Genealogy Chat

I have been having trouble replying to people who have AOL as their ISP for weeks, getting a message back from AOL which basically says that the address I am trying to contact has been black-balled because it is being used to send spam. This has also happened at work in instances which are not GC related.

Margaret I'm just about to send you an email, just to see if you get it. I agree GC are not admitting they have a problem. Nina

Anna I have contacted GC about the problem, I don't know about anyone else. They won't admit there is a problem. Keep talking about trash folders, which we have already discussed and I know it's not that. We will all just have to keep checking the contacts box until they eventually (maybe) sort it. Margaret

Hi Margaret! It's great that everyone puts their thoughts on this thread so that maybe one day we can get to the bottom of the problem! I'm so sorry, I can't currently think of any other reason why there is still the problem. I don't have the problem anymore myself, as far as I know ;-) after changing the filters. MAYBE THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE OUT THERE THAT CAN SHED SOME LIGHT?! PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN! THANK YOU LOTS! I Imagine everyone has already asked GC support about it (& AOL? or whoever they are with? could their service providers own spam filters be at fault? I don't know) I'm so sorry I can't help. Best wishes for finding a solution Anna

Anna Gillian is correct, AOL don't have a trash folder. I have no blocked addresses so nothing is bouncing back. The problem is with GC. Lots of people have to look in their contact box to check they are reciving all mail via GC. They are not all on AOL I'm sure. I know how to alter my email box to limit what I receive but don't do it because I receive so many genealogy queries from around the world. It is even possible to receive only AOL mail, (WHY?!!!) I have postings on Rootsweb and all of the county surname sites that I have interests in. It would be idiotic of me to block anything as I would be "cutting off my nose to spite my face". The only trouble is I get a lot of Spam, Mail Washer doesn't work with AOL (before someone suggests it) Margaret

It appears AOL users can 'BLOCK' e-mail addresses of their choice (so they are bounced BACK to the sender? - instead of going into a trash folder) in the same way that those with Eudora (or Outlook Express or similar?) e-mail programmes can 'FILTER' e-mail addresses into their TRASH folder. In both these cases, if the addreses you (or whoever shares your computer) SPECIFY, are not 100% SPECIFIC, you could lOOSE e-mail from people you DO want to hear from (whilst you, or whoever are trying to get rid of JUNK e-mail) You could try contacting AOL (or whoever) direct if you still have problems. Hope this helps & makes things clearer?! (it's a tricky one to explain!) Anna p.s. I'm not shouting, just trying to aid communication, & help - there is no 'enbolden text' facility here! So please don't anyone take it the wrong way ;-)

Seems to me that theres something dodgy going on GC! Just putting this one to the top as I havent had a reply on one of my emails and I htink its a cousin - how infuriating!

I've had a reply from GC and they say that I have set my junk filter too high. As I use AOL this doesn't make sense as it would only apply to Outlook express users. I will reply telling them this and see what they say!!!! Gillian

I don't know if this will help your problem Margaret, but if overly general 'blocks' to, for eg, " 'at'common-service-provider(.)com" address are the problem for AOL users, then here is how to remove these overly general 'blocks': I spoke to another AOL user. They said: 1. sign on to AOL 2. click on 'e-mail' (top left hand corner just below 'file') 3. click on 'set it up now' 4. click on e-mail address you want to edit 5. then you can remove any overly general blockage addresses you/partner/whoever have set up (or change the 'block' address to a 100% specific address to stop the junk getting thru.) I understand in AOL, e-mail addresses you block, will just bounce back to the sender rather than going into a trash folder, so the sender may give up on you?, or have to try to contact you thru a message board instead? Latest news on this point! - 2 days later!..... - I just replied to an initial GC contact via their e-mail address (not AOL) & my reply bounced back to me! - so I went to the 'Your Contacts' section on GC & was able to reply to him that way! Hope I've got this right! It's worth a try I guess? Apologies in advance if this is no help either! You could also try contacting AOL direct if you still have problems? They may be able to explain better than I can! Anna

How annoying for you Margaret. I have just written to support at GC to explain what the problem was for me & how I solved it .....but others may have a different problem - I don't know I'm afraid!.....GC may be able to explain a solution better than I can - I have directed them to this thread in the hope they can see everyone's problems.......we all have different set ups I guess on our computers........changing my filters was the only way I could solve my problem..........but maybe there is another reason for others problems! - sorry! - I don't think I can help any more - but if a think of something else I will let you know! Best wishes for finding a solution Anna

I don't have a trash folder. I'm on AOL and that doesn't use Outlook Express. If it was a problem with Trash, then I would receive no mail via GC. In fact I receive some but not all. It is intermittent. Margaret

To summarise: 1. Check your FILTERS to make sure they are 100% SPECIFIC & not overly general. (Go to 'Tools' then 'Filters' in your e-mail programme such as Eudora) Eg. a general "'at'-common-service-provider(.)com" filter, into the trash folder, may filter a lot of junk addresses into your trash folder, but it may also filter out people you DO want to hear from, who just happen to use the same service provider as the junk sender, so the e-mail from your "cousin-you-are-trying-to-find-'at'-common-service-provider(.)com" ends up in the trash folder instead of the 'in tray'. 2. Therefore also check the SUBJECT HEADINGS of e-mails in your TRASH FOLDER (but don't open junk!) for "Contact from GenesConnected - (From 'named cousin' concerning someone in your Tree - 'named ancestor')". This e-mail (via GC) automatically shows 'named cousin' 's e-mail address & their 1st message enabling you to reply directly to the 'cousin' sender in the normal way if you wish. A copy of this 1st message from the cousin sender also thankfully automatically shows up in the very useful 'Your Contacts' facility (where it cannot be lost) but their e-mail address will not appear in the 'Your Contacts' facility. If you can catch a GC initial contact e-mail (from a cousin say) that has filtered into your trash folder, you can reply to them directly, as you will have their e-mail address. But when your new found cousin then naturally e-mails his 'follow-on reply' directly to your e-mail address, if the 'overly general filter' intended to filter out junk, is still in place on your e-mail programme, then his reply e-mail will also end up in your trash folder. Hope this helps & makes sense! Anna

To all I have put the following suggestion on the similar 'Guest Book' thread too, in the hope that it helps! CHECK YOUR TRASH FOLDER REGULARY, BEFORE YOU SHUT DOWN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAMME (JUST THE 'SUBJECT' HEADINGS - DON'T OPEN THE JUNK!!) FOR "CONTACT FROM GENESCONNECTED" OR "FAMILY HISTORY" (for eg) SUBJECT HEADED E-MAILS. The problem MAY be that you (or someone that shares you computer) have set up a filter, to filter-out junk mail from people that unfortunately share the same service provider as those people that you DO want to hear from. (And/OR filters have been set up on the computers of those you want to contact) So the address of some of the people, that send you contact e-mails thru genesconnected, may be similar enough to the addresses of 'junk senders', for the e-mails to be filtered-out into your trash. (OR YOUR contact e-mails may go into THEIR trash if they have set up certain filters) So I would suggest always checking your trash carefully - a pain I know, to have to read thru all the junk TITLES, (just read the TITLES that is, DON'T OPEN THE JUNK MAILS!) but I found an initial 'contact from genesconnected' e-mail had gone astray into my trash this way. And I nearly lost some of his follow-on e-mails, that were sent in the usual way, that also ended up in the trash for the same reason, until I realised what was happening. In this instance it was from a contact who had an 'at' btinternet(.)com address (with his name in front of it). But I fortunately just caught it in time, as I try to remember to check the trash folder before it all deletes when I close down my e-mail programme. Funnily enough, my reply e-mail to the same contact, had gone into his trash too but he just caught it too! I then looked at the filters & found that a different 'at' btinternet(.)com address had been sending junk mail. So then you will need to change your filters (in the 'Tools' section of Eudora for eg or whatever your e-mail programme is) Hope this makes sense & this works for you. Anna

Gillian Please let us know what GC say. I expect you will get fobbed off with the usual story. I am still waiting for a few replies to emails I have sent , so wondered whether the intended recipient ever got them.

I don't share my email nor have I changed address since joining GC! Gillian

I had confirmation of an email sent to someone i'd never heard of. message just said 'Hi george!'. When I contacted Gc they said it was my fault as I share my internet connection. I share with my dad and I don't think that he'd be sending messages to people!

I'm wondering if part of the problem is people changing their email address after adding their details on GC. Obviously they have lost interest in Genealogy as they would have updated it here. But we do not get a notification from GC if the mail was bounced/ unable to be delivered.

Hi Margaret, Have emailed GC today about the problem. I'll be interested to see what their reply will be!!! Gillian

Gillian I contacted GC with this same problem last week. According to them it's my fault!!! Don't think so. Sometimes I receive mail, sometimes don't. Sometimes I receive a confirmation email when I contact someone, then sometimes I don't. It's about time GC admitted they have a problem here. You contact them as well, perhaps if more people contact GC direct then we may get this problem sorted or at least have them admit the problem is at their end. Margaret

Maybe I'll contact GC and see what they say. G