DMA debuts online Email Authentication Help Center

The Direct Marketing Association debuted an Email Authentication Help Center, which is designed to help e-mail marketers comply with the DMA board of directors' mandate requiring DMA members to authenticate all outbound e-mail.

By using the Help Center to authenticate e-mail, senders can distinguish themselves from spammers and phishers, and ensure that e-mail reaches the intended recipients.

DMA's Email Authentication Resource Center can be found at http://www.the-dma.org/emailauthentication. The center includes definitions, how-tos, test-tools and a checklist to help marketers make sense of the information requirements.

The online resource center also includes a directory of DMA member companies that have agreed to offer technical assistance at reasonable prices.

Marketers will need to authenticate more than marketing and promotional messages in order to comply with DMA's mandate and to clear ISP gatekeepers. For instance, domains distributing communications including mailing list, fulfillment orders, customer service messages, shipping confirmations, even newsletters must be authenticated.

This comes in time for the Authentication and Online Trust Summit 2007, which will take place April 18-19, 2007, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.