Unsolicited bulk e-mail (known unaffectionately as "spam") is the junk mail of the Internet. Spam almost derailed the Internet's promise of allowing the gathering of information permitting firms to get closer to their customers. Most reputable businesses have edged away from spam and moved into e-mail by request.

Here are some services you can offer on your site which allow visitors to be rewarded for receiving e-mail in categories they select:

The Polk Company is now promoting its Buyer's Choice program on the Internet at www.polk.com. Advertisers offer incentives to attract customers to the Buyer's Choice web site. There they fill out a survey denoting their shopping interests and agreeing to receive messages from advertisers in those categories. Advertisers pay per response. Participants download special software that will bring the marketing messages to their desktops in the form of e-mail, a hotlink to a web site, or an audio or video ad with a mechanism allowing immediate response. The software detects how many messages are actually opened and how many recipients actually click through to the advertiser's pages.

MyPoints, www.MyPoints.com is a reward system developed by Motivation Net. Members earn points, known as Universal Rewards Currency, for visiting a web site, joining a program, filling out a survey, etc. The points can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, or financial services from a variety of web sites. MotivationNet, cuts through the clutter in the recipient's mail box, engages his or her attention and receives new information about him for the database. Advertisers receive a weekly report on how many messages were opened, by whom, and what they did next.

Netcentive's ClickRewards program, www.ClickRewards.com, invites web surfers to visit selected sites and sign up to earn points by making purchases, registering software, providing personal information or participating in a survey. ClickPoints can be earned across a variety of sites and combines for a big balance. Consumers can choose from a catalog of brand-name goods and services that includes six major airlines.