[TheForge] AOL and TheForge

[Dave Brown]

Over the last year or so the qth.net system has been periodically blocked 
from sending mail into the AOL system.  A month ago arrangements were 
finally made with them to be white listed and put an end to this once and 
for all.  To be white listed by them it was agreed to receive any and all 
complaints logged by their users about mail being sent from qth.net (we 
don't send spam, no problem, right?  Not so fast, friends.).

AOL provides their users a button on their interface that says something to 
the effect that "this message is spam", and when they highlight a message 
and push it, we get a "complaint" logged against us and mailed to us.  No 
one at AOL reads this stuff, but they keep track of them and after a 
certain percentage of the mail is reached they block the entire qth.net 
system.  The spam button is next to the delete button, and a clueless user 
MIGHT use it to delete messages. We don't have any clueless users here, do 
we?  grin>.  Here in lies the problem.

qth.net is getting plenty of these "complaints" and since AOL does not tell 
who is complaining (apparently a privacy issue), it's near impossible to 
find out who they are and remove them from the system.

So, I'm asking /reminding all AOL people not to use the "spam" button as a 
delete button for anything from TheForge.  Anyone getting this who wants 
off the list, just let me know and I will help you get off the list so we 
don't get blacklisted by AOL.

Thanks for your help.  If you have any questions about this, let me know.

Dave Brown
List Admin - TheForge