Of all the criticisms of AOL’s implementation of Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail system, that the deal is solely aimed at making money is lamest.
You mean AOL is in business for profit? Who knew?
Rich Ord, CEO of online business-to-business publishing concern iEntry, apparently figured this out.
He wrote recently on WebProNews: “AOL touts this new partnership as helping their members stamp out spam. Of course this is a complete and utter falsehood. The Goodmail system actually will ensure that sponsor e-mails hit the top of the inbox. It doesn’t mean these advertisers are spamming but who else is going to pay but advertisers and corporations. Sure, the AOL member probably opted in at some point ... but now at AOL the advertiser message is going to take priority.”
If that passage makes sense to you, read it again. If it still makes sense to you, walk over to your file cabinet. Open the top drawer. Put your head in. Slam the drawer. No, I said slam it.
Ord continues: “Let’s follow the money... An advertiser or corporation pays Goodmail. Goodmail does nothing but tell AOL that they are not spammers. AOL then takes 50% of the Goodmail cash every time this company sends an e-mail to an AOL address. What does the subscriber get ? Nothing!”
Indeed, let’s follow the money. iEntry claims to have more than 6 million opt-in subscribers and says it sends more than 50 million e-mails a month. Is it possible that iEntry is in business to make money, too, and that Ord believes that the AOL-Goodmail deal may threaten iEntry’s business model?
Okay, now repeat after me: AOL is without a doubt trying to turn a cost center into a profit center. But no one is chaining consumers to AOL’s service. If, as a result of the Goodmail deal, AOL mangles people’s inboxes, they will leave, and AOL will no longer have a subscriber base from which to profit.
Translation: There is built-in market protection against AOL getting too ornery with e-mail people want, and if you’re sending e-mail people want, you should have no worries.
