Get ready soon for AOL’s Launch of its new DKIM based domain sender reputation system

Sometime in the first half of the year, AOL will begin to implement its new DKIM based domain sender reputation system.

A reputation system works in a two-step process. The first step is authentication (who are you?) and the second is authorization. The latter basically translates into what rights of benefits that will be authorized to you as a sender. For instance, if your sender reputation is good, then you may benefit from being authorized to send higher volumes of emails; have more of those emails delivered to the inbox; etc… An analogy is the relationship between a passport and a visa. The former identifies you and the latter describes what rights you have been granted (e.g. visit country, work in the country, etc..).

DKIM

Reputation systems work in different ways. Some focus on the IP address, some on the sending domain, and others on a combination of the previous two. The exact method in which the authentication check is done relates to the underlying technology in effect such as Sender Policy Framework, SenderID, and DKIM.

Domain keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a cryptographic email authentication method, making it possible to detect email forgery (“phishing”) by validating that the message actually comes from the domain that it claims to have come from. Signing outgoing messages with DKIM helps senders protect their domain and brand reputation against deceptive abuse by spammers.

Don’t Panic

AOL has put a lot of thought and consideration on how to roll out DKIM based domain reputation along with the current IP based reputation system. Only one system will be used at a time. If the message is signed with DKIM, then the domain reputation system will be used. If not, then the IP based reputation will be used. I am sure many computer scientist “types” will argue that a combined IP and Domain based reputation system would provide a better reputation score. This, however, misses an important consideration in that the more complicated scores are calculated; the more difficult it is to understand and/or troubleshoot; and the less likelihood senders will correctly identify problems areas and improve on them.

Change is Good

Of course, AOL is not forcing you to start signing messages using DKIM. However, don’t put it off without also thinking about the benefits you are missing out on. For one, you have a lot more flexibility in your choice of infrastructure. For example, it could mean losing a whitelisted AOL IP if your current ISP hosting company goes out of business. In this case, you basically would have to start from scratch : find a new server, build the reputation on the IP, apply for whitelisting, etc…

However, with AOL’s DKIM based domain reputation system, you don’t have to worry about such IP problems because with DKIM-based signing no “warm-up” period is required for a new server. Just bring the new server online, sign email using DKIM, and continue to send the same email volume you were sending before.

AOL has no plans to expire a domain’s positive reputation from inactivity such as what happens now with AOL’s IP based reputation system. This is of course great news for business models and organizations where email campaigns are sent on a seasonal basis or only during certain times of the year.

Make the Leap

In the end, there should not be a whole lot holding you back to at least plan to soon start signing your messages with DKIM. As a reputable permission based email marketer, you put a lot of work into developing and maintaining your company and domain reputation. Don’t let that go to waste – take advantage of DKIM to not only protect your reputation, but also to maximize deliverability.

Stay tuned for AOL to publish a DKIM FAQ on its postmaster site.

Got questions or topics you’d like to see addressed in this blog? Email me at a.ohalloran (at) cypra.com. My company’s web site is www.cypra.com.