ffurtado
01-22-2005, 01:59 PM
Here is another post to our Membership. Please feel free to use as appropriate.
Hello Members,
I have been receiving lots of email from our members regarding the email problem which has resulted in temporary suspension of our email lists. Apparently many of our members do not fully understand this problem.
The problem is *not* with our FutureQuest Host provider. Rather, AOL is the sole cause. AOL has begun blocking a range of IP addresses or entire ISP’s because of AOL users reporting Spam email which appear to come from those sources.
Remember, this is not just about our members, or our Host provider, but all AOL users reporting Spam from any source. AOL has blocked FutureQuest twice recently for a short period. They have blocked many other ISP’s as well, and they are especially targeting email lists.
All of this is done by an *automated* AOL system with no human intervention. Guilty until proven innocent! ISP’s responding to AOL complaints have to prove to AOL that the email was not spam but OPT-in email to get the block removed. If not, those ISP's servers will not be allow to send email to AOL users.
NOTE:
I will try to keep members advised of this situation via the What's New page on our web site.
====================================
What is an Email Confirmed Opt-In Subscription Process?
[by FutureQuest]
Most ISP's including our FutureQuest Terms of Service require that all mailing lists be operated under a Confirmed Opt-In subscription process. Confirmed Opt-In is a process by which email addresses are subscribed to a mailing list only after careful measures have been taken, to ensure that the owner of the email address wishes to be added to the mailing list. Confirmed Opt-In is sometimes also referred to by other names, such as Double-Opt-In and Verified-Opt-In.
The primary benefit of Confirmed Opt-In, is to protect your list and site against "spam" complaints, which can ultimately lead to account termination. As an added benefit of the Confirmed Opt-In process, only valid, functioning email addresses are added to the mailing list, foiling accidental typos by the submitter or listowner. By confirming that the address is valid and functioning, you ensure that your mailings reach your intended audience, and also protect against elevated loads from the mail server dealing with a large numbers of bounce messages.
Before adding a subscriber to our mailing lists it is important to verify that:
The email address has been provided with the consent of the actual owner of the email address.
The owner of the email address has explicitly requested to receive your mailings.
It is possible that a third party may have provided the email address without the permission or knowledge of the email address owner. This can be intentional or completely unintentional. Therefore, the list owner must verify the request in order to prevent persons from being subscribed without their knowledge or permission.
To implement a Confirmed Opt-In process, as required by the FutureQuest Terms of Service, you will need to send a confirmation email to each email address before it is subscribed to the mailing list. AND, the subscriber must repond to the confirmation request.
Please note that our ezMLM mailing list software, which is pre-installed on all FutureQuest® servers, provides a built-in Confirmed Opt-In process when an email is sent from the potential subscriber to the list subscription address, handling all of the requirements above transparently and automatically for the list owner. Additionally, we provide a subscribe/unsubscribe form for your website, which also uses the same automatic Confirmed Opt-In process.
==========================================
In the past, we have accepted requests from members to add or change their email address. This service will no longer be provided to our membership. All members *must* use the forms on the web site to confirm Opt-In email subscription.
I'm waitng to hear from FutureQuest about our confirmation process. I may be required to remove all subscribers and have members subscribe again using the confirmation Opt-in process.
=============================
What can you do to help as a member?
Check your Email Controls (AOL)
Check your Spam Folder to ensure your spam filters have not caught any mail incorrectly.
Go to AOL Keyword: Spam Folder. If you see any email sent by our organization, select it, then click "THIS IS NOT SPAM." AOL will then look for similar mail and make sure to place them in your Inbox.
Go to AOL Keyword: Spam Controls.
Under "Blocked Mail Should Be"
Select 'Delivered to the Spam Folder'
In this way, you will be able to locate e-mail that has been blocked by checking your Spam Folder.
Add our email addresses to your Address Book
To bypass your Mail and Spam Controls and possible blocks from AOL's Spam Filters, add the following email addresses to your AOL Address Book. Mail from senders in your Address Book will be delivered to you regardless of the blocks you've set.
Go to AOL Keyword: Address Book.
Click ADD.
Type the information under the Contact, Home, Work, or Details tabs.
something@domain.com
webmaster@domain.com
listname@lists.domain.com
listname2@lists.domain.com
When you have finished, click SAVE.
If this works as it should, our email should go to your Inbox, not your Spam junk folder.
Check your AOL email controls for the option to block email which appears to be coming from an email list. Uncheck that option if it is checked.
MOST IMPORTANT - Be careful not to use your email control and accidentally report our email as Spam!
Regards,
Fred
Hello Members,
I have been receiving lots of email from our members regarding the email problem which has resulted in temporary suspension of our email lists. Apparently many of our members do not fully understand this problem.
The problem is *not* with our FutureQuest Host provider. Rather, AOL is the sole cause. AOL has begun blocking a range of IP addresses or entire ISP’s because of AOL users reporting Spam email which appear to come from those sources.
Remember, this is not just about our members, or our Host provider, but all AOL users reporting Spam from any source. AOL has blocked FutureQuest twice recently for a short period. They have blocked many other ISP’s as well, and they are especially targeting email lists.
All of this is done by an *automated* AOL system with no human intervention. Guilty until proven innocent! ISP’s responding to AOL complaints have to prove to AOL that the email was not spam but OPT-in email to get the block removed. If not, those ISP's servers will not be allow to send email to AOL users.
NOTE:
I will try to keep members advised of this situation via the What's New page on our web site.
====================================
What is an Email Confirmed Opt-In Subscription Process?
[by FutureQuest]
Most ISP's including our FutureQuest Terms of Service require that all mailing lists be operated under a Confirmed Opt-In subscription process. Confirmed Opt-In is a process by which email addresses are subscribed to a mailing list only after careful measures have been taken, to ensure that the owner of the email address wishes to be added to the mailing list. Confirmed Opt-In is sometimes also referred to by other names, such as Double-Opt-In and Verified-Opt-In.
The primary benefit of Confirmed Opt-In, is to protect your list and site against "spam" complaints, which can ultimately lead to account termination. As an added benefit of the Confirmed Opt-In process, only valid, functioning email addresses are added to the mailing list, foiling accidental typos by the submitter or listowner. By confirming that the address is valid and functioning, you ensure that your mailings reach your intended audience, and also protect against elevated loads from the mail server dealing with a large numbers of bounce messages.
Before adding a subscriber to our mailing lists it is important to verify that:
The email address has been provided with the consent of the actual owner of the email address.
The owner of the email address has explicitly requested to receive your mailings.
It is possible that a third party may have provided the email address without the permission or knowledge of the email address owner. This can be intentional or completely unintentional. Therefore, the list owner must verify the request in order to prevent persons from being subscribed without their knowledge or permission.
To implement a Confirmed Opt-In process, as required by the FutureQuest Terms of Service, you will need to send a confirmation email to each email address before it is subscribed to the mailing list. AND, the subscriber must repond to the confirmation request.
Please note that our ezMLM mailing list software, which is pre-installed on all FutureQuest® servers, provides a built-in Confirmed Opt-In process when an email is sent from the potential subscriber to the list subscription address, handling all of the requirements above transparently and automatically for the list owner. Additionally, we provide a subscribe/unsubscribe form for your website, which also uses the same automatic Confirmed Opt-In process.
==========================================
In the past, we have accepted requests from members to add or change their email address. This service will no longer be provided to our membership. All members *must* use the forms on the web site to confirm Opt-In email subscription.
I'm waitng to hear from FutureQuest about our confirmation process. I may be required to remove all subscribers and have members subscribe again using the confirmation Opt-in process.
=============================
What can you do to help as a member?
Check your Email Controls (AOL)
Check your Spam Folder to ensure your spam filters have not caught any mail incorrectly.
Go to AOL Keyword: Spam Folder. If you see any email sent by our organization, select it, then click "THIS IS NOT SPAM." AOL will then look for similar mail and make sure to place them in your Inbox.
Go to AOL Keyword: Spam Controls.
Under "Blocked Mail Should Be"
Select 'Delivered to the Spam Folder'
In this way, you will be able to locate e-mail that has been blocked by checking your Spam Folder.
Add our email addresses to your Address Book
To bypass your Mail and Spam Controls and possible blocks from AOL's Spam Filters, add the following email addresses to your AOL Address Book. Mail from senders in your Address Book will be delivered to you regardless of the blocks you've set.
Go to AOL Keyword: Address Book.
Click ADD.
Type the information under the Contact, Home, Work, or Details tabs.
something@domain.com
webmaster@domain.com
listname@lists.domain.com
listname2@lists.domain.com
When you have finished, click SAVE.
If this works as it should, our email should go to your Inbox, not your Spam junk folder.
Check your AOL email controls for the option to block email which appears to be coming from an email list. Uncheck that option if it is checked.
MOST IMPORTANT - Be careful not to use your email control and accidentally report our email as Spam!
Regards,
Fred