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Black Listed Bunny
April 04, 2006
It's a very bad, bad, bunny feeling I have. You know the feeling... the one you get in the darkest pit in your stomach. The waves of nausea one experiences when she finds out her email server has made it onto the AOL BLACKLIST.
Yes, 'tis true. AOL thinks my website is located in a vortex controlled by the Evil Lords of the Universe. Could it be my innocent little bunny rabbit has committed a bunny boo boo?
Most likely, it has way more to do with a handful of card recipients going button-crazy and hitting the "this is spam" button after receiving a well-intentioned message from someone who simply wanted to bring some happiness and joy into their day.
Grinches... I tell you! Button-tapping, finger-poking bad-doers!
You see, AOL has been marketing themselves as the ANTI-SPAM, hold your hand, we'll filter out all your email... including email you'd like to get Police Squad. I understand the need to protect unsuspecting users from phishers, and viagra-hocking spam-meisters, but come on! I can vouch for my bunny rabbit, and he's completely BENIGN!
I'm just wondering if AOL users realize how terribly difficult it is to service them these days, and it's only getting worse. You should see the bonafide complaints I repeatdly see posted on the professional listservs I subscribe to. Many web developers are ready to simply throw in the towel and stop programming for AOL compliance, it's gotten so bad. People have gotten so spam-shy they'll sign up to get an e-newsletter and then forget and mark it as spam... does anyone realize how mind-numbing and stress-producing this is for people in the internet business?
The evil spam button should be reserved for porn, viagra and phishers... not for legit businesses like my good ol' guitar playing rabbit. I am open to suggestions... and even the possibility it has nothing to do with me, but someone else on the server I am sharing.
{ Heaving a heavy bunny sigh ~ followed by the sound of a bajo string snapping in the background *TWANG* Followed by uncontrollable crying, sobbing... blowing of rabbit noses... and disturbed bunny wailing. }
Hopefully, my hosting company will be able to wire the problem out soon. Think happy bunny thoughts, clap your hands, wiggly your tail and pat your bunny tummies... anything to get the rabbit flying again!
Posted by vincent at April 4, 2006 01:56 PM
Comments
An ISP I used to have decided to add spam filters, and I wasn't getting the weather reports, my group emails, etc. Who knows what I missed out on.
I complained. The guy told me that they only had 6 complaints. Well, of course, you can't complain if you don't even know what was bouncing. But I told the guy that his spam filter was like the Post Office deciding what junk mail I shouldn't get.
The new ISP has some kind of filter that puts a suspect email into an attachment with a "possible spam" message. That way, I can see the from address and decide/or not to open it. My choice.
I also use a Yahoo address, which has pretty good spam filters. You do have to turn it on. But stuff still gets through that. Not much, however.
I've heard lots of bad about A - O (HE) LL. They probably need to make it clearer to everybody just what is going in the spam pit.
Posted by: LoieGram at April 4, 2006 03:14 PM
sad here for banjo bunny! sorry for the hassle... aol has a high PITA (pain in the a..) quotient.
i have no idea why anyone would ever use them anymore... i suspect they have never been
allowed to just surf without being told where to go or what 'keyword' to type in. or maybe they just know what hell it is to cancel an aol account and they don't want the 45 minute hassle.
i used them to fill in for 2 weeks while our broadband was down once and after 40 minutes of hassling with their representative i finally had to ask him if he was brain damaged and couldn't understand that i wanted to cancel my account before my free trial was up. ao-hell is right.
Posted by: bobbie at April 4, 2006 04:00 PM
Death to AOL. Anyone still using that wretched service (including my parents) don't deserve your lovely cards! When are people going to realize that all they need is a good connection and a free browser??
Posted by: Heather at April 5, 2006 12:33 AM
The bunny as an evil banjo player??? I agree with everyone else. AOL has a captive audience who wants to be told what is worth seeing and what's not. My mom loaded a free version, and even as a computer novice at the time, was stunned with all the pop up ads and such. Nothing about it was user friendly. They tend to only want to deal with those who advertise on their site. Pooey on them, I say!
Posted by: samtzmom at April 5, 2006 06:26 AM
What an absolute crock! We need to form a Bunny Underground!
Posted by: dan at April 5, 2006 12:31 PM
Ziggy the Bunny is with you in spirit, on this. To show his solidarity with Banjo Bunny, he dug a hole really really fast in the loose garden dirt with his little propellor paws, and then lay in it and wiggled around on his back.
I hope that helps the cause. It's the best he can do. Well, no, actually if he were near you he would come over and groom Banjo Bunny's ears.
Posted by: Wandering Willow at April 5, 2006 05:53 PM
Fie on AOL. What ninnies and they promote themselves as top drawer. The comments above prove they are of the evil empire. I'll rub my concrete garden bunny's nose and stroke his ears. And send up good vibes for good ol Banjo guy.
Posted by: janet at April 8, 2006 05:54 PM