Our respected colleague David Daniels published a nifty little report on deliverability last week at JupiterResearch, and there are a few little tidbits that bear repeating for the responsible masses.

Daniels reiterates the continued danger lurking behind “dormant” email masses, which are defined as email addresses that have been abandoned by their owner. As the nickname implies, dormant addresses look like they are in permanent hibernation, but in reality they have the potential to erupt, and not in a good way.

Some of these inactive subscribers can be linked to dormant accounts, and these dormant accounts are increasingly being used by ISPs to create honey pots or spam traps. Marketers hitting too many dormant accounts could have the delivery disposition of their messages changed (e.g., completely blocked, delivered to the bulk folder).

You heard the man — it’s time to dig into your email response data and separate those loved ones who simply aren’t answering the door from those who packed up and moved altogether. According to the report, this dormant segment probably represents a big chunk of your total subscriber list, so don’t be surprised if your viable list size decreases significantly. We know from experience that it’s more important to make every send count than to simply send more!