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Purpose of Help Forum


Miss Betsy

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The purpose of the Help Forum was to provide help for newcomers to get easy answers to questions about how spamcop works.

The last few posts are discussions way above the heads of newcomers including Julian's post about the mailhosts.

There are a number of reasons for this. The primary reason is the direction of the web site that does not point to the newsgroups. A secondary reason is that there is no general discussion forum (as there was in the newsgroups - spamcop and .help)

Miss Betsy

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If you get "listed" in SpamCop (justifiably or mistakenly), you "get directed"

to the Help Forum. That's how you got me - by listing my ISP mistakenly. So,

that can lead to some fairly technical discussions with ISP "tech" Staff and

clients of the ISP. Should there be a separate "why did you list me" Forum?

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There have been a number of suggestions to make the "Why am I blocked" to its own special section. However, the basic issue right now is that the only person with the power to make these kinds of changes in this app is JT. JeffG, s the sole Moderaotr, has already stated he can't modify the structure. Though it may be possible that the few "SpamCop Staff" folks may have been granted a few more powers, I don't think any of them have spent enough time in this arena to see what manipulations they can accomplish (and probably aren' interested in the time needed to sort it out)

So, I believe Miss Betsy is trying once again to get some attention paid to the layout, structure, and contents of this Forum. The last Topic on this subject was relating to the fact that the "Pinned" items were getting close to filling up the screen, and that basically got back to "JT is working on the FAQ" .. that may or may not solve some of the current issues.

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I think another SpamCop Forum such as "Blocked Mail" or "Why is my mail blocked?" would be helpful.

I have done a bit of consolidation of Pinned Topics in the SpamCop Help Forum. I would appreciate suggestions on more consolidation, either in this Forum or via PM.

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Comment on "no ip address"

One of the reasons is a "no body" spam. It would be helpful to add that it is ok to add <no message found> (or similar words) to get it to parse.

Somebody got the headers mangled spam to work by forwarding it and then submitting it. (I am not sure how that worked)

Another common cause has to do with the Content not being the right kind. It used to be that it was ok to change that.

Now there are boundaries that aren't right, but if I understood the deputies, it is NOT ok to fix them.

Also, rather than two pinned items, perhaps it would be better to retitle Larry's and then list not forwarding properly or bad headers (perhaps with links to more lengthy examples)

Obviously, I am brainstorming here.

Another problem that is being discussed, but doesn't seem to be solved is submissions that disappear. It may be related to these new spam with no body and mangled headers.

Petzl said in the spamcop newsgroup:

"It used to be when SpamCop could not find or workout spam it would bit

bin and not send a reply unless the words "Reply anyway" were in

subject of forwarded as attachment spam

AFAIK this is still the case"

I missed that somehow. I thought they only didn't come back if they were too large. Do new sign ups get a list of these things? Is that in the FAQ? (I haven't looked)

Also the Cost of spam was supposed to be a link in the Why Am I blocked? FAQ if you want to reduce the pinned FAQ.

Probably the Mailing List FAQ could also be link in the basic Why am I blocked? FAQ.

And is "the spamcop is not sending you a virus" still necessary? It could be combined with the info about the other spamcop attack and put in announcements - only being pinned in Help when an attack happens (with whatever is the current title to catch the eye).

I have done a bit of consolidation of Pinned Topics in the SpamCop Help Forum. I would appreciate suggestions on more consolidation, either in this Forum or via PM.

Sorry you asked?

If people give some feedback to this topic, I will try to edit a consolidated FAQ for "Why won't spamcop parse my spam? or where did the 'Send' button go?"

As Wazoo said, I am just calling attention to TPTB, that we haven't really solved the problems that the web forum was created for - hopefully, making JeffG's position as moderator easier so that he doesn't have to say them, just pass the message on. (you even have a non-spamcop vote for a "why am I listed" forum)

Miss Betsy

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This Reply will evolve as I get more done.

Comment on "no ip address" 

One of the reasons is a "no body" spam.  It would be helpful to add that it is ok to add <no message found> (or similar words) to get it to parse.

As I wrote in http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?...st=0entry4783:
...Attn: Moderator: FAQ?

It's included in cause 3 of Larry's FAQ Entry: Known causes of the "Would send" behavior. Does anyone else see a need to make a separate FAQ Entry for "No body provided, check format of submission" (just added to that existing FAQ Entry)?

Somebody got the headers mangled spam to work by forwarding it and then submitting it.  (I am not sure how that worked)
I'd like to see details on this.

Another common cause has to do with the Content not being the right kind.  It used to be that it was ok to change that.
I need to work on this.

Now there are boundaries that aren't right, but if I understood the deputies, it is NOT ok to fix them.
I need to work on this.

Also, rather than two pinned items, perhaps it would be better to retitle Larry's and then list not forwarding properly or bad headers (perhaps with links to more lengthy examples)

Obviously, I am brainstorming here.

I need to work on this.

Another problem that is being discussed, but doesn't seem to be solved is submissions that disappear.  It may be related to these new spam with no body and mangled headers.
I need to work on this.

Petzl said in the spamcop newsgroup:

"It used to be when SpamCop could not find or workout spam it would bit

bin and not send a reply unless the words "Reply anyway" were in

subject of forwarded as attachment spam

AFAIK this is still the case"

I missed that somehow.  I thought they only didn't come back if they were too large.  Do new sign ups get a list of these things?  Is that in the FAQ?  (I haven't looked)

I need to work on this.

Also the Cost of spam was supposed to be a link in the Why Am I blocked? FAQ if you want to reduce the pinned FAQ.
I need to work on this.

Probably the Mailing List FAQ could also be link in the basic Why am I blocked? FAQ.
I need to work on this.

And is "the spamcop is not sending you a virus" still necessary?  It could be combined with the info about the other spamcop attack and put in announcements - only being pinned in Help when an attack happens (with whatever is the current title to catch the eye).
I need to work on this.

I have done a bit of consolidation of Pinned Topics in the SpamCop Help Forum. I would appreciate suggestions on more consolidation' date=' either in this Forum or via PM. [/quote']Sorry you asked?
Not yet. :)

If people give some feedback to this topic, I will try to edit a consolidated FAQ for "Why won't spamcop parse my spam? or where did the 'Send' button go?"
That would be helpful.

As Wazoo said, I am just calling attention to TPTB, that we haven't really solved the problems that the web forum was created for - hopefully, making JeffG's position as moderator easier so that he doesn't have to say them, just pass the message on.  (you even have a non-spamcop vote for a "why am I listed" forum)
Thanks for your help.
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