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Rob Houghton
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Email Notifications

Post by Rob Houghton »

I have my email notifications set so that when someone replies to a topic I've participated in, I get an email notification. This works great most of the time, but I'm wondering why occasionally (like this last Sunday) 6 notifications got filtered into my 'junk' folder rather than into my inbox? I'm presuming someone will say this is an issue with my emails rather than the EB website...but I wondered if anyone could suggest why this happens 1 time in every 10?

Usually all notifications go straight to my inbox but maybe once a week I'll get a pile of them going straight to junk... :?
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Courtenay
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Re: email notifications

Post by Courtenay »

It could have to do with the titles of certain threads, Rob — sometimes there are key words that trigger off an email service's spam filter. I was once an assistant moderator on another forum and had to be subscribed to notifications for all threads so that I could help monitor everything that was posted. One time, I remember someone started a thread entitled something like "Mental illness medications" (don't ask me what exactly they were wanting to talk about — I forget!! :shock: ). I nearly missed that one because the notification, instead of appearing in my inbox, went straight into the spam folder, where I found it a day or so later. Obviously the spam filter detected the reference to "medications" and immediately decided it must be an unsolicited ad for something dodgy!! :P

It might be worth watching and seeing if it's only notifications for particular threads that go into your spam folder, in which case it might indeed be certain thread titles that it's reacting to. (I'm sure "Favourite brand of tea?" is a suspicious one. :mrgreen: ) The notifications for this site don't show the content of the post, only the title, so that's the best explanation I can think of for why it happens at some times but not others.

But that aside, there should be a way for you to add the forum notifications' address to your "safe" or "approved" list so that your inbox will always accept emails from that address. How to do that differs between email providers, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out.
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
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Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: email notifications

Post by Rob Houghton »

Thanks Courtenay - you may be right - although it seems even stranger because on Sunday (for example) the 'change a letter' notification went straight to spam, whereas it didn't on Saturday or since...as did several others that have usually gone straight to my inbox! Its a mystery worth of the Find Outers! ;-)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Julie2owlsdene
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Re: email notifications

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I don't use the mail notifications. I just look at the sight daily, go into active threads and sieve through what I feel like reading! :)

8)
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"

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Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: email notifications

Post by Rob Houghton »

I also find it interesting that 'new posts' isn't the same as 'active posts' - just looking at 'new posts' as some people do, means you miss out on a lot of new posts! I use email notifications, 'new posts' and also 'active posts'!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Carlotta King
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Re: Email Notifications

Post by Carlotta King »

Its odd that some emails go to spam and some don't. Usually when you have received emails from somewhere that are genuine (ie from here) your email account should recognise the address as 'safe' without you having to actually add it as 'safe' or a 'contact', because you've had emails from it before and accepted them without marking them as spam or junk.

For example I get emails from Amazon, Animal Aid, Sykes Holiday Cottages, and loads more, but I've not added them as 'safe' or as contacts in my contact list, but they don't go to spam because my account recognises that I always accept them and don't mark them as spam.

So really, your account should be looking at the address it comes from and not the subject title, because the address is the important bit. If its going by subject title rather than address, its being irresponsible because it could let in all sorts of rubbish that have normal-sounding titles. :(
I think email providers should look at how well their spam filters function because they don't seem to work that well! My hotmail filters hasve been a nightmare in the past.

I don't get notifications for threads here and I've never used the new posts buttons either, I just load the site, look at which sections have yellow icons (yellow means new posts) and then go to each section and read every yellow thread.
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Fiona1986
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Re: Email Notifications

Post by Fiona1986 »

Email providers are idiots, is my opinion! :lol: Genuine emails from Microsoft regarding my Hotmail account have been put into the junk in my Hotmail account. Figure that one out!
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"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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