More AOL Woes (Everyone Please Read)]

[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

Elecraft list members, please see the message below
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73, Eric  WA6HHQ
Elecraft list moderator

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [QSL-Net] More AOL Woes (Everyone Please Read)
Date: Sun, 08 Aug 2004 12:23:39 -0400
From: Tim <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]



Over the last year or so our system has been periodically blocked from sending mail into the AOL system.  A month ago, I finally made arrangements with them to be white listed and put an end to this once and for all.  To be white listed by them I had to agree to receive any and all complaints logged by their users about mail being sent from our system (we don't send spam, no problem).

While this seemed easy, I found that AOL provides their users a button on their interface that says something to the effect that "this message is spam", and when they highlight a message and push it, we get a "complaint" logged against us and mailed to us.  No one at AOL reads this stuff, but they keep track of them and after we reach a certain percentage of the mail we send vs how many complaints we get, they block our entire system.  I've also found that the spam button is next to the delete button, and a clueless user MIGHT use it to delete messages.  Here in lies the problem.

I am getting plenty of these "complaints" and since AOL does not tell me who is complaining (apparently a privacy issue), it's near impossible to find out who they are and remove them from the system.

So, I'm asking all list owners to post a message to all of your lists reminding AOL people not to use the "spam" button as a delete button and if they are subscribed to your list and don't want to be, help them get off the list so we don't get blacklisted by AOL.

Thanks for your help.  If you have any questions about this, let me know.

Tim


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[G3VVT]

The spam button in question is on the later AOL 9.0 and is marked "Report  
Spam". Unfortunately as reported it is adjacent to the "Delete" button.
 
The amount of spam arriving in my mailbox is down to a few e-mails per day  
plus another small percentage goes direct to a spam folder. The action of  
designating a message as "Report Spam" has the effect of sending it to the spam  
folder. Even at that point it can be restored back to the mailbox by
designating  as "this is not spam" which restores it for reading. With this in mind the
only  point that it could be reported to AOL is when the spam designated
messages are  deleted from the spam folder which I do every few days. In other
words it would  possibly take two separate actions to make the mud stick.
 
Looks like another try is needed with AOL to resolve the  matter with them as
there is little the list can do to protect itself from the  occasional moron
with a loaded PC and a mouse.
 
Bob, G3VVT
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