Get me off this damn list!The story of List-Unsubscribe

Joshua BaerChief Innovation Officer

Follow me on Twitter @joshuabaer

three stories

three stories

• me and my email story

three stories

• me and my email story

• the List-Unsubscribe story

three stories

• me and my email story

• the List-Unsubscribe story

• the next story

three stories

• me and my email story

• the List-Unsubscribe story

• the next storyquestions along the way

Manchester

Boston

Nashua

big data from email

coworking - incubator - seed fund

(this is my real license plate)

got rejected by the web server beta program

SKYLISTone of the first email service providers

sync unsubscribes across SaaS services

the email app store

deliverability.comfollow @deliverability

for email innovatorsOctober 30th, 2013 in Mountain View

discount code: geekcamp

questions?

List-Unsubscribe

List-Unsubscribe• Created in 1998, before there was

really a spam problem

List-Unsubscribe• Created in 1998, before there was

really a spam problem

• The problem was people signed up to mailing lists who couldn’t get off

List-Unsubscribe• Created in 1998, before there was

really a spam problem

• The problem was people signed up to mailing lists who couldn’t get off

• RFC 2369 is the result, which defines a number of List-* headers, most significantly List-Unsubscribe.

XXXX

flame wars

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flame wars

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flame wars

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flame wars

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flame wars

XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX

flame wars

flame wars

What’s it look like?

• List-Unsubscribe: <URL>• List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:dyn-announce-unsub@dyn.com?

subject=unsub josh@gmail.com>

• List-Unsubscribe: <http://dyn.com/unsub/josh@gmail.com>

Gmail

Outlook

ListMom-Talk

ListMom-Talk• I ran the discussion forum for the

people who run mailing lists

ListMom-Talk• I ran the discussion forum for the

people who run mailing lists

• Only a few hundred people but influential

• product managers of the mailing list software vendors

• system administrators of the largest email systems of the time

Making an official RFC

Making an official RFC• I’m no expert

Making an official RFC• I’m no expert

• My impression is that it’s an incredibly political and bureaucratic process

Making an official RFC• I’m no expert

• My impression is that it’s an incredibly political and bureaucratic process

• Best to enter the process with existing supporters and an insider champion

Making an official RFC• I’m no expert

• My impression is that it’s an incredibly political and bureaucratic process

• Best to enter the process with existing supporters and an insider champion

• For me that was my partner-in-crime Grant Neufeld

adoption

adoption

• We started with mailing lists

adoption

• We started with mailing lists

• Mailing list software was the first software used to send marketing emails

adoption

• We started with mailing lists

• Mailing list software was the first software used to send marketing emails

• Marketing software retained it

adoption

• We started with mailing lists

• Mailing list software was the first software used to send marketing emails

• Marketing software retained it

• Webmail added Unsubscribe buttons

timeline

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

• 1998 rfc approved

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

• 1998 rfc approved

• 2000 mailing list adoption

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

• 1998 rfc approved

• 2000 mailing list adoption

• 2004 marketing adoption (CAN-SPAM)

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

• 1998 rfc approved

• 2000 mailing list adoption

• 2004 marketing adoption (CAN-SPAM)

• 2006 Hotmail adoption

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

• 1998 rfc approved

• 2000 mailing list adoption

• 2004 marketing adoption (CAN-SPAM)

• 2006 Hotmail adoption

• 2009 Gmail adoption

timeline

• 1997 rfc submitted

• 1998 rfc approved

• 2000 mailing list adoption

• 2004 marketing adoption (CAN-SPAM)

• 2006 Hotmail adoption

• 2009 Gmail adoption

{12 years

what’s different today?

what’s different today?• Things tend to be more market driven

what’s different today?• Things tend to be more market driven

• Start by publishing your own spec as an open source project in Github

what’s different today?• Things tend to be more market driven

• Start by publishing your own spec as an open source project in Github

• Get adoption without waiting on RFC to be approved

what’s different today?• Things tend to be more market driven

• Start by publishing your own spec as an open source project in Github

• Get adoption without waiting on RFC to be approved

• RFC is optional, adoption is all that matters.

what’s different today?• Things tend to be more market driven

• Start by publishing your own spec as an open source project in Github

• Get adoption without waiting on RFC to be approved

• RFC is optional, adoption is all that matters.

• If you get adoption, RFC will follow.

questions?

Expiring Email

how it works

how it works

• Senders insert a header in messages indicating the date that they expire

how it works

• Senders insert a header in messages indicating the date that they expire

• Mail Clients detect the header and delete or archive the message if the expiration date has passed and the message is Unread in the Inbox (has not been touched or viewed).

for senders

• We have to do it first

• Add X-Expires headers to your outbound emails NOW

• X-Expires: Sun, 4 Nov 1 2013 17:00:00 -0700 (PDT)

• Reduce complaints, unsubscribes

for mail clients

for mail clients

• Make your support known so that Senders will take the time to insert the headers

for mail clients

• Make your support known so that Senders will take the time to insert the headers

• Look for X-Expires headers and give the user an option to automatically Delete or Archive them in the future.

questions?• X-Expires

• List-Unsubscribe

• Return Path

• OtherInbox

• Deliverability

• Inbox Love

• Austin, Texas

• Coworking

• Startup Communities

• Capital Factory

• Startups

• Angel Investors