Today I was getting ready to send out an eNewsletter for one of our clients, and I realized that they had no Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. These documents are necessary for every legitimate website, so I created them for the client. Then I linked them at the bottom of every Web page on the site, as well as the bottom of eNewsletters. (Notice that all pages on our site have a Terms of Use and a Privacy Policy linked in the footer.)

Why do you need a "Privacy Policy" and a "Terms of Use"? Let me count the ways:

1. They explain to site visitors what the rules are for your site and content, what you guarantee (which is basically nothing), and what you don't guarantee (which is basically anything).
2. It explains exactly what information you collect and why, as well as how to unsubscribe from correspondence.
3. It covers you legally in regard to your site, and is therefore a best practice.
4. Having these is required to be "whitelisted" by email providers like Yahoo! to whose users you may send email or newsletters. These statements are also important to keep you whitelisted by the new "anti-phishing" software included in modern web browsers. These statements, like our email policies, tell other technology providers (e.g. Yahoo! Mail, Microsoft, AOL) that your site is a legitimate and safe organization for their users. We want to be good Netizens (Internet citizens).

This list is not exhaustive, but these reasons are plenty. Having these 2 statements further moves your site toward Web standards and a professional Web presence. As an Administerweb customer with a WorkSpaceWeb site, you get these statements created for you as a part of our service packages.

Be good Ne