6
LC DBM
From 1,000 Spams to Exactly Zero!
Why You Should Whitelist
LandscapeOnline.com
Spam . . . Whether that word invokes the
thought of a can of some gelatinous meat byprod-
uct, or the relentless intrusion by shotgun wielding
marketers, spam is a word that causes the edges of
one's nose to crinkle as if slowly opening a long-
standing trash can . . . In fact, the trash is invari-
ably where most spam ends up.
Up until recently I was receiving up to 1,000
pieces of junk mail a day . . . A day!?!?! It's no won-
der we are all spending so much time dealing with
the mundane task of filtering these rats back into
the sewers of our email programs.
Then the 'ah-ha' moment struck when we real-
ized our server had a subprogram called BoxTrap-
per that makes anyone whom you don't know, who
wants to send you an email, reply . . . Just once . . .
But reply to a message sent back asking to confirm
if the sender is a real person. With that reply you
are then 'whitelisted' on our server and all future
emails will go through without further ado.
In one day I went from 1,000 spams to exactly
zero (0). I did, however, get mail from those who
I knew, and a few from those who really wanted to
communicate with me. Let me tell you . . . It was
heaven! All of a sudden I am responding to emails
and done in the same time it used to take just to
filter through all of the junk . . . Awesome!!!
I'm not sure if you can activate the same pro-
gram through your server, but if you are in the
landscape industry and want to be kept abreast
of the latest news and statistics and view some
of the coolest projects on earth, you should set
your email rules so that LandscapeOnlineWeekly
is 'whitelisted'.
As a company that communicates with an en-
tire industry, we at LC/DBM send several emails
a month, some to almost all of you, and others to
selected groups.
Every Tuesday LandscapeOnlineWeekly is sent
to about 55,000 email addresses. While some-
where between 7% and 25% of those are opened
and read each week, since there is so much con-
tent in that newsletter, we know that a decent per-
centage of these end up in the junk mail box. And
that's a shame.
Editorially (if I do say so myself) the
LandscapeOnlineWeekly e-newsletter is as good
as it gets. There are about 25-30 in-depth proj-
ect articles, trends and techniques, current hous-
ing statistics, laws and ordinances, new product
introductions and all of it is only of interest to
landscape professionals. Each item is shown with
a descriptive graphic as well . . . And thus often
labeled as junk . . .
When we do send out other emails it is usually
either a call for editorial, a regional trade show pro-
motion, a survey or vendor specific promotions, all
of which are sent to those within a targeted geo-
graphic and/or demographic qualification.
I know that it sounds a bit like splitting hairs, but
we think it is super important to only send emails,
post cards, promotions and magazines to those of
you who have identified yourself as someone who
could benefit from the information.
Every Subscriber Has Access to Their
Personal Subscription Profile 24/7/365!
Just go to LandscapeOnline.com. Under the
menu item 'Log-on/Sign-up' use the password on
the front label of this issue and adjust your person-
al preferences so that the only things you receive
from Landscape Communications are the things
you tell us you are interested in. It only takes a
minute to update your profile and set your prefer-
ences. It's absolutely free, and then it only takes a
minute a week to scan the newsletter and see what's
new in your industry.
Think about it, a world of no spam and only per-
tinent, desired emails . . . One minute a week is all
we ask . . . .
- God Bless
Find Us Online:
@LandscapeComm @landscapeonline
@LandscapeOnline.com
Publisher / Editor-in-Chief
George Schmok
gschmok@landscapeonline.com
Editor
Mike Dahl
mdahl@landscapeonline.com
Assistant Editor / Education
Michelle Medaris
mmedaris@landscapeonline.com
Product Editor
Larry Shield
lshield@landscapeonline.com
Editorial Administrative Assistant
Alli Martin
amartin@landscapeonline.com
Editorial Contributors
Tom Schnetzler, Pavestone; Jeff Fenner, B Communications; Burt Plett,
Willow Creek Paving Stones; Brandon Corbett, Filterra by Americast;
Bob Bridges, Eagle Bay Commercial; Cherie Ciotti-Roco, Terra Prima;
Geoffrey Rinehart, U.S. National Arboretum; Kevin Morris, National
Turfgrass Federation Inc.; Kevin Malecha, Common Grounds Lawn
and Landscape; Mike Regan, Pacific Green Landscape; Steve Maria,
Gibraltar Landscape And Construction; Molly Meyer, Rooftop Green
Works; Peter MacDonagh, Kestrel Design Group Inc.; Angie Durhman
Associate Editors
Arboriculture/Horticulture
Assistant CE Specialist, University of California Riverside
Deborah Mathews, PhD
Erosion
Executive Director, IECA
Russ Adsit, FASLA
Pesticides
Business Manager, Target-Specialty Products
Will Harrison
Water Resources
Program Specialist, Texas A&M; University
Dotty Woodson, PhD
(In Memoriam)
David Linstrum
Otto Edward Schmok
Art Director
Nicole Miller
nmiller@landscapeonline.com
Graphic Designer
Matthew Medeiros
mmedeiros@landscapeonline.com
Ad Coordinator
Oliver Calonzo
ocalonzo@landscapeonline.com
Circulation / Fulfillment
Edward Cook
ecook@landscapeonline.com
Ana Linares
alinares@landscapeonline.com
Likkien Ralpho
lralpho@landscapeonline.com
IT Department
Web / Tech Manager
Jerry Short
jshort@landscapeonline.com
Web / Graphic Assistant
Sam Roe
sroe@landscapeonline.com
Chief Operations Officer C.O.O.
Mark O'Halloran
moholloran@landscapeonline.com
Sales Administration
Cynthia McCarthy
cmccarthy@landscapeonline.com
Advertising / Marketing
714-979-LASN (5276) x113 • 714-979-3543 (Fax)
Print Advertising Sales
Vince Chavira
vchavira@landscapeonline.com
Matt Henderson
mhenderson@landscapeonline.com
Kip Ongstad
kongstad@landscapeonline.com
Digital Marketing
Nathan Schmok
nschmok@landscapeonline.com
Trade Show Sales
Jared Lutz
jlutz@landscapeonline.com
Event Productions
Amy Deane
adeane@landscapeonline.com
Inventory / Fullfilments
Javier Miranda
jmiranda@landscapeonline.com
James 1:5 … If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him . . .
Landscape Contractor Design Build Maintain and/or the publisher is a member of or financially
supports the following associations: APA, CLCA, The Library of Congress Association, IAAPA,
ASLA, NRPA, National Wildlife Association, IES, IALD, IA, ISA, IECA, BPA, APLD, National Parks and
Conservation Association, IRLA, TPI, National Trust for Historic Preservation, LAF/CLASS Fund,
American Rivers and the American Institute of Architects.
D E S I G N • B U I L D • M A I N T A I N • S U P P L Y
Equipping Landscape
Professionals for Success
w w w.LandscapeOnline.com
Volume 17, No. 11 • www.landscapeonline.com
George Schmok, Publisher
DBM
LC
@LandscapeContractor
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