On Jun 19, 2007, at 7:39 AM, Eric Thomas wrote: >> Sometimes AOL filters get a little too aggressive and put listmail >> and >> administrative messages in the spam folder. If these are not removed >> they >> are reported to AOL as spam. Unless subscribers check their spam >> folder >> during every mail session mail and mark all legitimate mail >> everything >> in there will be reported as spam. > > This sounds like a textbook example of how NOT to design a system > whose bottom line is "one strike and you're out" (which as you know > is the way AOL demands that senders process their spam reports). > The system should not generate spam complaints on the basis of > messages that no actual human being has reported as spam, or indeed > even looked at. I had to disable the junk mail function in Outlook > because some mail from my colleagues was randomly saved in the junk > mail folder and unanswered. We were never able to figure out why, > and the messages definitely did not contain any "spammy" words. I > would hate to think that closing Outlook without having > investigated that folder carefully would have ANY lasting > consequences, but this seems to be exactly what AOL has implemented. AOL is truly a business that survives (barely) despite itself. As for Outlook's aggressive junk mail filtering, my humble recommendation is, don't use Outlook. > >> Following AOL's own instructions to filter mail from unwanted senders >> to the spam folder will cause those messages to be reported as spam. > > This is even more absurd. If there is one specific poster on the > list whose messages you do not care to read, for instance because > he writes in a language you do not speak, the entire list is > reported as spam. > > It seems that the reason AOL users are managing to stay on LISTSERV > lists (if at an unreasonably high burden to list owners, who have > to keep re-adding them all the time) is that organizations do not > have the manpower to implement AOL's requirements for spam feedback > loops. This will change with LISTSERV 15.5, and AOLers will end up > having to get another ISP if they want to maintain subscription > status - or petition AOL to fix their system. With an estimated 10M > AOL subscriptions to LISTSERV lists, maybe AOL will listen. Eric, I am about to upgrade our production LISTSERV from 14.5 to 15. I am wondering if I should hold off on doing that upgrade if 15.5 is going to be available by the end of August. Is there a way I can beta test 15.5 for Linux? If so, I will volunteer to do it on my test server if I meet your beta testing criteria.