Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Mike, CT on October 22, 2010:

I know I am appreciative of the efforts you go through to help keep the SPAM to a minimum. For your users, I thought I'd throw out a couple things that have helped me in my little corner of the war, starting with an obvious one:

- Read Randy's Spam Primer and make sure you tell your family and friends to do the same.

- Consider GMail for mailing lists. Their SPAM filters have been amazingly accurate for me over the last few years. In general, no more than 3-4 misidentifications per year (SPAM in Inbox or real message to the Spam folder).

- Check out Thunderbird if you use a local email client (from the folks who make Firefox). I've been using it for about 3 months now and it's adaptive junk filter is getting better all the time. Initially, about 50% of the SPAM got to my Inbox, but now after 90 days, it's running closer to just 5%-10%. I'm sure by the end of the year, it'll be even better.

Posted by Tom, Vancouver on October 22, 2010:

Thanks Randy. I appreciate the extensive information.
I am on another list whose provider got compromised sometime in 2009, and the owners of that list never bothered to respond to multiple queries about it, except for a single, brief answer along the lines of "we'll be sure to ask someone in our technical department to look into it".

Posted by Kyle, Singapore on October 22, 2010:

For those with a GMail address, you can setup a pseudo targeted email address by appending "+uniquephrase" to the username portion, such as example+phrase@gmail.com. Combined with filters, it's an easy way to organize email.

And if you've already got a targeted email address and don't want to change it, setup a filter in GMail using doesn't contain "This is True", and set the message to be automatically deleted. Since all the official email is sent with the name "This is True", the filter *should* catch and delete all the spam automatically.

And, if you've got a targeted email address and want to change it, at the aweber control panel, click the "edit contact information" and change your address there. No need to work through the whole unsubscribe + resubscribe process.

Posted by David, Berrien Springs on October 22, 2010:

I've been using the email+comment@domain method of generating targeted email addresses for years. It's worked with all 5 of the ISPs I've had over the years. It works because it's a basic requirement in the RFC standards for email.

The one problem I've run into is the numerous online forms that use defective email address validation and incorrectly reject email addresses with a + in them.

I was very pleased when I first signed up for Premium This is True and it accepted my targeted email address without complaint!

Posted by Faith, Bolton on October 22, 2010:

The email+comment@domain.com email address works great with any system having a properly compliant email handler on it. Like David in Berrien Springs, I've had a few mailing lists improperly reject it, which I don't have a huge problem with. I do have a huge problem with sites that accept it, but then won't handle that format when trying to unsubscribe! I've been trying for almost a year to unsubscribe to a mailing list on one particular site where their only method of unsubscribing is via an automated unsubscribing link, which loses the '+' in the address in the unsubscribe request and leaves me subscribed. Numerous subsequent emails to their support people have gone unanswered, and I remain annoyingly subscribed to the email list. My final attempt to unsubscribe will be via an email to the CEO of the company. So the targeted email addresses are useful, but do have an occasional annoying drawback....

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I'm quite sure that doesn't happen with AWeber. But if it did, I'd get on the phone with the CEO instantly, and ensure it was fixed within the week. -rc

Posted by Karl in Los Altos on October 22, 2010:

David beat me to the punch in mentioning "the numerous online forms that use defective email address validation and incorrectly reject email addresses with a + in them." The one which I bothered to track down came from /html-form/javascript-form-validation.phtml at www.javascript-coder.com -- Randy, is there any chance that you or someone you know has enough clout to get them to fix it? I sent them a message myself, but I don't think they've acted on it.

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Sorry, but I don't have any contacts there. Maybe they'll get a "Google alert" on their domain and see your request, though! -rc

Posted by Kirk, California on October 22, 2010:

Don't sweat it, Randy. Thanks for the heads up, but seriously, don't beat yourself up. We like you, we know you're a good egg. Enough cliches now. Carry on.

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I'm not killing myself over it, but yeah: I sweat it. And I wouldn't have it any other way. -rc

Posted by John in Lansdowne, PA on October 22, 2010:

Of course of us with gmail addresses didn't even notice.

Gmail spam filters rock.

Posted by Pat - Madison, IN on October 22, 2010:

I have a healthy dose of skeptical when anything that smells of spam comes down my pipes. If I didn't ask for it will delete it.

I WILL remain entertained and amazed by This Is True.

Security breaches happen a lot more than people know and this is yet another skirmish in the war.

And, yes, it is a war.

Posted by Tom, Indianapolis on October 22, 2010:

Since this goes through the Gmail servers, there's already a filter in place - but that does explain the brief spate of spam that snuck in the other day. Thanks!