For those who are using the Intellicontact newsletter service, please share your thoughts. I went through my bounced email list last week and sent text emails individually to a number of the people who didn't get my newsletter (they were on the Intellicontact bounce list). In a number of cases, the email addresses were current and worked properly, but system administrators identified the Intellicontact newsletter as spam and the newsletter failed to deliver to the recipient's inbox. I contacted Intellicontact to ask if they had any suggestions for improving delivery when this occurs. Intellicontact replied that their best suggestion was for me to contact specific recipients and have them ask their server administrators why messages are being stopped. Intellicontact would then contact these server administrators with any information they require to prevent blocking.
1)I am just now learning about this issue. How do filters work? It seems they are becoming more effective for the corporate email addresses I have. Does anyone share a concern about increasing numbers of bounced emails when using a newsletter service?
2)I thought that a newsletter subscription service like Intellicontact would have some tools available, and a network of administrators being proactive about developments to help subscribers ensure maximum delivery of their newsletters. I don't think the answer is for me to contact each of my bounced email recipients and have them ask their administrator why my newsletter doesn't get through, then relay this information to Intellicontact. Does anyone have suggestions on how to proceed?
I hope I am posting this in the correct area of the forums. This is my first try at posting.
Thanks very much for the assistance.
Full Version: Intellicontact Newsletter Use
Welcome to the forums! This isn't the right place to post this question, but until we get your group status changed, you're kind of limited to what you can see. As soon as you are updated by sabres00, we'll move the discussion to a different thread. And now back to the business at hand...
I, too, recently sent out an email newsletter and was looking at the bounced list. Many, many AOL emails came back. I haven't had a chance to check them for accuracy, but this was the very issue that caused
to limit the number of newsletter subscribers and suggest (partner?) with Intellicontact. Intellicontact, we were told, would be so much better and they would make sure we wouldn't be on lists. Well, that seems to have been a bunch of talk. 
I'm going to contact them as well. Maybe if many of us do, they'll work on getting off of the blacklists instead of expecting us to do the legwork and ask newsletters subscribers one at a time to contact their provider. That's about the dumbest, most time consuming thing ever. I've got a business to run!! That's why I contract with Intellicontact!!
I, too, recently sent out an email newsletter and was looking at the bounced list. Many, many AOL emails came back. I haven't had a chance to check them for accuracy, but this was the very issue that caused
to limit the number of newsletter subscribers and suggest (partner?) with Intellicontact. Intellicontact, we were told, would be so much better and they would make sure we wouldn't be on lists. Well, that seems to have been a bunch of talk. I'm going to contact them as well. Maybe if many of us do, they'll work on getting off of the blacklists instead of expecting us to do the legwork and ask newsletters subscribers one at a time to contact their provider. That's about the dumbest, most time consuming thing ever. I've got a business to run!! That's why I contract with Intellicontact!!
Well said PK.
I can't help but think of the AOL commercial with the tuna sandwich...LOL.
I can't help but think of the AOL commercial with the tuna sandwich...LOL.
QUOTE
Once again I am cleaning house on the lists. If you are subscribed
with, or have your mail forwarded to, an AOL account and I can find
you on the distribution list, you will be unsubscribed and this will
be your last message. That goes for the alert or the chat list -
either digest or normal.
AOL has, once again, started believing that your list mail is spam
because it contains domains that are noted for spam. Those would be
the ones in your alert emails.
I tried working with AOL once before on this and ended up having to
deal with thousands of emails a day from their postmaster.
If you are using an AOL account for Merchant911 mailings, you're
history. Get a real ISP. If you have a problem with this, tell AOL,
not me.
with, or have your mail forwarded to, an AOL account and I can find
you on the distribution list, you will be unsubscribed and this will
be your last message. That goes for the alert or the chat list -
either digest or normal.
AOL has, once again, started believing that your list mail is spam
because it contains domains that are noted for spam. Those would be
the ones in your alert emails.
I tried working with AOL once before on this and ended up having to
deal with thousands of emails a day from their postmaster.
If you are using an AOL account for Merchant911 mailings, you're
history. Get a real ISP. If you have a problem with this, tell AOL,
not me.
It may be a recent problem with AOL. This arrived from the Merchant911 administrator. He sounds kinda ticked off about it. So much for tuna fish hahahahaha.
QUOTE(WhoaGirl2 @ Mar 23 2005, 11:22 AM)
QUOTE
Once again I am cleaning house on the lists. If you are subscribed
with, or have your mail forwarded to, an AOL account and I can find
you on the distribution list, you will be unsubscribed and this will
be your last message. That goes for the alert or the chat list -
either digest or normal.
AOL has, once again, started believing that your list mail is spam
because it contains domains that are noted for spam. Those would be
the ones in your alert emails.
I tried working with AOL once before on this and ended up having to
deal with thousands of emails a day from their postmaster.
If you are using an AOL account for Merchant911 mailings, you're
history. Get a real ISP. If you have a problem with this, tell AOL,
not me.
with, or have your mail forwarded to, an AOL account and I can find
you on the distribution list, you will be unsubscribed and this will
be your last message. That goes for the alert or the chat list -
either digest or normal.
AOL has, once again, started believing that your list mail is spam
because it contains domains that are noted for spam. Those would be
the ones in your alert emails.
I tried working with AOL once before on this and ended up having to
deal with thousands of emails a day from their postmaster.
If you are using an AOL account for Merchant911 mailings, you're
history. Get a real ISP. If you have a problem with this, tell AOL,
not me.
It may be a recent problem with AOL. This arrived from the Merchant911 administrator. He sounds kinda ticked off about it. So much for tuna fish hahahahaha.
[right][snapback]71814[/snapback][/right]
LOL Yeah, someone is ticked off!
Same here, PK - last e-mail almost every AOL "bounced" 
You hit the nail on the head: we have businesses to run that's why most of us didn't mind signing up with Intellicontact we didn't have to worry about our domains getting blacklisted or our messages not getting through.
As much as I loathe AOL they can't be ignored.
I'm thinking Intellicontact is going to be history soon unless this is worked out . . .
You hit the nail on the head: we have businesses to run that's why most of us didn't mind signing up with Intellicontact we didn't have to worry about our domains getting blacklisted or our messages not getting through.
As much as I loathe AOL they can't be ignored.
I'm thinking Intellicontact is going to be history soon unless this is worked out . . .
To my knowledge, Intellicontact has a good relationship with AOL and they have good feedback loops built into their systems. If their servers got onto AOL's blacklists (which happens automatically), they work pretty quickly to fix the problem, but AOL's systems take a certain period of time to update.
As far as working with OTHER ISPs or system administrators, if Intellicontact has never heard from a certain domain and has no reason to believe that they are in fact blocked by that ISP, they may be directing you to that ISPs admins to make sure there is no glitch on that side. If that admin indicates (through their client) that yes they blocked Intellicontact, then Intellicontact can get the matter straightened out in most cases.
There are certain server systems and companies that plain and simply block anything they don't recognize or if they recognize it as a company that is known for newsletters rather than take a chance that it MIGHT be spam. In this case, there is not much we, you or intellicontact can do. Pressure from their clients might change things, but ultimately that is up to them.
Spam is an huge international money wasting problem. Falling into the cracks of the attempts to block and prevent spam are legitimate merchants who are trying to reach legitmately subscribed customers with legitimate information. Really, there isn't going to be a technological solution to the problem until Spam gets harder to send and easier to litigate. Meanwhile, follow extremely good practices with YOUR newsletter lists, have an ANTI-SPAM policy clearly visible on your site and make sure your contact information is clear for those customers wanting to unsubscribe.
As far as working with OTHER ISPs or system administrators, if Intellicontact has never heard from a certain domain and has no reason to believe that they are in fact blocked by that ISP, they may be directing you to that ISPs admins to make sure there is no glitch on that side. If that admin indicates (through their client) that yes they blocked Intellicontact, then Intellicontact can get the matter straightened out in most cases.
There are certain server systems and companies that plain and simply block anything they don't recognize or if they recognize it as a company that is known for newsletters rather than take a chance that it MIGHT be spam. In this case, there is not much we, you or intellicontact can do. Pressure from their clients might change things, but ultimately that is up to them.
Spam is an huge international money wasting problem. Falling into the cracks of the attempts to block and prevent spam are legitimate merchants who are trying to reach legitmately subscribed customers with legitimate information. Really, there isn't going to be a technological solution to the problem until Spam gets harder to send and easier to litigate. Meanwhile, follow extremely good practices with YOUR newsletter lists, have an ANTI-SPAM policy clearly visible on your site and make sure your contact information is clear for those customers wanting to unsubscribe.
Well, AOL is the big problem. I'll notify Intellicontact about it and hopefully they will address it with AOL. I'd hate to lose 20% of my subscription base because of this snafu.
QUOTE(WhoaGirl2 @ Mar 23 2005, 10:22 AM)
QUOTE
Once again I am cleaning house on the lists. If you are subscribed
with, or have your mail forwarded to, an AOL account and I can find
you on the distribution list, you will be unsubscribed and this will
be your last message. That goes for the alert or the chat list -
either digest or normal.
AOL has, once again, started believing that your list mail is spam
because it contains domains that are noted for spam. Those would be
the ones in your alert emails.
I tried working with AOL once before on this and ended up having to
deal with thousands of emails a day from their postmaster.
If you are using an AOL account for Merchant911 mailings, you're
history. Get a real ISP. If you have a problem with this, tell AOL,
not me.
with, or have your mail forwarded to, an AOL account and I can find
you on the distribution list, you will be unsubscribed and this will
be your last message. That goes for the alert or the chat list -
either digest or normal.
AOL has, once again, started believing that your list mail is spam
because it contains domains that are noted for spam. Those would be
the ones in your alert emails.
I tried working with AOL once before on this and ended up having to
deal with thousands of emails a day from their postmaster.
If you are using an AOL account for Merchant911 mailings, you're
history. Get a real ISP. If you have a problem with this, tell AOL,
not me.
It may be a recent problem with AOL. This arrived from the Merchant911 administrator. He sounds kinda ticked off about it. So much for tuna fish hahahahaha.
[right][snapback]71814[/snapback][/right]
I got that email, too. I thought it was just too funny.
Our grower has a personal AOL account and I was auto-forwarding our orders to him when we started getting them all kicked back.
If I have an auto-forward from our sales@ourstore going to his aol and it gets kicked back, does this mean that any customer who sent to our sales received a delivery error email even though the actual account successfully received? I did remove his aol account from our forward list and will set him up with a webmail box to check. Is it his particular AOL settings or just AOL in general?
If I have an auto-forward from our sales@ourstore going to his aol and it gets kicked back, does this mean that any customer who sent to our sales received a delivery error email even though the actual account successfully received? I did remove his aol account from our forward list and will set him up with a webmail box to check. Is it his particular AOL settings or just AOL in general?
Intellicontact has just recently upgraded to version 3.0 and their system is basically all but useless since the upgrade. I'm not sure if everyone else here is having the same issues that I've experienced, but since the upgrade they just released this week it won't even distribute to my list anymore, anyone else having this issue? I've contacted their support through email and by phone but they seem to just ignore everything I throw at them.
-Kjup
-Kjup
QUOTE(kjup @ Apr 6 2005, 06:31 PM)
Intellicontact has just recently upgraded to version 3.0 and their system is basically all but useless since the upgrade. I'm not sure if everyone else here is having the same issues that I've experienced, but since the upgrade they just released this week it won't even distribute to my list anymore, anyone else having this issue? I've contacted their support through email and by phone but they seem to just ignore everything I throw at them.
-Kjup
[right][snapback]73202[/snapback][/right]
-Kjup
[right][snapback]73202[/snapback][/right]
Yup. Some of us have also experienced problems. There are a couple of other threads going on about this very thing.
I still haven't gotten a response to my email either. I'm sure they are getting bombarded with them.
QUOTE(Liquorama @ Apr 8 2005, 09:28 AM)
Thanks Liquorama, bad link to post though
QUOTE(kjup @ Apr 8 2005, 08:34 AM)
QUOTE(Liquorama @ Apr 8 2005, 09:28 AM)
Thanks Liquorama, bad link to post though
[right][snapback]73336[/snapback][/right]
The link works kjup, but goes to a part of the forum that is restricted to
store owners.
Here is what is posted at Intelliconact after you log in:
"4/7/2005 - 3.0 Support Update: Please note that if you have sent a support ticket or left a voicemail message for our support team since Sunday that we are working on resolving any issues as quickly as we can. We are presently experiencing higher than usual volume due to the 3.0 release and are in the process of expanding our support team."
"4/7/2005 - 3.0 Support Update: Please note that if you have sent a support ticket or left a voicemail message for our support team since Sunday that we are working on resolving any issues as quickly as we can. We are presently experiencing higher than usual volume due to the 3.0 release and are in the process of expanding our support team."
Hello,
I have spoken with IntelliContact regarding the outstanding issues due to the 3.0 version release.
Ryan Allis, CEO will be addressing these issues within our community forums shortly. I can assure you that the IntelliContact team is working feverishly to ensure that the new features and overall benefits of version 3.0 are not overshadowed by unexpected technical challenges during the migration process.
Stay tuned!
Thank you,
Jen
I have spoken with IntelliContact regarding the outstanding issues due to the 3.0 version release.
Ryan Allis, CEO will be addressing these issues within our community forums shortly. I can assure you that the IntelliContact team is working feverishly to ensure that the new features and overall benefits of version 3.0 are not overshadowed by unexpected technical challenges during the migration process.
Stay tuned!
Thank you,
Jen
Yeah, I saw that. I think that is inexcusable. They wouldn't need to post a message like that if they didn't wipe a sound system with a bug infested system. I'm all for upgrades, but debugging is a must before a launch that will impact a larger userbase. If they had tested throughly they wouldn't be experiencing higher than usual volume. Unfortunately for all of us we still need to answer to clients that want their email campaigns launched that they've paid for.
-Kjup
-Kjup
Please see this update from Ryan at Intellicontact:
http://forums.monstersmallbusiness.com/ind...wtopic=9838&hl=
http://forums.monstersmallbusiness.com/ind...wtopic=9838&hl=
WOW...thank you! This is extremely helpful! I've already reponded to his post. Thanks again!
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