>
>Is there somewhere I can read about all the messages I get on bounced
>messages and what to do about it?
>
>The manual implies to just quite delete or set those users to nomail, but
>why should I do that?
>
>shouldn't I try to figure out what is wrong with the messages?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Mark
>
 
Hi, Mark:  I am a relatively new listowner, but here is how my senior
partner and founder of our list Harry Dewey handles them. He discards the
warning ones right off, but if mail bounces for longer, he saves the bounced
messages and sends them as a bundle when the subscriber stops bouncing.  If
you want to be an extra-nice listowner like he is, you can adapt your own
mail management system to do this.  I have a folder for bounces and a
mailbox within it labeled MASTER for odd bounces and times when I lack time
to sort them.  New bounces go into this folder after initial ones
("warnings") have been discarded.  As I notice bounce patterns, I create new
folders for them. I have kept a JUNO and AOL folder because those servers
seem to bounce a lot.
 
When I get time bounces are sorted and those that have stopped within a few
days are simply discarded and the folder is deleted.  If the subscriber has
lots of them I may try to send them the bundle after awhile, if THAT
bounces, then we put them on NOMAIL and wait to hear from them.  If the
bundle is of a reasonable size, we can simply then send them their missed
mail.  If it is huge, we have to ask them to request list logs(archives).
In my limited experience, most bounce problems clear themselves up but I do
notice that certain servers seem to have chronic problems.  Sometimes
sending a note with a copy of the bounce to the postmaster@domain helps.  If
THAT bounces, the nomail is the only route.
 
I am sure that there are others with yet more ideas.  For one thing, I would
imagine that the size, nature, and volume of traffic on your list might
determine how "nice" you can afford to be.  Our list is manageable!
 
I am new at this and wish that I knew how to read the blah-blah in the
header better and hope that others respond to this query!  The Listowner's
Manual does give some basic information about reading headers in the section
on bounces.
 
 
 
 
 
Louise H. Parsons  <[log in to unmask]>
listowner, Alpine-L,the Electronic Rock Garden Society
Corvallis, OR  USA USDA zone 7 , Emerald NARGS, AIS, SIGNA, SPCNI,
"A Sensitive Plant in a garden grew,
And the young winds fed it with silver dew." Shelley
http://www.peak.org/~parsont/rockgard/
 
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