On Thu, 10 Aug 1995 10:16:33 CST you said: >The fact is that AOL users are very prolific on the internet, and are >my biggest bounced email headache. The major email headache is due to >the small email box sizes, but mainly, LISTSERV does NOT recognize the >AOL bounced email. This is probably due to AOL not properly >formatting their bounced email so that listserv can handle it. I've >noticed that AOL returns a "551" (full mailbox) and "550" (unknown user) >but does NOT include the full email address. I run a particular list called Help-Net which by its nature is very attractive to new Internet users. Help-Net averages about 100 messages a week and between 1300 - 1600 subscribers, not counting various Usenet and Usenet- like feeds to it. I have been running Help-Net for something like six years. Maybe I am just lucky. There's usually at least a dozen AOL subscribers on Help-Net in addition to many subscribers from other services such as Prodigy and Compuserve. Rarely do I have any problems with AOL or Prodigy subscribers. What I get stuck with a goodly amount of times, although not often enough to worry about it, is Compuserve subscribers who either drop their Compuserve memberships, run out of E-mail quota, or don't pay their bills (no kidding!). I guess I am lucky in terms of my list's use by AOLers as they really arent a problem. I can see why other Listserv lists owners are having this problem though because AOL is giving millions of people Internet access. AOL is incredibly agressive at marketing their service. In fact, I hope that more AOLers subscribe to Help-Net. That way, they have the opportunity to learn good Internet etiquette and not make pests of themselves as they post messages on Usenet groups. In fact, its Prodigy that seems to be the worst Internet citizen, in my opinion, as to how they run their system. I have seen so much junk mail on Usenet from Prodigy and I have complained at least 2 dozen times about such things to postmaster there. Not once have I received a response and the same jokers post the same crap (sex ads in inappropriate places and chain letters) that I have since taken the step of setting up a kill file for my personal account so that I no longer see any Prodigy subscribers postings. If the people who run Prodigy were anywhere near as good as managing their users as AOL is, Usenet would not be so cluttered with junk postings as it currently is. Not that AOL is perfect, but they have answered every one of my complaints and taken appropriate action. Stan Horwitz, Consultant | Bitnet | Internet Temple University | V4039@TEMPLEVM | [log in to unmask] Manager of Help-Net and E-mail postmaster for VM.TEMPLE.EDU and TEMPLEVM