[FFML] [ADMIN] Unsubscribing, spam filtering, and the likes of this (was: [ADMIN] Issues with Hotmail)

[Dennis Carr]

On Fri, 2 Mar 2012 00:34:52 -0800 (PST)
Dennis Carr <dennisthetiger at chez-vrolet.net> wrote:

> Also, I have submitted to MSN the information explaining that no, I
> am a live person running this, and you have subscribed.

Just an update, here.  

I'm in the process of working directly with Microsoft's division that
deals with Hotmail and MSN accounts. Somebody named Freddie is on the
ticket and we are currently working to get this out of their filters.
Since I own this server, it's pretty much my responsibility to do this.
=D

The current situation is that I've been apparently reported to
Symantec's Brightmail filter, which tells me that somebody
likely reported this list as spam.  It isn't important who did this -
and I don't know who did in the first place. The side effect of doing
so, however, is simple: over the past week, 130 subscriptions were
suspended for FFML, and would have been auto-unsubscribed in one month
had I not intervened.  

So with that, a few pointers on unsubscribing.  

* If you want to unsubscribe, you can always email
ffml-request at chez-vrolet.net (with a Subject line of 'unsubscribe'), and
respond to the confirmation email accordingly.  It's the simplest and
fastest way to do it, and this instruction is found at the bottom of
every post to this list, as well as every digest.

* If you would rather use the web interface, you can go to
http://chez-vrolet.net/ffml and follow the links.  (I'll be remodeling
this page shortly so it's a bit less...well, spartan, for lack of a
better term. =^_^= )

** No, not Spartan, but spartan.  This is NOT Sparta, this is Chez
Vrolet Secret Labs.  Sparta, however, lives on in our hearts.  =^_^=

* Please, please, PLEASE - DO NOT report email from this list as spam!
(This list does not subscribe people spontaneously; general rule is
this - if you see this message, you subscribed, or you were subscribed
when I resuscitated the list back in July 2007.)  The vast majority of
users on this list actually want to be here - and around 10% of the
list base would have disappeared as a result of one person doing this,
and also, any mail server on the internet would have found my domain
blacklisted - keeping other users on this domain who don't use this
list from actually sending out mail to some domains, leaving them to
wonder what's going on as well.  Moreover, I would likely have been
deluged with emails from people - list users and server users alike -
wondering what is going on.  That's a lot of users.

* That said, if you really did not subscribe yourself to any version of
the FFML (be it here on chez-vrolet.net, prior interim list servers on
Yahoo and Google, or on the older domains anifics.com or even
fanfic.com (I think)), then I really apologize for this.  I have no
idea what happened to cause this, but I'm really sorry.  Contact me
privately to let me know, and I'll investigate if possible.

One more note, by the way - 

* If you're changing email addresses, I ask that you unsubscribe from
the old address, and create a new subscription at the new address.
(It's like unsubscribing, but you send 'subscribe' in the Subject line
instead).  Doubly so if you are going to disable the old address.  The
reasoning is simple - once an email address starts bouncing, I'm
eventually going to get an email, and when I see these, it makes me
wonder what's going on.  It's part of the work I do in administrating
this server.

If you have any questions about...well, anything related to this list,
you can always drop an email to ffml-admins at chez-vrolet.net, and any of
us can help you from there.  

We now return to our regular fanfic writing.  =^_^=

-Dennis Carr
List operator, system admin, and chief labrat
Chez Vrolet Secret Labs