Warning - E-mail rant enclosed

[Mike]

OK, we have an ongoing problem that is getting worse with each passing day. And it's time to stop hinting around about it and just put my boot in it.

The moment you finish reading this post, click on the Quick Links menu item in the Navigation Bar above. Then click on Edit Your Details. Then click on the Edit Email & Password button. Check your e-mail address and make sure it is a valid and working address.

Failure to follow those simple instructions may result in the loss of nearly all your forum privileges.

The forum software makes extensive use of e-mail notifications, to keep each member informed of changes to the forum. If you subscribe to a thread, you will receive an e-mail every time that thread receives a new post. If someone sends you a Private Message, you will receive an e-mail to notify you of that message. If changes are made to the forum, we try to advise our members of those changes. If a problem crops up with your forum account, we need a means to contact you to develop a solution to the problem. We use an automated script to remind inactive members of their accounts on this forum.

Every time the forum sends an e-mail to an invalid e-mail address, I receive an e-mail to notify me that the message has bounced. I presently have 14 active e-mail accounts and I get more than enough e-mails every day, without getting a dozen-plus bounce messages every day.

We have tried to make it clear at the time of registration that we do require each member to maintain a valid e-mail address, but it's just not working. So, we're going to adopt a tougher attitude toward the problem.

The following has been added to the forum rules, located on this page - Forum Rules and Etiquette

u. Effective immediately, all members of the T-Bucket Forums are required to provide and maintain a valid e-mail address as a condition of continuing to receive full forum privileges. The forum software makes use of e-mail communication to provide notices of activity on subscribed threads, of new Private Messages and as a reminder to inactive members.

This is not the first time this problem has been addressed on the forum - http://www.tbucketeers.com/forum/f3/ongoing-e-mail-issue-1999/

Here is a list of the more recent e-mail bounces, so if you see your name on this list, you are next in line to lose your ability to view forum content, post to the forum, use the photo gallery, etc.

sporty1203 - you need to whitelist this domain
TexasT - you've never logged into your AIM e-mail account to activate it
barrerlm - you need to whitelist this domain
jbrough - you need to whitelist this domain
KY_T - an SMTP connection cannot be established to your e-mail server
paulwallace - your e-mail account shows you as an unknown user
Racerwheeler - you need to whitelist this domain
jay - you need to whitelist this domain
Tommy T - you need to whitelist this domain
Twisted Minis - you need to whitelist this domain
kcfatdawg - your service provider has suspended your e-mail account
hemi dad - check with your IT department, your account is restricted
Skline - your e-mail account is invalid
Andy D - your e-mail account shows you as an invalid recipient
unclenick2004 - your e-mail account is invalid
bro t - your e-mail account has either been disabled or discontinued
ilikemopars - you need to whitelist this domain
rac43 - your firewall is blacklisting this domain
linkstar69 - you need to whitelist this domain
tjhorse - your e-mail account is invalid
pt's23 - your firewall is blacklisting this domain
thekidd312 - your provider is listing your account as deleted
Tyroma-Bucket - your provider is showing you as an unknown user
nightliner51 - contact your IT department, you have multiple issues
FirstTbuild - you will never be able to activate your account, as you supplied an invalid e-mail address
vectorsolid - your provider shows you are not listed as their user
tangumans - your e-mail account does not exist
fundaze - your firewall is blacklisting this domain
Silver Fox - you will not be able to activate your account, as your e-mail account is over quota
brassknuckles - you need to whitelist this domain
surfie - you need to whitelist this domain
69MyWay - your e-mail address is invalid
glenco - you need to whitelist this domain

I will be removing the e-mail notification privilege from these accounts later in the day.

In the future, accounts with bounced e-mails will be restricted and each member will need to contact me to indicate their e-mail problem has been addressed. We will then restore full account privileges.

 

[putz]

You are not a babysitter.If somebody wants to stay involved they should keep email current.

 

[TexasT]

I dont even have AOL Mike. Isnt that AOL instant message?

 

[TexasT]

Hey Mike, I apologize about that. I thought I had my updated email. I would like to update that if I still can

 

[LumenAl]

TexasT...

click on the Quick Links menu item in the Navigation Bar above. Then click on Edit Your Details. Then click on the Edit Email & Password button.

 

[TexasT]

When I try that it says my email is suspended. I didnt realize I had been on the forum so long that I still had my old email. I just wanted to get this resolved being such a good site

 

[Mike]

yarmakracing - your ISP says you are no longer a customer

 

[Mike]

Gee, here we are, back at the same blinkin' problem. The e-mail issues on this forum transcend any I have ever seen in my 29 years of online activity.

So fasten your seatbelts, it's time for another rant.

:lol:

I'm still getting a dozen bounced e-mail messages a day from members that are not providing a VALID, WORKING e-mail address.

What is so flippin' difficult about providing and maintaining a valid e-mail address? I'm lost and can't sort it out. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a member of well over 125 forums and active on 80+. And I have absolutely no e-mail issues on any of them. Zero. As in less than one. None at all.

I try to make the Private Messaging system user-friendly, but it's giving me gray hair and ulcers. I have the forum software configured to notify you when you have a new Private Message waiting for you. And I have it configured to show you the content of the Private Message, so you can determine if it is something time-sensitive or not.

Of course, that means all of you who cannot/will not/refuse to attach a working e-mail address to their accounts will never see those e-mails. But I get to see ALL of them, when they bounce. :twisted:

Don't believe me? RexRod, chop never got the e-mail notifying him of the Private Message you sent about the equipment you have available.

bentbaggerlen, Paulski never got the e-mail notifying him of the Private Message you sent about the fender mounts.

Want me to go on? I've an Inbox full of bounced e-mails.

Here are the options -

• I can remove the Private Message content from the e-mail notifications
• I can eliminate the e-mail notifications entirely

The way I see it, the only thing gained by removing the content is eliminating the opportunity to see what members are sending Private Messages about. So that is a waste of time for me, because the e-mails will still bounce.

So I reckon I need to shut down the e-mail notifications entirely. <shrug> It really means nothing to me, other than eliminating another handful of e-mails I need to read through each day.

I currently have 21 e-mail accounts. I run e-mail clients on two separate computers, 24/7. I monitor 6 of the most important accounts on my mobile phone. I now have a total of 4 live forums running on 4 of my 10 Web sites. And, believe this or not, I actually get e-mails that require my attention. In addition to all the bounced e-mail messages I get each day.

So how do you want it? Can you take two minutes to log into your User CP and verify the e-mail address there is a valid, working address? Or do I shut down all e-mail notifications entirely?

And no, I'm not finished. This particular rant is a two-parter.

Since 11 April 2008, we have not accepted new registrations using Yahoo or Hotmail addresses. There has been a post in the Announcements forum since that date - http://www.tbucketeers.com/forum/f3/registration-e-mail-addresses-759/

On 10 November 2008, I grew weary of all the e-mails I was getting from the Contact Us link, with people asking why they are unable to register a new account. So I set up an Announcement, that appears at the top of every stinkin' forum on the entire site, titled Please Read This Before Registering A New Account.

On that same day, I set up a page that deals with the reasons we do not accept Yahoo and Hotmail addresses on new registrations. The Announcement links to that page - The T-Bucket Forums Information on Registering a New Account

On 1 January 2009, I posted a quick message as a tutorial in the Why Can't I forum - http://www.tbucketeers.com/forum/f50/why-cant-i-register-2519/

Incredibly, I still get at least 1 and generally 2 or 3 e-mails a day.

"Why is my e-mail banned? I've never visited this site before today and I'm already banned?"

:wall:

3 or 4 months ago, I modified the templates in the registration process.

Now this one really winds me up. In bold print, it clearly says, "Note - We no longer accept new registrations using Yahoo or Hotmail e-mail accounts." Bold print, mind you.

At the bottom of that dialog box is a checkbox that MUST be ticked to indicate the potential new member has read and agrees to abide by the T-bucket Forums Rules. You can go no farther in the registration process until you have indicated that you have not only READ those rules, but that you also AGREE to abide by them.

From today alone -

I tried to register and it said my e-mail was banned. I've never been on this site before and can't figure out why.

Hi I cannot register can you help

And the day isn't over yet, mind you.

What do you suppose these two individuals were indicating they had read and were agreeing to? Because they damn sure hadn't read those rules, had they? :dummy: :rulz: Does everyone know what RTFM means? If not, Mr. Google is your friend.

But it gets better. After ignoring the rules they claimed to read and agreed to, they got to the next page in the registration process. And look what it says there -

Directly above the fields where they entered their invalid e-mail addresses was the following - ** NOTE ** Yahoo and Hotmail addresses are not accepted.

Once again, it's in bold print so it won't be overlooked. Yet, somehow, some way, it still gets overlooked.

:dummy:

We are not going to remove any of our registration practices. It is not going to happen and it is not open for discussion. As a matter of fact, we are about to start disallowing Google mail addresses, because the spammers are now using those accounts to register. They register with a Gmail account, insert their spammy links in their member profiles and then go about their way. So Gmail is about to join Yahoo and Hotmail on the forbidden list. Which means I am just going to get that many more e-mails from people that cannot take the time to read anything.

The spam problem is getting worse. We're fortunate that our layers of protection are keeping most spammers off the site and nearly all spam off the open forums. But let me share that just because you cannot see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

Now. Go check your registered e-mail address. If it is incorrect, then FIX the bluidy thing!!

I'm in and out of here a dozen times a day, I don't need e-mail notifications of anything. I can bin that configuration and not shed a tear. And you?

 

[raidmagic]

Not to be a dick here but I'm an admin on a Corvette site with over 90,000 members I would love to only have a dozen or so failure notices everyday. My number is larger than that. It's part of running a website. Your only course of action is going to be shut off e-mail notifications. Because you have to be regisitered to view pics you will have tons of people get an account just to look at some pics and never use the account or post. Most the time when someone does that they will use a random account they will never check and it will go away just so they don't have to give out their real e-mail address.

 

[putz]

I would not have a problem getting rid of email notifications.

 

[Mike]

I've disabled the e-mail notifications of Private Messages.

If you would like to restore this function to your account, here are the instructions.

Quick Links > User Control Panel > Settings & Options > Edit Email & Password

Is that e-mail address a valid address? If not, change it. Is the Inbox pruned for that address on a regular basis? If not, change it. If the address needs to be changed, be sure to click on Save Changes.

Now, it's time to restore your e-mail notifications.

On that same page, select Edit Options > Messaging & Notification > Private Messaging > tick Receive Email Notification of New Private Messages > Save Changes

 

[B.C.]

Thanks for the effort you are putting into keeping this a spam free family friendly site. Good job.

 

[EX JUNK]

I'll second that!

Jim

 

[rooster57]

I like the site and all the friends i have made here.

 

[jbisme]

There are a lot of stupid people in this world.

 

[bucketkids]

Thanks for everything Mike, I just sent my July donation to help with your understandable agrivation. Don't let'em get ya down cause for every rotten SOB here there are a hundred hearts of gold. THX