[zhuuraan]

Hi all,

I am trying to send a broadcast message to my GetResponse list, one which I have sent before but a long time ago, and was resending for the many new members I have. However, there is a problem.

The email is not going through the spam filter, because of blacklisted URLs. I checked the URIBL website for the URLs, and both of them are listed. They are ezinfocenter.com and tripleclicks.com, both SFI related sites and they are both listed.

So, I'm wondering if SFI has done something wrong or if I've been ripped off by them from the start, as the blacklist addition was recent, like June or so of this year, though I forget exactly when.

It makes me a little bit leery, and I certainly don't want to send a bad email to my list, but I am just wondering why it was blacklisted and what I should do. If it is legit, and was just reported by some troublemaker, which is also just as plausible, then there should be some way around it. Please help!

[Patrician]

I am a little surprised SFI is on there.

However ANYONE, even the pope, can get blacklisted with enough spam complaints. Many companies that do LEGAL, PERMISSION BASED BULK MAIL can end up on there if one of their members, unbeknownst to the company, gets tagged for spam. (or malicious miscreants report them just for the heck of it even after they opted in).

If it was a big time spammer they would get their day in court but the little guys just get ditched and they are guilty unless proven innocent.

Many big internet companies monitor URIBL almost daily to ask to be removed.

You can see how spammers are killing us - between the traffic jams, spam filters and complaints -

(you would be surprised how many of these are 'innocent' newbies that don't understand the CANSPAM law (MUST have permission to send and MUST have way to unsubscribe).

SFI has been in business around 20 year now - including 10 online. It is a completely reputable business, so please don't blame them or be skeptical.

If you think of it though, it might be nice to inform them of that report...

'one bad apple can spoil the bunch'

[zhuuraan]

Yeah, I should let Gery know. There is an option on there to be requested to be delisted, but since he's the head of the company, he should be the one to dispute it I would think. I will let him know.

As for the GetResponse thing, I wish there was a way I could still send it, hmm maybe there is.

They let you send it if the spam rating is less than 5, and it's 6.something, so, if I take out one of the links, it should reduce the spam rating, allowing it to go through. Then, perhaps I can send an email about the opportunity seperately.

That should do it I would think, but then there are also several links to tripleclicks on there so maybe not. I guess the only way to know is to try it and see.

[Jeff Casmer]

Hi,

I have several emails for SFi and tons of follow up messages with SFI's domain names and have no problem getting them through....interesting information though and you should pass that to Gery...

Take care
Jeff

[zhuuraan]

Yeah, that is kind of odd, but I did post a message on the SFI forum, so hopefully he'll look into it.

[GT]

Hello:

I'm not worried at all about SFI. The company is proven, it is reputable and it will remain in business long after many current affiliate programs have bitten the dust.

A couple of months ago, while using TinyURL.com, the popular URL shortener, it rejected an ezinfocenter link I was trying to shorten. Too bad. So what. No problem.

Patricia has explained the situation very well: even the best of the best can get hit by the blacklisters. It's not always accurate, it's not always fair ... but that's life.

I had a problem with URIBL about a year ago, so I filed a request to be removed from their list, then joined the group to recieve updates from their member forum. I've never checked to see if my site in question was still listed. My suspicion is that it was because of some website submission service I paid for that may have been using questionable distribution techniques. I stopped trusting those services.

Lately, there has been discussion because some very popular social networking sites are being blacklisted ... How about that?

GT

[Patrician]

Good point, GT, social networks are SPAM networks. I am so disgusted with:

(a) nothing on Twitter except ads - what is the point? Get a real bulletin board. What is 'social' about spam?

(b) the UNSOLICITED invitations - daily from more 'social' networks than anyone could ever imagine in their worst nightmare, and from people I never heard of.

(c) To boot, many of them have bogus 'unsubscribe' protocols - you can block the person or block the network - I always block the network - and guess what 2 weeks later another invitation.

(d) and many of the so-called unsubscribe mechanisms are tricks - you click the link to 'block' and guess where you are? "Hi welcome to Bogus Networks Inc! Register or Login" - Nothing there about how to block or unsubscribe. (now I am double ticked off because I have been spammed and duped!

...spare me, end of rant.

[zhuuraan]

I agree, that is a good point GT. It's really more of a nuissance than anything though because I can't send the broadcast message I'd like to on GetResponse.

And yet, I get tons and tons of SPAM emails going into my inbox every day, and legitimate emails in my Spam folder too!

Well anyway, hopefully Gery can request a delist and solve that little problem. I don't know anyone involved with SFI who sends unsolicited emails, and I never got any email from them before I joined, yet many phony programs spam everyone!

If there are people that spam in SFI, I am fairly certain it's not condoned.

As for me, I was sending the email to my getresponse list, which as everyone here knows is a double opt in subscriber list, so it's not spam because it is solicited and they can leave any time.

I may have to rewrite my email to exclude some of the products, or break it into two seperate ones, because it was probably the quantity of links to that address that was the problem, even though they were just product links. Maybe that is what I will do.

[zhuuraan]

BTW Pat, thanks for the thank!

[GT]

Originally Posted by zhuuraan

... I may have to rewrite my email to exclude some of the products, or break it into two seperate ones, because it was probably the quantity of links to that address that was the problem, even though they were just product links. Maybe that is what I will do.

Hello:

I think that is a good plan. If I remember correctly, once, long ago, when I did have a GR problem, it might have been aggravated by including too many links in the message. I removed some links and that was the end of that problem.

Also, from a marketing point of view, it may be better to use less links in each message just so you don't overwhelm the prospect. Choices are good, but too many choices make it harder to make a decision.

GT

[zhuuraan]

Well, there weren't too many of them, only like 5 or 6 at most, but maybe I'll do 3 per email and break it into a part 1 and part 2 type thing or something. I didn't have like 20 products or something silly like that. lol