Forum Moderators: LifeinAsia
Even though we have SPF in place, it appears that the above providers have recently put some very tough restrictions in place and alias email forwarding is now a major issue.
Here is the response I received from my Server Administrator just a few moments ago...
"Edward, there have been recent issues with AOL email in particular. That is sending to THEM. Not just from our mail servers, but I've got other customers with AOL and don't receive emails that they used to get from other places. Not blaming AOL in general, but they are very restrictive. When we questioned their postmaster, their reply was to have AOL members whitelist everybody they want to receive email from. That to most people is not practical."
So, from my end, if there is a user that wants forwarding set up to any of the above major ISPs, that user must be familiar with their whitelist options and be able to effectively manage their email. If not, they don't get an alias.
I have no other problems with email. It's the alias email accounts that have always caused a problem. First it was SMTP Relay. Now it's alias email forwarding.
Anyone else faced with these issues? Or, is it just me?
How do you educate a user who is wondering why their computer is not working and it's not plugged in?
Am I the only one experiencing problems with alias email accounts?
Also make sure the client's email options are set up properly too. One of our clients neglected to allow our domain to her email so that was the only problem we have experienced.
There is also a thread over at IWDN about some things similar but we never have had an issue with it.
-Corey
To make a long story short, you can no longer use alias email accounts and forward to AOL accounts. Some of you may be able to if you have communicated with AOL and are on their global whitelist. But, it appears that a very large number of web hosting providers have now banned the forwarding of email to AOL accounts.
Apparently, AOL uses a spam filtering system that is quite strict. If an AOL users flags a message as spam intentionally or mistakenly, you are marked. If it happens a second time, you're history, blacklisted and not able to use alias email forward to @aol.com accounts.
I'm checking into the Hotmail and SBC issues now and have a funny feeling I'm going to run into the same thing.
At this point, we are seriously considering discontinuing email forwarding services to any of the large ISPs that we've been having problems with. It's not worth the headache and I finally have an excuse to force my clients away from AOL, Hotmail and large ISP email accounts.
You now have two options:
AOL Whitelist
[postmaster.aol.com...]
AOL CertifiedEmail Program (Goodmail Accreditation)
[postmaster.aol.com...]
If you want guaranteed delivery of your mail to @aol.com accounts, you will need to pay.
How Much Will It Cost?
The accreditation application processing fee is regularly $399.00. A special charter price of $199.00 will apply to all applications submitted by July 31, 2006. The accreditation application fee is non-refundable. Please review the Accreditation Criteria before beginning your application.
A little OT but related...
The End of the Internet?
[thenation.com...]
The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online.
-Corey
You now have two options
Actually, that has been out there for awhile, it's not new. You can find a reference to it in the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) [webmasterworld.com] thread dated back in 2004. I see you noted the accreditation model here as well. Now you can see why I've been on a soapbox every once in awhile regarding SPF. By the way, those rates are quite inexpensive once you have a look at some of the other accreditation services out there.
Have I mentioned we don't use SPF either ;)
Actually, that has been out there for awhile, it's not new. You can find a reference to it in the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) thread dated back in 2004.
I think back then it was mostly talk. As of 2006, it is now protocol at least for AOL and Yahoo!
Have I mentioned we don't use SPF either.
I've received emails from people around the world pertaining to SPF issues. We do get quite a few questions which we usually provide links to the SPF website for answers. During those communications, I've seen examples of emails with failed mail messages stating that the email was rejected due to no SPF policy. It's becoming more common now that all of this is gathering speed.
While SPF is not a requirement, it does add an element of trust for those who check for SPF records. And, if you wish to be on AOLs Whitelist, you must implement and maintain an up to date SPF record.
