When I interviewed the DMA's Keith Norris, I was assured that the DMA, the driving force behind the new eMSA (electronic Marketing Standards Authority) that, although he wasn't a Net-guru, they did have people who knew the technology.

Then of course I questioned that statement by pointing out the sorry state in which I found their website the very next morning.

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Well I must apologise for suggesting that the DMA/eMSA might not have, or might not be willing to recruit, the necessary tech-savvy to get to grips with the Net.

I apologise, not because I was wrong, but because I shouldn't have gone with my gut feeling and said that there was no "might" about it. In fact, recent events have removed any trace of doubt in my mind -- these guys just don't have a clue!

Last night on TV they extolled the virtues of the opt-out method of controlling spam -- a method which has universally fallen into disrepute amongst responsible direct-marketers and Net users alike.

Then, this morning, I thought I'd take a look at the new eMSA website and, like millions of other Net users around the world (and many tens of thousands in NZ), I fired up my copy of Netscape. However, when I pointed it at www.emsa.co.nz I didn't see what Internet Explorer users might see -- I got this garbage.

So they don't believe in double-opt-in mailing lists and they don't believe in employing web designers who understand the concept of TESTING what they create.

Note: At least the DMA/eMSA are smart enough to read Aardvark each day -- so most of the issues complained of below in respect to their website have already been fixed. I guess someone gave the tea-lady a bit of a rocket this morning -- but why wait for me to check and comment on the bleeding obvious before fixing the problems????

But wait -- there's less!

Check out the Contact Details page.

First -- look at the top -- what does it say?

"electronic marketing standards authority" -- right?

But do you see any email addresses or any form of Net-based contact facility listed on this page?

What's wrong guys -- afraid the address will get nabbed by passing spammers (oops, I mean "direct marketers") who will then put you on a thousand email lists that you'll have to opt out of, one at a time?

No, hang-on... there IS an email address buried in the middle of this page and it's even referenced several times -- so why isn't it on the contact page where you'd expect to find it? In fact -- there are email links scattered all over the site -- on every page, except where you'd expect to find it.

Readers Say (updated hourly) EMSA page... - Giles emsa web page... - Grizz eMSA - Design Lawlessness... - Julian New Tune... - Michael Have Your Say

Oh.. hang on again... carefully concealed by the discrete dark-red on charcoal on dark gray colors of the left-hand menu, I see an email link. Someone ought to have a word with these guys about using high-contrast colours for critical website components such as menus.

Unfortunately, I suspect the truth is that they have fallen into the same "wee don't need no steenken help/advice/outside-testing -- wee know eet all!" syndrome that afflicts so many companies when they try to create a Net presence.

This site, and the design behind it, looks very much like it is another of those "Proudly built by your tea-lady during her lunch break" efforts.

So am I being too harsh in nitpicking this site?

Hell no! It's not a big site -- just 7 static pages! There are probably over a hundred web designers in NZ who could have produced a vastly superior result for little more than pocket change -- so why would an organisation like the eMSA, backed by one of NZ's major marketing associations, settle for this garbage? Perhaps because they don't really care about it or the setting of standards that will REALLY control UCE and spam?

Or perhaps the explanation is more innocent. Maybe it's because Keith Norris was (to be kind) "mistaken" when he assured me that they had some Net-savvy skills onboard. Maybe it's just that they don't know squat about the Internet! In fact, they probably think this website is just bloody marvelous, possibly even "state of the art" -- the best ever built by a part-time tea-lady perhaps?

And these people claim to be able to be able to create and administer electronic marketing standards which might be acceptable to the Net and its users? I don't think so!

Oh yes, and to top it all off -- they sent me a press release yesterday in MS Word format! Clearly they haven't even read the warning on the Aardvark Press-bin page.

The DMA and eMSA are obviously clue-free zones when it comes to the Net and anyone who thinks that they're really anti-spam is taking the wrong pills.

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