List problems with suspected spam happen at many points in the passage
of posts to and from the list server.

Some people have software on their machines, as noted, that blocks
spam. In the case of Gmail, suspected spam is dropped into a spam
folder, which can be reviewed at liberty, and it's semi-intelligent:
after a time or two telling it that email from some source isn't spam,
it stops being dumped there. So receiving list mail on gmail, at
least, is fairly cool.

The problem with some of the lists I'm on (LEVNET being a biggie) is
that the list site owner uses a spam-filter which bases its decision
on the domain-of-origin, and in some cases, extends this to in-transit
domains. (This would be like your postman deciding to throw away all
your mail from Hannover, PA because someone in Hannover, PA sent
direct mailings out through their post office. But in the extended
case, he not only throws out mail with a Hannover postmark, but throws
out mail in bags that have routing numbers indicating that they passed
through (or by) the Hannover, PA post office.)

LEVNET, in particular, uses SORBS. SORBS blocks on the basis of how a
server that email comes from or passes through is set up. If a server
has a port open that SORBS fears might someday be used for spam, or
has a policy that might perhaps allow spam, they block all email from
or through that server. (Through, because it is possible for spammers
to make spam appear to come from a different location, even though it
is launched through a 'vulnerable' server.) SORBS also has another
problem: they will not remove a server from their listings until the
owner of the server "cleans up their act" and specifically asks to be
reinspected, and passes their inspection. Their list changes, without
notice, and while they claim to be consonant with everyone else's
definitions of what makes a mail server "at risk", it's a claim.
They're also in Australia, and have taken the stereotypical Australian
flippant attitude to complaints: we're ok, screw you.

The result is that anyone who is on a mailing list that uses SORBS'
service can be blocked from posting for anything from days to years,
at random, and in some cases, repeatedly. SORBS regularly blocks email
from domains owned by cable companies, so a supposed "at risk" server
in fresno can cause mail from portland (any portland) to be blocked
forever.

For this reason, it is best for a list owner to be someone who is
prepared to administer his/her own spam software, become familiar with
the way spam blocking strategies are implemented, choose the ones
which are most effective with the least idiocy and unnecessary
paranoia built-in, and stay on top of things. Farming the job out to
something automated or downright uninterested in the operation of the
list is suicide.

There is another blocking possibility: some ISP's block user's mail
going out because they appear spam-like. These are few (as far as I
know, but include, apparently, the whole of some asian countries), but
could also be a source of problems.

ray

On Feb 1, 2008 2:42 AM, Omer katzir <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I don't have any problem with this list. or any list...
> I don't have any antispam/antivirus softwares on my computer.
>



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