Comments on: The “This is Spam” Button is Not an Unsubscribe Button! If You Asked for the Email, Don’t Hit “This is Spam”!

By: J.D.

J.D. — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:49:04 +0000

The anti-spam systems at nearly all of the largest ISPs are based almost entirely on feedback from users, via the “spam” and “not spam” buttons. However, there are some really smart people developing those systems, and none of us are dumb enough to blacklist a sender based on just one mistaken spam report.

If you’ve got multiple users clicking “spam” instead of “unsubscribe” — enough to actually get the mail blocked — then there’s probably something else wrong, such as (commonly) the unsubscribe link being too hard to find in your message.

By: Hal

Hal — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 08:42:59 +0000

Ever heard of flaming? What I don’t need is a ridiculas diatribe like you sent. I don’t have a so-called spam button in Eudora, and I always try to unsub first. You must be talking to someone else then. I have had senders that refuse to go away no matter what I do, so I just fiter them to trash. May be a good time for this now.

By: terry

terry — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:32:47 +0000

I am sorry. It was a mistake. I have resubscribed using a different email address. Keep up the good work.

By: Digital Brian

Digital Brian — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 18:47:05 +0000

I think the SPAM button is bogus anyways, A friend of mine works at a ISP and he says they dont do anything when people use that button, all the complaints they get are filtered directly to the trashcan.

He says that if they had to take people serious about SPAM they would need to hire 1000 more people and that is not going to happen.

So I press it as much as I want, I dont care, if I dont remember subscribing to something I hit SPAM.

By: Andrew Oakley

Andrew Oakley — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:28:44 +0000

Do you have any sources or companies (legit double-opt-in senders) who have commented publicly on this? I kind of knew it was a problem, but I’m trying to ascertain the scale.

By: Wilcox

Wilcox — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 22:34:06 +0000

I don’t HAVE a this-is-spam button, so I don’t really know, but can’t that person with a laptop customise the page so that the spam button and the delete button aren’t side by side?

By: Jo

Jo — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:57:59 +0000

I feel your pain. But I also feel like I am on the receiving end of a little misdirected anger!

I doubt the folks reading this are the offending parties (hey â€“ the ones youâ€™re complaining about have already hit the spam button and are outa here.) And I agree with the other responders that there are other reasons you may sometimes end up classified as spam, including proximity of the â€œspamâ€? button to the â€œdeleteâ€? button. The cause is not always laziness, lack of consideration, character defects, or confusion over how to unsubscribe!

Frankly, in most cases, it is senders doing the abuse, not receivers. And in the end, it is really not the receiverâ€™s responsibility to look out for the sender. As frustrating as it may be for you, itâ€™s all part of doing business. And itâ€™s been my experience that scolding is not usually an effective marketing technique for hanging on to those you want to keep. â˜º

By: Lori Wheeler

Lori Wheeler — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:51:26 +0000

Just a comment on your SPAM button is not an unsubscribe button. I always use unsubscribe UNLESS there are those “legitimate senders” who either have no unsubscribe link OR when you unsubscribe… they keep sending them. If they will fix that, I will stop SPAM “legitimate” senders. I like your newsletter! Thank you for the great information.

By: NobodyHome

NobodyHome — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:13:57 +0000

Sheriffdave has a point: the problem is partially due to design of e-mail clients. Maybe Microsoft, Mozilla, etc. should be approached about this.

As a non-expert on the design of e-mail clients, I have a question. I can understand that the Spam button would work as you say for webmail (i.e., e-mail that is NOT downloaded to the local computer), but I am puzzled by the implication that this also applies to e-mail which has been downloaded to the local computer. Since I often scan/read it there OFF-line, how does it manage to communicate with the ISP or the sender?

By: Sheriffdave

Sheriffdave — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 06:34:57 +0000

Only problem is after reading the articles you send/ I subscribe to (yes I said READ) I have to click on the DELETE button because it does not just go away like an aol account.
BUT WHEN USING A LAPTOP AND SCROLLING TO DELETE AND SPAM BUTTON IS NEXT TO EACH OTHER….ONE OUT OF TEN TIMES IT CLICKS ON THE SPAM BUTTON.
Believe me if I could immediatly hit a button to say it is not spam I would.