Customer:
A couple of days ago people on my site were able to receive emails from my site if they were a Hotmail user. However this has all changed and suddenly the emails stopped being delivered. They do not reach Junk, or Inbox, there is no bounce back, they just disappear. The only time when Hotmail will deliver a message is if I have originially sent an email from Hotmail to the site and then replied. Otherwise they just disappear.

Windows Live Hotmail Support:
We have identified that messages from your IP are being filtered based on the recommendations of the SmartScreen filter. SmartScreen is the spam filtering technology developed and operated by Microsoft. SmartScreen is built around the technology of machine learning. SmartScreen’s filters are trained to recognize what is spam and what isn’t spam. In short, we filter incoming emails that look like spam. I am not able to go into any specific details about what these filters specifically entail, as this would render them useless.

However, we also base our spam rating on the reputation of the sender. One way to positively impact the reputation of your IP is to obtain SPF/Sender ID records. This technology allows SmartScreen to better track emails from your IP, weeding out spoofed messages. You can find additional information on creating SPF records at http://www.microsoft.com/senderid

Please confirm that your emails comply with MSN Hotmail’s technical standards. This information can be found at: http://postmaster.live.com/Guidelines.aspx

I hope that the information that I have provided to you has been helpful. You may also be able to find additional information on common delivery questions at the Hotmail Postmaster Site found at: http://postmaster.msn.com/. I would like to highlight some key areas which I believe are appropriate to your company.

Hotmail has created the Smart Network Data Services program. This is a service that helps legitimate email senders work with their customers and partners to reduce spam originating from their IP. http://postmaster.msn.com/snds/. This program allows a sender to monitor the ‘health’ of their IPs.

Monitor user complaints. Hotmail also has a sender complaint feedback loop program Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP). Enrollment in this, free of charge, program will benefit you as a sender as it will keep your e-mail lists updated and populated with interested MSN Hotmail Customers. Participation in this program will remove those MSN Hotmail Customers who do not want to receive e-mails from your company. If you are interested in joining this program please visit Http://support.msn.com/eform.aspx?pr…ail&ct=eformts.

While using the SNDS tool, enrollment in the JMRP or having your IPs registered with Sender ID will not allow emails from your mail servers to bypass our filters, these are in place to help legitimate companies deliver their emails to Hotmail Customers.

SenderScore Certified Mail Program. Many legitimate mailers and marketers have qualified and joined this white listing program to improve mail deliverability and decrease email from being filtered to the Junk E-mail Folder. Sender Score is a third party program, administered by Return Path. Sender Score (www.senderscorecertified.com) is the only White Listing service to which we subscribe.

The troubleshooting steps in this email are recommendations only. Microsoft makes no guarantees that following these steps will guarantee deliverability to MSN, Hotmail, or Live.com customers.

Suggested Resolution:
Contact tech support department can setup a SPF record for your domain, just email support and ask them to please setup a SPF record for your domain.

Point System Spam
Spam works on a Point System, for instance a person sends out 5,000 emails with the same subject, and content this email would receive a high Spam Point by whatever spam blocking agent is located on the mail server. If the same guy sends out one message at a time changing each message in a different way than these emails would be assigned a low Spam Point and most likely get through. Now if this message was sent to multiple accounts on the same mail server it would generate a higher Spam Point and most likely be blocked as Spam.

Spam Filter Program Example
Here is how a typical Spam filter program works:
It scans every email and assigns some grade to it. An email can get from 0 to 10 points. Emails assigned 0 - 3.5 points are being delivered to your mailboxes without any changes, they are not spam.
Emails got up to 6 points are marked as [SPAM] and being delivered into your mailbox as well. Emails got up to 7 points are moved to a quarantine mailbox and it sends a notification to you with a link to the blocked message. And emails got more than 7 points are definitely spam and they are deleted
automatically. 7 points is a very high value, we tested the system on many thousands emails
and it didn’t delete any non-spam message.

Spamalizer Example
With spamalizer added to your account all emails go through our Barracuda Spam Firewall first. Then the messages go through the standard spam filter that is on the server. The Barracuda Spam Firewall protects your email server with twelve defense layers, these layers are defined for you at http://www.barracudanetworks.com/ns/downloads/Barracuda_WP_Email.pdf

• Network Denial of Service Protection
• Rate Control
• IP Reputation Analysis
• Sender Authentication
• Recipient Verification
• Virus Scanning
• Policy
• Spam Fingerprint Check
• Intent Analysis
• Image Analysis
• Bayesian Analysis
• Rule-based Scoring

Spamalizer scans every email and assigns some grade to it.
Emails that get up to 6 points are rejected by spamalizer.
Emails that are identified by third parties as being black listed are rejected, emails that are relayed or “spoofed” may also be rejected.

The spamalizer service can be added to your hosting account at http://www.midphase.com/special_offers/upgrades.html

The DNS is a distributed, replicated that allows nameservers to map easily remembered domain names to an IP number.

Am I spamming?
We have had a few customers who clearly did not understand the definition of spam or its guidelines. The following is an example of three cases, hopefully this will help you understand about spam before you send it. Websites are taken offline when the hosting company receives a complaint from a spam authority. They work directly with the customer to resolve the issue or they terminate your services. Usually they will terminate your services if you don’t understand what you are doing and how to prevent it from happening again.

Forum mail blast
Customer has a forum with 2000 active members. Once a month they send out a newsletter to their members. They send it from an unmonitored email address. They called their hosting complaining that their email ere not getting to some members who had an account with a particular email provider. The web hosting company found out that they had an RBL report for the server sending out spam because of this domain.

Bought a mailing list
One customer called to buy services and asked how many emails could he send at one time. We stated 250 an hour. He sounded frustrated, so I asked him why he needed to send so many at one time. He stated he had bought a list of email addresses from a company and wanted to send his newsletter.

Get your own addresses, directly from visitors from your site. You can also work with another newsletter to get your information to the same types of customers, this is called vertical marketing. You can have tehm put a link on thier newsletter to sign up for yours, or you can have them include some of your newsletter in thiers.

Third party spamvertising
One company didn’t want to send out emails directly and started using a third party to have them send out their newsletter which included a little information about their company and a link to their website. These emails were sent through the third party email server so that they could monitor bounce backs, complaints and take people off their mailing list when the subscribers requested.

Here are some ways to prevent being blocked as spam

Monitor mailboxes
People get into trouble the most when they dont monitor the email box they are sending thier emails from. People usually request to get removed from yrou list if they cannot find the way to do it, once they recieve a second email from you when they already requested to be removed they file a complaint with thier ISP who in turn contacts your hsoting company with the complaint.This will also help you keep track of email addresses that have been closed down and remove them from your list.

Double opt-in
I tell my cusotmers put your unsubscribe links at the top and the bottom of your newletter. Don’t hide them you want people to see them. Also, use a double opt-in system. People request to be on your mailing list, they recieve an email to confirm this. If they do not confirm it they never get a newsletter.

Check the RBLs.

If your email server is listed on an RBL, chances are that your carefully crafted messages aren’t actually getting through to some of your subscribers. RBL stands for Realtime Blackhole List, a list of IP addresses known to have distributed spam emails. email server is listed on an RBL, chances are that your carefully crafted messages aren’t actually getting through to some of your subscribers. RBL stands for Realtime Blackhole List, a list of IP addresses known to have distributed spam emails.

There are hundreds of RBLs and it would take forever to check each one manually. Fortunately there are plenty of online services that allow you to check multiple lists at once. Simply visit any of these sites, enter your IP address and click submit. In moments you’ll know whether your server is listed, and where. It’s a good idea to check more than one service, to cover the most possible RBLs.

Check your IP Address at:

• RBLS.org
• Moensted.dk
• Open RBL
• MAPS, the original mail abuse prevention system.

Email Scams – Ten Simple Steps To Protecting Your Online Finances
By Lisa Smith

According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) email scams also known as phishing attacks claim more than 2,000 victims each day from more than 75 million phishing emails that are sent each day. The APWG also claims that these email scams steal close to $1 billion a year from its victims.

Phishing (pronounced fishing), is online identity theft that uses spoof emails, fraudulent websites and crimeware to trick unsuspecting internet users into providing financial data, credit card numbers, social security numbers, account logins and passwords, etc.

These email scams (spoof email) mimic legitimate companies such as banks, credit card companies, investing companies, paypal, ebay, etc. These fraudulent emails look like they are from the “real” company; many even include the real company’s logo. Generally these emails try to convey a sense of urgency; if you don’t correct this problem your account will be suspended.

The spoof email may state that there is a problem with your account and if you do not log in and update your information your account may be suspended, restricted, terminated, or something similar. They may also request user name, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.

Protecting yourself against phishing and email scams.

1. Do not give out personal or financial information through an email request.

2. Always log on to your sensitive accounts by opening a new browser and typing the actual URL directly into the address bar. For example, if you receive a suspected phishing email from ebay, open a new browser and type www.ebay.com in the browser bar.

3. Do not click on any link in a suspected phishing email.

4. Do not open any attachments in a suspected email scam.

5. Only use a secure website to submit sensitive data. A secure sites’ address will begin with https:// instead of http://

6. Check the activity of your online accounts regularly and check for fraudulent activity.

7. Make sure your browser is up to date and all security patches are installed.

8. Report phishing and spoof email to: reportphishing@antiphishing.com , spam@uce.gov, and forward the email to the company that is being spoofed.

9. Keep your PC protected with updated anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, and a firewall.

10. You may want to install an anti-phishing toolbar such as Earthlink ScamBlocker which alerts you before you visit a known fraudulent website. It’s free and can be downloaded at http://www.earthlink.net/earthlinktoolbar

As email scams are on the rise and with the consequences being identity theft, it is important that you increase your awareness and learn to protect yourself from these fraudulent attacks. With more than 75 million phishing emails being sent every day it’s only a matter of time before you receive one. By following the above tips you will protect yourself from many email scams and the possible financial consequences.

Lisa Smith makes it easy to increase your online privacy in her newest book, “Internet Safety Tips & Resource Guide. How To Increase Your Online Privacy and Security.” To download a free copy and have free internet safety & security articles e-mailed to you every month visit: Avoiding Email Scams

E-card 101
Website owners are always on the lookout for new ways to promote their business.
What if I told you could advertise your business every time you send an email and
it wouldn’t cost you a dime?

When you meet someone you might give him or her one of your business cards. Now
the recipient has all your contact information, learns a little about your
business and this allows you to expose your brand. With an eBusinessCard you can
still give them one of your cards, electronically, using Microsoft Outlook! All
you have to do is create your card in HTML to resemble your printed card. Then
save it to your Outlook signature folder so you can send an electronic version.
The big advantage to an electronic card is it has live links that can take the
viewer to the exact page on your website with the information they need. See the
sample here http://www.junglia.com/email-stationary/horiz.asp.

Open your favorite HTML editor and design and build your card. Or if you
currently use a printed card just copy it. If you lack design and/or HTML skills
you can use the handy form below to painlessly create your own card. If you
create your own card remember to use absolute paths (full http path) for all your
links and images. In order for this to work with all email clients you will need
to place any images you use on a server and create an absolute link to the image.
If the email recipients don’t have HTML enabled in their mail client Outlook
automatically creates and sends a text version, which can be read with any
program.

Detailed instructions for uploading and using your card are listed here
http://www.junglia.com/email-stationary/horiz.asp in step 7.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to promote your business. Everyone you
correspond with will know that you are a professional.

Dan Karwoski has been teaching website design to college students since 1997 and
has created quality work for MSNBC, Microsoft, Amazon, Atom Films and many
others. Interested students can learn the basics of web design by registering at
http://www.learn2design.net. Please email questions to info@learn2design.net.

The Insiders View Into the MLM Opt-In Leads Industry

Everyone wants to be on the inside… at least if you are on the outside looking in. I’m old enough to remember walking with my parents or grandparents through the downtown streets of Springfield, IL at Christmas time, and looking in the display windows of all the Christmas decorations, toys, and electric trains. I was on the outside, and I wanted inside where the good stuff was.

Well, I don’t know if you are on the outside of the MLM Leads industry wanting to get in, but I want to take you on a tour - to get the inside scoop of the leads business. If you knew what actually went on in some arenas, you may think the inside scoop looks like this picture.

How Leads are Generated

For the most part, network marketing leads are generated over the Internet. While I don’t have a scientific study for this across all the leads companies, I would estimate 85-90% of all leads you find for sale are originated on the Internet.

There are two main reasons for this. First, the Internet is where most people are doing their research today when looking for jobs, for ways to make extra money, how to invest, etc. So, why not go where the people are looking. Second, it is the most cost effective (usually).

Generally speaking, a person is surfing the Internet, doing a Google search, and checking out their options for ways to make extra income. Or, sometimes the person is not even thinking about wanting more money when an online ad catches their attention and they check it out. So, they fill out a form and hit submit.

That is the basics of online lead generation. Some person is out there surfing the Net. There is an online ad. The person fills out the online form and hits submit, and BOOM, they are now a prospect waiting to be sold.

Sounds innocent enough huh? In fact, it sounds like quite a nice system. Wouldn’t we all like to receive a batch of leads after they had been surfing the Internet for ways of making money from home… they filled out a form… and now you have their name, phone, and E-mail address in your hands.

But, let’s look at what happens out there sometimes and some of the variables that can make a HUGE difference in the type of lead you now hold in your hand.

Incentivized Leads

in-cen-tive (noun) - : something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action

One of the biggest problems that exists among the Internet lead generation business is the incentives that a person to fill out a form and hit submit. If you have purchased leads long enough, then you have probably come across the person who did not know they were going to be contacted about a home business… instead they were going to get a new Video iPod, $10,000, or a vacation cruise.

So, what do you do? You go to XYZ Leads company and you buy a batch of leads. The leads are $2.25 each, so you buy 50 of them for $112.50. There is a chance you may find a good prospect in there, but, for the most part, you are going to have “wishy-washy” prospects.

No lead is ever pure because we don’t know what other sites the prospect has been to, filling out forms, and checking out other businesses. However, if you are going to invest in leads, it is worth a few extra minutes of research or an email or phone call to the owners, to know what kind of leads you are purchasing. And, even more important, order a smaller batch of leads to test market before moving forward with a company. Leads are all about results, so ask and test.

Rich Niccolls has been in the leads industry for over 7 years. You can read the full version of his free ebook: “An Insider’s View Into MLM Opt-in Leads. at http://www.national-leads.com/newsletter.html

Email Scams Ten Simple Steps To Protecting Your Online Finances
By Lisa Smith

According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) email scams also known as phishing attacks claim more than 2,000 victims each day from more than 75 million phishing emails that are sent each day. The APWG also claims that these email scams steal close to $1 billion a year from its victims.

Phishing (pronounced fishing), is online identity theft that uses spoof emails, fraudulent websites and crimeware to trick unsuspecting internet users into providing financial data, credit card numbers, social security numbers, account logins and passwords, etc.

These email scams (spoof email) mimic legitimate companies such as banks, credit card companies, investing companies, paypal, ebay, etc. These fraudulent emails look like they are from the “real” company; many even include the real company’s logo. Generally these emails try to convey a sense of urgency; if you don’t correct this problem your account will be suspended.

The spoof email may state that there is a problem with your account and if you do not log in and update your information your account may be suspended, restricted, terminated, or something similar. They may also request user name, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.

Protecting yourself against phishing and email scams.

1. Do not give out personal or financial information through an email request.

2. Always log on to your sensitive accounts by opening a new browser and typing the actual URL directly into the address bar. For example, if you receive a suspected phishing email from ebay, open a new browser and type www.ebay.com in the browser bar.

3. Do not click on any link in a suspected phishing email.

4. Do not open any attachments in a suspected email scam.

5. Only use a secure website to submit sensitive data. A secure site address will begin with https:// instead of http://

6. Check the activity of your online accounts regularly and check for fraudulent activity.

7. Make sure your browser is up to date and all security patches are installed.

8. Report phishing and spoof email to: reportphishing@antiphishing.com , spam@uce.gov, and forward the email to the company that is being spoofed.

9. Keep your PC protected with updated anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, and a firewall.

10. You may want to install an anti-phishing toolbar such as Earthlink ScamBlocker which alerts you before you visit a known fraudulent website. It’s free and can be downloaded at http://www.earthlink.net/earthlinktoolbar

As email scams are on the rise and with the consequences being identity theft, it is important that you increase your awareness and learn to protect yourself from these fraudulent attacks. With more than 75 million phishing emails being sent every day it’s only a matter of time before you receive one. By following the above tips you will protect yourself from many email scams and the possible financial consequences.

Resourse Box

Lisa Smith makes it easy to increase your online privacy in her newest book, “Internet Safety Tips & Resource Guide. How To Increase Your Online Privacy and Security.” To download a free copy and have free internet safety & security articles e-mailed to you every month visit: Avoiding Email Scams

What is Gmail?

Like most other prime search engines, the ability to freely giveaway an email account is a positive tool that signals to the user community that this search engine is here to stay! Google is no different in this approach. Recently, Google has been beta testing Gmail. Google’s very own email services repository. Best of all, it’s free! Well, it’s going to be free, its currently available only in Beta mode, if you are lucky enough to have received an invitation to sign up for a complimentary account you currently enjoy the benefits of ubiquitous Gmail.

Found at gmail.google.com, users were at a frenzied pace to secure the names and aliases that may be snatched up once the floodgates were open. People are exclusively invited to partake in the beta testing were selling their names and invitations for quite a handsome sum on eBay. Most users will have to wait until Gmail goes live before actually trying it out. However with all the functionality at a price like this, how could anyone refuse?

Unlike MSN and Yahoo! Google’s approach to space was a little more liberal. Google provides 1000 MB of storage space so you would never have to worry about limited space requirements. All messages are displayed intact as well as the replies. Messages can be searched upon as well. Google’s approach was to give as much flexibility to the user so the user in turn would use only Google.

Much like the anti-pop up ad theory of The Google Toolbar, there will be an anti-Spam product built into Gmail that will help thwart out unsolicited email.

Currently, new users can ask for a preview address from Google, although there is no guarantee they will get one. Interested parties should go to http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html and fill in their email addresses at the bottom of the page.

By Jakob Jelling
www.sitetube.com