Hi folks -

We're having some trouble with the AOL spam filter, so if you have an AOL email address, you may not be receiving timely (or any) notifications from the forum. Typically users of the forum will receive notifications of private messages (PM's), notifications of any new posts in threads they have posted in, and any administrative updates from the site. If the emails aren't getting there, then you need to check the forum in order to see if there is anything new, rather than receiving it automatically. This is one of the reasons that the site requires an email confirmation upon registration, to show that the emails can get through succesfully.

Sam and I are working this, and trying to get AOL to be a bit smarter and a bit less draconian in their spam blocking (especially as it's incorrect), but in the meantime just keep these issues in mind, if you continue to use AOL. For what it's worth, we have seen similar (but less serious) issues with Yahoo and MSN as well, but as far as I can remember, not from any other providers that club members use to gain access to the internet.

- Alex

To amplify just a bit on what Alex wrote, we are still having intermittent troubles getting all of the automated mail delivered to AOL accounts.

This does NOT seem to affect the club blast email system. It only affects messages sent from these forums.

Here's what the error looks like:I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

<soandso@aol.com>:
64.12.138.152 failed after I sent the message.
Remote host said: 421-: (DYN:T1) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/421dynt1.html
421 SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE
I'm not going to try again; this message has been in the queue too long.

Original Message:

Hello soandso,

RoadTool has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Proposed Ride Schedule 2006 - in the Clubhouse forum of Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club.

This thread is located at:
http://www.montgomerybikers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158&goto=newpost
What are these messages, you might say? Well, if you're on AOL, you'll never (rarely) know. Primarily, they include:

1) notifications that a Private Message is waiting for you on the forums.
2) notifications that a thread you have subscribed to has a reply.

As Alex said, nothing stops you from just logging into the forums and reading your Private Messages and your Subscribed Threads. It's just that you don't get the courtesy e-mail.

I'm not sanguine about our chances of clearing this up. AOL has instituted draconian measures in an effort to stop SPAM. Messages generated by the automated system on our Forums look like SPAM. It's the MSMC vs. AOL. We'll see.

Happy Geeking,
Tool

brethren
I am on AOL. I have gotten some of the aforesaid advisories, and suspect I may have missed one or two as well. hasn't been a problem for me, as I check the site.
terry