Info from your list manager

[Erik Nordh <erik.nordh@neuro.umu.se>]

As list manager I try as hard as possible to prevent the numerous spamming messages (usually commercial messages broadcasted to an unselected group of recipients) to get their way into the list, but unfortunately some of them are designed in such a way th






at the automatic filter present in the listserver computer does not block them out. One such message managed to pass a few weeks ago, and another one just a few days ago.

With this message I'd like to give you a few practical hints concerning  these messages. First, although attempts to spam is monitored and mostly removed by the listserver computer before reaching the list, spammers and companies providing these net broad






casting services continously try to get around the "fire-wall" by different means. As list manager I try to monitor such attempts, but inevitably messages may pass through to the list. Furthermore, if this should happen, it's of little value to try to sto






p further messages by replying according to the instructions given in the messages (usually the word "remove" in the header or body of the reply message). The effect of such a reply will be none, as the message is sent only to "our" listserver, and then b






ack to "our" list, resulting in more waste messages and consumption of band-width. Unfortunately, the only way to handle the problem is A/ to get the Clin_Neurophysiol address away from the spammer's mailing list and B/ to try!
 to include the particular design of the message to the filter of the listserver. Both of these actions are more easily said than done! ;-)

Until recently, there was a software available, called Spam Blaster and manufactured by Gooware, that automatically scanned individual mail-boxes (in the central mail computer, not locally in the user's computer) and deleted spam. The sender addresses of 






the mail was is checked against a "black list" located on a server in the US, where all known spamming addresses were filed and continously updated. Unfortunately, this company is presently prohibited to operate because of legal actions in the US, where o






ther companies claim the right to particular names of their producs.  (Or was the company to successful, irritating powerful commercial actions...?). Nevertheless, keep an eye on the company's home URL <http://www.gooware.com>, where right now only the co






mpany's view of the matter is displayed.

Finally, a short comment concerning questions about subscription/removal. Over the last three months I've manually blocked a few subcribers from recieving mail from the list. This was done because of various reasons (unknown users to local mail systems, a






ddresses not accepted by local servers, mail-boxes full, etc.) which however all result in that a _large_ amount of error messages is bouncing back to me as list manager. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to find any other address to these users than 






the (erroneous) e-mail address given; hence they might have been removed because of technical errors unknown to them. To prevent this to happen due to temporary errors, no users with a shorter "problem address history" than 12 months have been removed. Ho






wever, if anyone of you know about users that have been removed, but who wish to continue as subscribers (and where the technical trouble have been solved!) - please let me know!

Regards