Hello Mike,

 

We received 87 spam complaints from AOL against your list today. You are receiving this email from me, the LISTSERV Administrator, because your list has generated ten or more complaints within a 24-hour period.

 

The notices from AOL contain copies of list messages that were reported to AOL, by their customers, as spam. Specifically, when one or more of your @aol.com list subscribers received the list messages, they either clicked the [This is Spam] button or put the messages in their spamboxes and logged out of AOL Mail, which resulted in complaints being filed against the WebHelps LISTSERV Server. As a participant in AOL's Feedback Loop, I receive copies of all emails originating from WebHelps IPs that AOL customers report as spam.

 

From my review of the complaints, I am fairly certain a single subscriber is responsible for all of the complaints. All 87 complaints were made at exactly the same time (1:36pm on 11/29) and no 2 of the list messages complained about are the same. Although the subscriber may have intended to report all the list messages as spam, it is more probable that he/she put and left all the messages in his/her spambox and then logged out of AOL Mail, not knowing (or not caring) that every message in the spambox would be reported as spam.

 

Although this is not as serious a scenario as having multiple subscribers reporting list messages as spam, even one unhappy AOL customer subscribed to a busy discussion list can have devastating effects. By reporting dozens of list messages as spam,

 

a single subscriber can stop ALL WebHelps LISTSERV messages from being delivered to AOL addresses for a 24-hour period. If the subscriber is not stopped from continuing to report list mail as spam, AOL will make the block permanent*. Therefore, I must treat this problem just as seriously as if a dozen subscribers were making spam complaints against your list.

 

 WHY DOES WEBHELPS CARE ABOUT SPAM COMPLAINTS AGAINST MY LIST? -------------------------------------------------------------

This is a very serious problem and requires your immediate attention. AOL maintains a "spam-to-good-mail" ratio for all mail hosts. If the spam ratio gets too high, they stop mail deliveries from that host until the ratio returns to an acceptable level. If a host remains blocked for a length of time, they permanently stop deliveries from that host. Therefore, we must remain vigilant in our enforcement of our anti-spam policy, or delivery of ALL mail sent via our LISTSERV server by customers to AOL will stop.

 

 HOW/WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? MY LIST IS 100% OPT-IN. ------------------------------------------------

Because the messages from your list do not contain obvious spam content, I can see where this could be a case of a subscriber who forgot he/she subscribed to your list. It is important to understand that *any* message that lands in an AOL customer's spam folder (spambox) may be reported as spam -- it does not have to be deliberately reported. Very tight spam controls at AOL results in a lot of legitimate mail being filtered into customers' spamboxes. If a customer does not check his/her spambox before closing the mail session, all mail left in the box is automatically reported. AOL encourages its customers to filter all unwanted mail into their spamboxes. So, if subscriber A finds subscriber B's comments to the list annoying and filters his posts, all that mail is reported as spam.

 

 I DID NOT SEND SPAM AND I CAN PROVE IT. WHO DO I CONTACT AT AOL ABOUT THIS? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, AOL does not differentiate between real spam reports and those made accidentally, foolishly, or maliciously. Nor do they accept explanations or make exceptions. There is no one at AOL to call or email about this. They will not believe mail senders or mail hosts over their customers. If a customer reports an email as spam, AOL will take action against the mail host that allowed it off their server (in this case, WebHelps). In turn, they expect the mail host to take action against the sender of the "spam" (in this case, you).

 

For privacy reasons, AOL has removed the email addresses from the copies of list messages they sent us. It is 100%, absolutely, positively NOT possible to find out who clicked the [This is Spam] button or put and left the list messages in their spambox.

 

 WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND I DO TO STOP THE COMPLAINTS? --------------------------------------------------

My recommendation is that you (a) remove all AOL addresses from your list (instructions attached), and then (b) send a message to the former subscribers, informing them that all AOL addresses had to be removed from the list, and why. In your message to former subscribers, provide them with instructions on how to re-subscribe. This is the *only* way to be certain all AOL customers subscribed to your list still want to participate.

 

I have a special "notifications" email list setup specifically for the purpose of contacting former subscribers. You simply need to send me the list of @aol.com addresses you removed from the list, and the email address you wish to send your message from.  I will then configure the list for your use and will send you instructions on how to use it. Do NOT try to use the list to send a message to the subscribers responsible for making the spam complaints. Once a message is reported as spam, all future messages from that sender are automatically delivered to the subscriber's spambox.

 

 WHAT AM I REQUIRED TO DO? -------------------------

You must take immediate action to correct this problem and ensure it does not happen again. Within the next ten (10) days, you must send me an email outlining the action you have taken. Should you fail to take action and/or to notify me of such, your list may be suspended. Your list will not be reactivated until you take the above (a) and (b) recommended actions to stop the complaints.

 

 HOW CAN I PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN? --------------------------------------------

Once this immediate problem is resolved, you should develop a plan for dealing with @aol.com subscriptions in the future. Some options are:

 

(a) Refuse subscription requests from @aol.com addresses. This can be automated via LISTSERV online by editing your list's header. If you are using your own domain with LISTSERV, you have up to 50 free email accounts that you may provide to subscribers who do not have an alternate email address they can use with the list. Submit a Support Ticket asking to have these accounts setup as needed.

 

(b) Upon receipt of new @aol.com subscriptions, send out a confirmation email that discusses how the AOL [Report As Spam] button and Spambox work and asks the subscriber to unsubscribe by sending an email from: their subscribed email address, addressed to: listserv@lists.webhelps.com ,with the message: unsubscribe BIOMEDTALK-L, should they want off the list in the future. This can be automated via LISTSERV Online by editing your list's header and updating the confirmation template.