Server logs are great for monitoring and studying your website traffic, but none capture your visitors' e-mail addresses. You'll know what domains they're from, but not always. Their actual addresses, well, you've got to get those another way. Fortunately, there is no automatic way for a site to get this important information. Unless the user types it in.

This means: If you want to keep in touch, you've got to give visitors a compelling reason to tell you who they are.

This topic will be covered in more depth in later issues of e-Factory News (http://listbot.com/subscribe/efactory) and on the e-Factory site (www.e-factory.com). For now, I'll run through a short list of ideas for assembling your own e-mail marketing list.

1) Offer a free e-mail newsletter (like e-Factory News).

2) Offer a special download (something you've created, or some freeware program, file, or report -- just make sure you've got permission) made available only after they've filled out a contact form.

3) Set up a "members-only" area on your site.

4) For actual snail mail addresses, mail them something in exchange (like a report, booklet, program, mousepad, t-shirt, hat, whatever).

5) Hold a contest (I've never done this, so you're on your own on this one).

Notice that these are hardly original. Some are adapted for online marketing. Which is an important point: Look at what works in the "real world" and see if you can make it work on the Net. Most can probably be worked successfully.

One caveat: Don't mislead your visitors. Tell them UPFRONT what you're going to be using their info for. In fact, ASK PERMISSION to communicate with them further. Web users are hypersensitive about commercial abuse. ASSURE THEM that you're responsible, and do this AT THE START.

Don't deviate from what you've promised. There's no quicker way to lose an online customer than to abuse the faith and goodwill given to you (and it'll be seductive, since it costs practically nothing to send e-mail). Remember: If it's easy for you to abuse your marketing privileges through the Net, it's equally easy for a p.o.'d user to SPREAD THE WORD and BADMOUTH your operation. Just don't do it.

It doesn't cost any more to keep it clean and honest. The short list above took me all of 2 minutes to put together. They're EASY to come up with. No cost. Good benefits. Pretty good deal.