h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a quick note in regard to "Becoming a member" of this h2g2 area of BBCi.

When checking "my inbox" for the link back to the website to confirm my email address, couldn't find it. I was puzzled as this kind of procedure normally works fine for registering with a web site.

I checked the email and found I hadn't mistyped the email address and then requested another confirmation.

When returning to my inbox, I noticed that I there were some entries in the junk mail folder of my email address and low and behold I found the confirmation files, and thus am able to write this.

I know this is just a minor quibble but I am a big supporter of the BBC.

The old adage springs to mind "if you don't tell them, they'll never know".

Thanks

This is a fault with the email program that you use, is it webmail? That's what normally causes it. The BBC does try to make sure that all the email providers and ISPs are aware that the BBC doesn't send junk mail, but some of them still filter it. I think that is covered in the registration process if you get stuck.

If your ISP is labling emails you want as junk mail then you may need to send them an email too.

Most filters nowadays learn as they go along, some better than others. Part of this learning process involves telling it when it has got something wrong.

On the DNA side of things it would probably help if you could say what email provider you are using and any information you have about their junk mail filtering.

I am however suprised that it junk mailed a bbc sign up email.

Mel

I'm not Mel, it happened to me when I changed an h2g2 account's email address to my hotmail one. Couldn't work out where it had gone, even though I often have to email messageboard members to tell them to look in the junk mail folder. AOL does it as well sometimes, suddenly *all* BBC mail is 'junk'.

It just suprises me that they count them as spam. I suppose the trouble is that just because it says it's from the BBC doesn't mean it is which means they have to scan the message and look for things like 'click here' and other phrases regularly found in spam.

I've never had any problems with Wanadoo (previously Freeserve) and their spam system. My hotmail is set to exclusive though as I only use it for yahoo! groups.

Have you thought of rewording the email so that is doesn't contain as many 'spam terms'? What does it actually say at the moment?

Mel

It's possibly just the volume - when SSO first launched and everyone had to convert their accounts, AOL just panicked and blocked the BBC -

I won't start to make comments regarding AOL and the number of grey cells that they have to rub together...