Articles
Think Your Email's Getting Delivered?
by Karen Weir Local Internet Advertising ConsultantThink You're Getting Your Email?
Do you use AOL, RR, yahoo, hotmail, cox, comcast, or yahoo for you business email? Do you send out email from any of those servers? If you answered yes, you may be surprised to know that not all of your mail is being delivered all the time. You get some of your mail, some of your mail goes out, so you *think* it all does, but it doesn't...
How can that be?Well, it started a while back - and its only getting worse. You may have heard rumblings about there being talk for charging a fee to send out emails; that seemed to be the beginning. In what consumers believed to be protection from spam, ISPs and free email providers created, what some refer to as, email extortion. Mail going out in large quantities is being blocked by ISPs and free email providers.
There are some theories on why this is happening. One theory is that the email providers are beginning a campaign to charge large servers to get the mail delivered. This seems to be a valid theory based on the fact that in early 2006 AOL announced that America Online is phasing out its Enhanced Whitelist, replacing the bulk-mailing program with Goodmail's Certified Email program. It was reported that the new system will carry a fraction of cent fee to commercial mailers for every email with images and hyperlinks.
A statement released by AOL Postmaster Chales Stiles revealed:
· On April 3, 2006, AOL will change the qualification criteria for the Enhanced Whitelist by lowering the complaint threshold to an extent that will significantly reduce the number of IP addresses included in the program.
· On June 30, 2006, AOL will terminate Enhanced Whitelist privileges. This change will disable links and images by default from all non-certified bulk email viewed from AOL 9.0, AOL webmail and all subsequent client releases. As always, links and images can be enabled by the end user on a message-by-message basis.
There is no question that AOL users are NOT getting their mail. However, many of them believe this is done in their own best interest. Soon after, email going out from large servers to other email clients was not being delivered. If you ever sign up for something that requires verification, and you don't get the verification email - you can bet that it is being blocked by your ISP or free email provider.
When people hear this they often say, "well I always check my spam folder". That's great, and some of your mail will actually make it there, but some won't. That is not blocked - it is sorted. There is a difference, and not a subtle one. When your email provider sorts your mail for you, they will put email delivered from a larger server , and those that contain some of the words and phrases determined to be spammy, into your spam folder. You may not consider it spam, but if it meets that criteria, it gets "sorted" to your spam folder. Not a big deal. You can mark it not spam and get it delivered to your inbox next time.
The big deal is the one that doesn't meet the criteria for sorting, but rather, exceeds the threshold (which could be based solely on the amount of outgoing mail from the server), it gets trashed. Never goes to your inbox, you may never even know that it attempted to!
I'm not ok with this. The average person thinks that they are being protected from spam, but are they? If all that is required to get your bulk mail through an ISP is money, could spammers not pay to get their spam through, while the legitimate marketer attempting to send you a verification email for something you actually requested, gets trashed? How is the consumer protected? Quite simply put, they are not.
Would we tolerate our snail mail being dealth with in this manner? In some instances it would be nice I suppose, if for instance the post office blocked all mail going out from large credit card companies. I'm sure they'd find another way to get your bill out, but seriously, we would not tolerate it. I get a lot of spam in my real mailbox too, and nobody seems to want to "protect" me from that!
Don't get me wrong, I don't like spam either, but this is not the way to deal with it. In my opinion, we should let the recipient determine what is and what is not spam. I prefer to make the determination for myself. If its garbage, I'll trash it. If it's spam, I'll block the sender. I don't need spam assasin or my ISP making those kinds of decisons for me. Simple isn't it? I wish I had that much control over the mail box on my front step!
What is interesting also, is the people who seem defensive about the issue. When told that their ISP is blocking mail, some will deny the issue stating that they know they are getting their mail, and that their mail is going out. For the most part they don't understand what is actually occurring, and once they do, they begin to pay closer attention, and eventually figure out the truth.
There are some solutions. Gmail, thus far, seems to be good about delivering all the mail. Some hosting servers are pretty good as well (GoDaddy isn't one of them). APSense creators came with an excellent solution for its members - the desktop publisher. Desk View is another system that utilizes the desktop publishing. You can put a message box on your site, and when your customer sends a message it is delivered directly to your desktop. If that person is also a deskview user, you can reply right back to his/her desktop, otherwise they can leave you their email address or telephone number.
I'd like to put email service providers out of business using the desktop publishers, and while this is probably the way of the future... we aren't quite there yet. If anyone has ideas on how we can eliminate spam assasins and email extortion tactics, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts.
In the meantime, and in between time, if you do use email to market your business or products, this Email Marketing Course will be very helpful to you!
Register here for Email Marketing E-course
Happy Emailing!
Karen Weir
Ask and you shall receive! Days after I posted this article, I discovered eLerts that work with Google Desktop. The future of eMail is indeed bleak now that we have this alternative! Here's the great news, not only do you get your message DELIVERED to the desktop of millions of Google Desktop users, but it also generates a google indexed html page, and an RSS feed.
Desktop Publishing - the new eMail Marketing
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About Karen Weir 
Local Internet Advertising Consultant
763 connections, 26 recommendations, 1,819 honor points.Joined APSense since, May 17th, 2007, From Edmonton, Canada.
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.
Comments
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantWell, no replying to what we perceive to be unsolicited email does not perpetuate the problem. The problem is not really spam at all. It is the service providers blocking. The assumption (wrong I should point out), is that your ISP is protecting you from spam when they block larger servers from mailing. Some, however, will accept payment from the larger server to get the mail through. You see, your ISP really doesn't care about spam. Under those rules, true spammers can pay to get their spam through. Nobody is ever going to eliminate spam. Not anymore than you can really stop people from calling you on the phone. Sure you can get on the do not call list, but it doesn't prevent your number from being dialed. Some email systems do have spam protection that makes the sender verify they are a real person. All fine for person to person email, but not good for business. The other thing often overlooked by those who think the spam is the real issue is that some of the spam you get isn't. If you are posting ads on FFA pages, and using safelists or using ad blasters, you are agreeing to receive offers. Those are INTENDED for reverse marketing, but most people don't understand that. ~ Karen ~ Jul 23rd 2007 16:43 |
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Eric Smith
  Online ProfessionalI guess we have different opinions on how and what to market. But thats a good thing. If everyone used the same marketing methods we would be overlaping everything onto everyone. That logically wouldn't work. Personally i don't condone or reverse market to spam. I don't own, market or recommend FFA pages or any form of bulk submission. My thoughts are that supporting these industries only increases the problem. I build my own lists using lead capture pages (like apsense A.B.C). I also develp lead capture pages targeted to my industry and have information requests daily. But as i said... To each his (or her) own... Best of luck with your marketing efforts. Jul 27th 2007 18:47 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantI don't condone or support spam either! LOL But I do understand that I'm not going to stop it, so I deal with it in a constructive way, but that has NOTHING to do with email not being delivered. We are talking two different things here. Email being blocked by ISPs has nothing to do with spam, and in fact real spammers can get their mail through, while you may not. I use many methods to market - email is only one, and reverse marketing is not what I call one of my "marketing strategies". Most of my business and traffic comes from the search engines. The point to this article had nothing to do with spam - it is about ISPs blocking email. Because of this issue, using email to communicate with your subscribers is increasingly difficult and ineffective. You may not be aware of it but much of the email you send to your opt in subscribers, is not getting to them. That is the point to the article. ~ Karen ~ Jul 27th 2007 19:00 |
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Candice Hampton
 AccountingHi Karen, what I understand about your post is not about spam marketing per say, but about what the isp's are doing with peoples emails, for their own agenda. I am a network marketer on a very large, but tightly knit team. Our team leaders send out emails to everyone keeping them updated on events and schedules. I know for a fact that many don't get their updates. We have all our new members get gmail accounts when they join now because they don't block like others do. Lifestyle Home Service, I do have one question for you, how do you get traffic to your lead capture pages and does it work? or two....... Jul 27th 2007 21:26 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalIMO... I think SPAM is the largest reason Emails are blocked by ISP's. Its getting harder and harder for ISP's to determine what is or isn't spam so legitimate emails are being blocked or flagged as potential spam even though they are legitimate or "opt-in" emails. Spammers are now using images to hide their text and using subject lines that look like legitimate emails. ISP's are now catching on to this and will often block emails with images an attachments or emails that simply "look" dodgy. So there is a connection between SPAM & ISP's Hi Candice, I use SEO techniques, Link exchanges, Social Networking, Targeted Lead Capture Pages (www.milifestyle.net as an example), Forums, Google adwords, Traffic Exchanges, I buy ad space on targeted websites with high PR, offline promotion in Niche magazines and papers, local delivery of brochures, etc... Hope that helps. Jul 28th 2007 16:32 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantBut Eric, what about providers accepting payment to whitelist a bulk server? And just for the sake of argument, let's assume that you are right. Do you need your ISP to make this determination FOR you? Or would you prefer that they go ahead and sort your mail - put what their robots have determined to be spam in your spam folder, and let YOU decide? That's what G-mail does. Works like a charm. It's an ineffective method, and more than that, it is not at all the intent. Call it a Conspiracy Theory if you like, but when a spammer can pay to get his spam delivered, but you and I have trouble getting an email with a word in it determined by Spam Assassin to be "spammy" through, there is something more sinister going on. Bottom line, regardless of what you believe, is we should have an option. It is sad when a legitimate business person can't do business effectively with his ISP email account. In your original post on this thread you said that "spam itself is not the problem, its the backend problems tht exist BECAUSE of Spam" - did you ask your ISP to "protect" you from spam? I didn't. And even if these participating ISPs were legitimately trying to protect us, it isn't working... time to find another strategy. Seems most of the spam I get now is for viagra and penis enlargement patches... obvious spam from the content, but its getting through... JMHO ~ Karen ~ Jul 28th 2007 16:53 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalFor sure, i'm not denying that ISP's could handle things better. In many cases they will block emails to save them money. But, to a degree, ISP's can justify this by the cost of handleing Millions of SPAM emails each day, whether they were sent to the addresse or not. And fair enough - They could give people the option. Yes I want SPAM. No I do not want SPAM. But logically, in the whole sceam of things who does want it - except of course for the occasional reverse marketer ;o) When i was on Dial-Up I (voluntarily) paid an extra $2.50 per month for SPAM protection. But when i went onto Broadband it was built in. But i don't use my ISP email. I have several domains and use my own addresses. "This" email doesn't get blocked, I just make sure i only subscribe to duble opt in lists. In the event SPAM does get through i report it to SpamCop.net and other services (including the ISP if i find it). Jul 28th 2007 17:25 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantI would NEVER report spam because I know that a high percentage of the people doing it, don't know they are. But no, it isn't a question of yes I want it or no I don't want it. It is a matter of let me decide what is and isn't spam. If I opt in to receive your newsletter, by gosh I want to receive it! Do you want your postal service to start making these decisions for you as well? To save money? So if you receive mail from someone who sends alot of mail... oh let's say Sears... the postmaster can say... "I don't think Eric really ordered this new suit, so I'm going to turf it, save the post office a few bucks" I have a hard time understanding why this is ok with people. Under any circumstances. ~ Karen ~ Jul 28th 2007 18:07 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalI think when you get 10 emails in the same day from someone trying to flog Viagra, most people would be confident knowing they knew what they were sending. And if they don't then someone should tell them. Jul 28th 2007 18:12 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantCan you explain how you know your email from your own domain is being delivered EVERY time? Or that you are receiving what is being sent EVERY time? Sure, you can report the obvious spam, but every notice they keep coming anyway? That's cuz they paid to get whitelisted. Your reports may cause some delay, but they will get delivered. ~ Karen ~ Jul 28th 2007 18:27 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalHey Karen, ...when i changed the mail servers from mail.myISP.com to mail.mydomain.com i started getting twice as much mail as i was getting... Yeah, they keep coming until they start to drip... My personal preference is to do something towards stopping them... Your preference seems to be to reverse market to them.... That doesn't make either of us right or wrong... just different in our approaches... Jul 28th 2007 18:42 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantIf they weren't coming, I wouldn't reverse market them! LOL... My preference would be that spam doesn't exist, but it does, and as long as email exists, it always will. I can stop blatent spam from getting into my inbox (and I do) but blocking them. Problem solved. The only intent of this article was to get word out that email is not being delivered, ISPs claims to be out to stop spam are BS at worst, ineffective at best, and that the ONLY solution is to let individuals decide what is and isn't spam. I mean maybe there is someone who likes those viagra ads in their inbox... who are we to judge? ~ Karen ~ Jul 28th 2007 18:57 |
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Eric Smith
Online ProfessionalAs mentioned in another group, what about in the case where you have responded to SPAM, therefore accepting the email only to have the recipient of YOUR "reverse" email accuse you of SPAM ? Jul 31st 2007 16:09 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantIn two years, I have not experienced it. I've never had a spam complaint against me. Maybe its the LOA. In fact, I'm sure of it. My auto reply does more than "reverse" market. It lets people emailing me know that I received their email... since ISPs are so choosey about what gets through. ~ Karen ~ Jul 31st 2007 16:13 |
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Karen Weir
Local Internet Advertising ConsultantAnd Now... Google has a solution! Remember that DeskTop Publishing tool I mentioned... it's here... http://www.elertgadget.com/pubregister.php?ref=karenweir&campid=50 Aug 1st 2007 18:57 |
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Valerie Hasara
 Marketing, Web Designer, OwnerI run email out of my own server – this just means I get to look in on the deliver and what really comes and goes. Yahoo does not deliver. It is a big problem and only getting bigger. That is why companies are looking to different solutions like the desk top mailer here at Apsense. Aug 22nd 2007 16:52 |
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Nathan Ramsey
My First Website http://nathanramsey2.googlepages.com/freeresponsiveglobaladvertising Dec 22nd 2007 20:57 |
Hi Karen,
Yes, Spam ruins a lot of things for a lot of people and businesses.
The spam itself is not the problem, its the backend problems that exist BECAUSE of Spam, like not getting emails sent or received. If SPAM didn't exist, mail would be delivered as normal.
In one of your Blogs you mentioned you love spam because you "reverse market" to them. I guess this reverse marketing could be as detrimental to mail programs banning certain IP's as the original SPAM itself since the mail program will read the emails origins in its headers etc...,
who knows!
Jul 23rd 2007 15:59