Katie Dean's article is pretty good, but people should be warned that some of the "E-Mail Services Firms" she listed -- most particularly Constant Contact and Topica -- have a really bad reputation as spammers among professional mail server administrators, whereas Ms. Dean left out some much better-respected firms, like
WhiteHat. No matter who you choose to handle your confirmed-opt-in e-mail lists, due diligence is critical to your organization's Internet reputation, and making the wrong choice can put a big black mark on your name.