take extensive measures to protect the data stored on our system from misuse or misappropriation. If you’d like to know more about our dedication to your privacy, please see the FireDrum privacy policy.

How do we protect your privacy?
We use strict security measures to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of data used by our system. Please review our Privacy Policy for more details.

Why did you receive an Email from our Email system?
If you received an Email from us, it is because one of our clients used the FireDrum software system to send you an Email. Our clients certify that all Email addresses used in our system are opt-in subscribers who have given our clients’ permission to send them Email. We promise to keep your Email address secure and private and will not use it for other purposes.

Will your information be shared, sold or rented?
We will never share, sell, or rent personal information unless ordered by a court of law. Information submitted to us is only available to employees responsible for managing this data.

Confirmed Opt-In
FireDrum has taken a proactive measure in permission-based marketing by adopting opt-in procedures into our website Email collection tools used by FireDrum and many of our clients. Anytime someone subscribes to our clients’ Emails using our information collection tools, they will be sent an Email informing them of their recent subscription. If they did not sign up, they may unsubscribe immediately.

• Results. Email marketing is most effective when messages are anticipated, personal and relevant. Sending unsolicited Email reduces deliverability and ROI.
• Reputation. Inappropriate use of Email generates customer complaints and will damage your reputation and brand.
• Legal Environment. Permission-based Email marketing is no longer voluntary. Recently enacted legislation makes “direct consent” the law, and permits large fines for marketers not following permission practices. If you have any questions about FireDrum Anti-Spam Policy, please contact us at 480.699.1524 or Email us at privacy@Firedrum.com.

Best Practices

FireDrum is dedicated to giving you the tools and resources you need to produce successful and effective email campaigns. As a result, we maintain a list of best practices to follow when creating your email content and campaigns. In addition to abiding by FireDrum’s Terms of Use, we recommend that list owners adhere to the following best practices. Its importatnt to follow these recommendations, you’ll avoid subscriber complaints, ensure successful email delivery and protect your brand’s reputation.

Ensure Informed Opt-In Consent

Provide clear and explicit language for gathering subscribers’ opt-in permission. Let subscribers know exactly what they’ll be receiving.

Ask Subscribers to Reconfirm

Use our system’s subscriber confirmation feature so subscribers can confirm their subscriptions from their actual email account. This reduces problems from typos or forgeries that can affect lists. Additionally, some ISPs give preferential routing or “white listing” to messages with a reconfirmed status.

Ask Subscribers to Add Your Address to Their Address Book

Many ISPs exempt messages from filtering if the recipient has added the sender to their address book. Tell subscribers to add your “From” address to their address book, this guarantees delivery of your messages.

Use FireDrum’s Online Subscription Tool

Use FireDrum’s online subscription tool on your website to capture IP number/date/time of the subscriber’s opt-in request. Doing so sends the information directly into the FireDrum system.

Leverage Your Brand Identity

Make sure that recipients can easily recognize your address, subject and body content. Studies have shown that an unrecognizable email is less likely to be opened and more likely to generate complaints.

Include Opt-In Details

When possible, remind subscribers about where/when they opted-in. This reduces the amount of complaints.

Include Sufficient Email Body Text

Some ISPs have images and links turned off by default. Be sure to include enough text so the reader will know whether to view your links and images.

Avoid Links that Use IP Numbers Instead of Domain Names

AOL filters based on IP numbers in links.

Keep Your Message Size Compact

Use your mailings as teasers to drive traffic to your website. Long messages, especially those over 25k, may annoy recipients and trigger additional filtering.

Avoid Using Poor Quality, Third Party Sourcing

The stronger the connection between the opt-in and the email acquired, the fewer complaints generated and the less damage to your brand’s reputation.

Include Your Physical Postal Address

The CAN-SPAM law requires the sender’s postal address for commercial email.

How to Protect Yourself from Spam

Take the Spam Test:

• Are you importing a purchased list of ANY kind?
• Are you sending to non-specific addresses such as sales@domain.com, business@domain.com, webmaster@domain.com, info@domain.com or other general addresses?
• Are you sending to distribution lists or mailing lists which send indirectly to a variety of email addresses?
• Are you mailing to anyone who has not agreed to join your mailing list?
• Have you falsified your originating address or transmission path information?
• Have you used a third party email address or domain name without their permission?
• Does your email’s subject line contain false or misleading information?
• Does your email fail to provide a working link to unsubscribe?

If you have answered YES to ANY of the above questions, you will likely be labeled as a SPAMMER. For more information visit The Coalition Against Unsolicited Email at www.cauce.org or contact FireDrum’s Customer Support at support@FireDrum.com.