While AOL has been around for what seems like forever, they still continue to be a terrible service and web browsing provider. There have been a few issues with AOL users here on ApexSpeed in the last couple of months, that we need to make note of.
This morning, for the 4th time in recent memory, we (our host provider) received a lightly threatening form e-mail alerting us that we have been sending out unsolicited spam and junkmail to AOL users, and if this continues, they would take steps to block ApexSpeed.com from their e-mail servers. We have NEVER sent out unsolicited e-mails to users and we never will.
The problem seems to be AOL's SPAM and Junkmail blockers and warning system. When you request your password or have your user account on ApexSpeed send you automatic e-mails when someone sends you a PM or posts to a thread you are participating in, DO NOT MARK OR REPORT THAT E-MAIL AS SPAM. Every time you do, AOL considers our domain as a source of spam, and they are threatening to block AOL users (YOU) from receiving ApexSpeed information.
Some tips for AOL users:
1) DO NOT use the "SPAM" button to trash or deleted all of your e-mail messages. That reports all of that mail you marked as spam to AOL and includes your password retrieval e-mail in that lot. Baby with the bathwater kinda thing.
2) Pay attention when you are trashing old e-mail. Some AOL interfaces have the SPAM and TRASH buttons right next to each other, for some reason.
3) AOL filters incoming messages automatically to AOL users SPAM folders, and unless the AOL user (YOU) looks in that folder and marks that message as "Not spam" it will eventually be reported.
Besides the above possibilities, make sure you have "info@apexspeed.com" in your Address book and occasionally check your spam folder for any messages from "*@apexspeed.com." If one is found, make sure you mark it as Not SPAM.
Every time you send e-mail from us to the SPAM folder to AOL, they collect, document and report these to our host provider. Should this continue, it is very possible that AOL will potentially block ALL AOL users from ApexSpeed.com, which none of us want.
The best solution is to join the 21st Century and use a real e-mail client like Microsoft Outlook, Entourage or Mozilla Firebird, or a free online e-mail provider like Gmail, plus a contemporary browser like Mozilla FireFox or Internet Explorer (both of which are free and monumentally better than the stock AOL software). And if I am suggestion to anyone that they use Microsoft products, you know AOL's stuff must be garbage.
Please make sure that if you are using AOL for e-mail and web browsing, that you pay attention a bit to the default settings that filter everything out for you.
doug