We are seeing a surge in SPAM filters blocking emails. This is a normal reaction to the recent surge in computer viruses. Some companies have reacted by installing a SPAM filter on their company email server/s. While these do work well, they very often block non-SPAM emails. Everybody is frustrated, from individuals not receiving emails to marketers who can contact their customers who have opted in to their newsletters. Technicians who maintain the servers are caught in a delicate balance between keeping the bad email out and letting the good email through.

Basically SPAM filters and firewalls work by scoring each email. The score is comprised of many factors like: HTML, size (bytes), background images and colors, shouting (all caps and "!"), and dozens of other factors. The higher the score the greater the chance the email message will get blocked. Each company has its own rules and threshold settings.

Among the bigger triggers are HTML emails of a certain size. Keep your HTML emails small and simple. Make sure images are linked and not imbedded and do not use IP address (use domain name). If you are using Mail Manager's HTML Editor, your fine. Also do not send attachments with emails, they are often stripped.

If you think your email is being blocked, try changing the HTML or sending a text message. You can always use our managed services. We will work with you to create an HTML template that will score lower. Please call us for details (804) 521-4255, email us, or visit our website.

It is also interesting that the reaction of installing and tighening SPAM filters does not generally prevent the virus emails that are going around as most are text emails with attachments.

Let us end by saying that this is not the end of the world. Over time SPAM filters will get better and administrators will learn to let the good email through. You may notice a drop in open rates, but not too much and as people use newer email programs open rates will pick back up.

For more information on spam filters and their effect on business communication, click here.

Our feature for creating and editing survey questions has been utilized by one of our favorite clients.

Encore specializes in providing a variety of online services, including live training and hosting informative webinars. Feedback from their customers and contacts ensures that Encore can keep their services useful and relevant.

Encore routinely sends surveys to their subscribers to capture data about the type of businesses they run and the specific information they need to enhance their business methods. Internet Mail Manager makes this easy with a simple and straightforward interface for creating and editing survey questions and possible responses.

For more information on how to use surveys in your own email communication, see below.

Often, the best way to get more information about your clients and customers is to simply ask them! Surveys and polls have long been one of Internet Mail Manager's most useful features.

Once you go through the process of creating survey questions, you can either send out the survey in an email or take the HTML code and host the survey on your own website. All responses to your surveys will be organized and listed in your Survey Response Report, located in the 'Reports' section on Internet Mail Manager.

Remember, the process of creating surveys and custom registration pages are basically the same.

For more information on how to create your own custom email survey, click here. To ask a question about survey development, click here.

Due to the size of our ever-growing customer base, the amount of space required to store our customer data has risen exponentially. Creating this space means a higher cost of maintaining Internet Mail Manager.

So, effective October 1st, we are implementing a minimum subscribtion charge of $10.

Paying customers: This will not affect 90% of you, as most of our customers are already at a paid subscription level and send email every month. This new fee will not raise your costs if you send more than 250 messages each month. In any inactive billing period your account will be charged $10.

Free Trial users: This fee will not effect you as a trial user. You are a trial user until you either send more than 250 messages in a month or your trial period is over. Our trial period is 6 months. After your six months has expired, your account will be charged at least $10 per month, depending on how many messages you send per month.

If you wish to stop using our service please email or call us to cancel your account. To ask a question about these new charges, click here.