Special Notice for all AOL and CompuServe Members

AOL and its CompuServe subsidiary are now blocking all e-mails sent from this newsletter's mail server at eogn.com.

Any e-mail sent from the eogn.com mail server to any aol.com or cs.com e-mail address is returned with the following error message:

SMTP error from remote mail server after end of data:

host mailin-01.mx.aol.com [64.12.137.249]: 554-:

(RLY:CH) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554rlych.html

554 TRANSACTION FAILED

Following that URL leads to a message of "Your IP address has generated AOL member complaints…" The message appears to be bogus as AOL Customer Service this morning told me they have no complaints about eogn.com.

This produces three problems for AOL members:

1. When you subscribe to the Plus Edition, a "thank you" message is sent a few seconds later confirming the transaction, your user name, and password. It also tells how to read the current Plus Edition newsletter and the two previous editions online at http://www.eogn.com/plusedition. Due to AOL's block, AOL and CompuServe members will never receive that e-mail message although everyone else will.
2. When you forget your user name or password, you can go to http://www.eogn.com/amember/member,php and ask for that information. The user name and password will be sent to you in e-mail. Due to AOL's block, AOL and CompuServe members will never receive that e-mail message although everyone else will.
3. Fourteen days before your Plus Edition subscription expires, an automatic renewal notice is sent to you by the mail server. Due to AOL's block, AOL and CompuServe members will never receive that e-mail message although everyone else will.

UPDATE:

I have a suggestion for AOL and CompuServe members: Get a free e-mail account someplace else and use it as a second e-mail address. Gmail, Yahoo Mail and HotMail all provide far better e-mail service than does AOL and they are free. It may seem illogical but almost all the free e-mail services provide a better service than the AOL mail service that you pay for. Both Gmail and Yahoo Mail also have much larger storage space; they won't delete your messages after several months like AOL does.

I am partial towards Gmail at http://www.gmail.com although Yahoo and HotMail do a good job as well. Gmail requires an "invitation" from a friend to join it. If you need one, send an e-mail to gmail-request@eogn.com and I'll send you an invitation.

There is no requirement to replace your AOL e-mail address unless you want to. You can use two e-mail accounts, one at AOL for all your friends and another at Gmail or Yahoo or HotMail to receive newsletters and other e-mail from bulk mail services that you want to receive. That way, you will receive the newsletters from me as well as from Ancestry.com, RootsWeb, the Wall Street Journal, Disney, Consumer Reports and all the other newsletters that AOL blocks.

You can keep two e-mail accounts forever, if you wish, or you can switch all your e-mail to the new address over a period of several months. The choice is yours.

Comments

[SailorBart]

This message seems to overstate the case -- I've been gettng my newsletters on AOL. Also, AOL now allows unlimited storage of all email! Agree that AOL has problems, but possibly not as widespread as you believe.

[Dick Eastman]

The newsletter is not sent from eogn.com so that mailing is not affected. It is sent from a bulk mail service that I pay for at dundee.net. That has been true for three or four years now.

Most mail servers are not designed to send thousands of simultaneous large e-mail messages, such as the newsletter. Most large newsletters are sent from specialized bulk mail servers that are designed for the job.

The e-mails that are being deleted by AOL/CompuServe are all the subscription confirmations, the renewal notices, the sending of user name and passwords upon request plus any emails from the Subscriber Support address of support@eogn.com.

Only AOL and CompuServe members are affected by AOL's mail problems, most everyone else receives all the e-mails normally.

[Gordon Banks]

This keeps coming up on almost all the mailing lists I subscribe to. I wonder why so many people are still using AOL. Except for the free trial it is not cheaper. It certainly isn't better. There are so many alternatives.

[Susi]

I am having absolutely no trouble getting my Plus Edition as an AOL user. I do have a gmail address, but I can't justify changing my email address at this time.

I have no trouble receiving any of my other mailing lists, either. Although I believe others' complaints about AOL, I don't experience any problems.

[Dick Eastman]

It seems that AOL announced today that they are raising their subscription price to $26.00 a month and that's for their slow dial-up service!

Most Internet providers charge between $6.00 to $20.00 a month for better and more reliable dial-up service. In my area, Verizon provides high-speed DSL service for $14.95 a month and that is about 15 times the speed of AOL's dial-up!

AOL's business plan is to charge the highest of any Internet provider and then to provide the worst service.

AOL is price gouging. I am amazed that AOL still has any customers.

[Dick Eastman]

The Financial Times has published an interesting article about AOL's plans for e-mail at http://news.ft.com/cms/s/7a358db2-a8a9-11da-aeeb-0000779e2340.html

It also references a web site run by an unusual coalition that includes left-wing civil liberties groups, right-wing Gun Owners of America, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, the Humane Society of United States, the AFL-CIO, the United Farm Workers, the Consumer Federation of America and lots of others at http://www.dearaol.com/

[theKiwi]

AOL's increase in price by $2 is because that price now includes broadband access. They have teamed up with 4 or 5 providers to offer DSL or Cable access to AOL for the $25.90.

In the case where you might get DSL access by ATT for example, you pay the $14.99 that ATT is currently advertising for their DSL service and an additionall $10.91 for AOL access.

If you really don't want broadband or simply can't get it there are some other plans available for less that let you continue to dial in - one I read was $18 a month if you paid a year in advance.

Roger

[Dick Eastman]

Dial-up Internet access is commonly available most anywhere in the U.S. at prices ranging from $6.00 to $10.00 a month. That includes full Internet access.

At $9.95 a month you normally get full customer support, including live customer service people available at a toll-free number.

One of the best-known is Copper.net at http://www.copper.net. They have local access numbers most everywhere in the U.S., have live customer service available on a toll-free number and have a very reliable and fast network. $9.95 a month (paid monthly) for 56k dial-up service with other services available as well. When I was using Copper.net for my travels, I found it easy to contact their customer service department. A live human usually answered on the third or fourth ring.

When you buy Verizon's DSL at $14.95 a month, there is no need to pay extra for AOL or any other service. $14.95 a month should be the maximum price for high-speed Internet access. You will find Verizon's e-mail service to be much more reliable than AOL's.

[soccermom]

Dick definitely isn't overstating the AOL "problem."

My domain name was "blocked" several times by AOL. I have never sent any bulk mail, and AOL customers had not complained about emails from me to AOL.

AOL's customer service [sic] would not talk to me other than to say my web host had to call them; my web host was finally able to get my domain off their "black" list. It was an extremely annoying and unnecessary experience.

I would encourage everyone to get a gmail, or other free email account, and bypass AOL. Free email accounts now have so much storage space that you couldn't fill them up in a lifetime.

[Bettye Short]

This site is loaded with advertisements. That may be what other AOL subscribers are complaining about. This tirade that you are having about AOL has been going on for several years. I think its time to give it a break. I do receive your e-mails on a regular basis and I am on AOL. I have a gmail account. However, since I am getting all your messages through AOL on a regulara basis, I don't need to sign up for your mail at that address.

[Dick Eastman]

Thank you for the comments.

From what I can tell, no AOL members have ever complained to AOL about this newsletter. That is what confuses me about AOL's actions.

The ads on this web site are invisible to AOL; they do not appear in the e-mail notices sent to AOL members and others. Without financial support from the ads, this newsletter would have folded a long time ago.

Thanks,
- Dick Eastman

[Bettye]

Last time I wrote was on April 17 at that time I advised that I was getting your e-mial via AOL. It is July 14 and I am still getting your mail via AOL. I wonder why you are keeping this message up since it obviously isn't true.

[Dick Eastman]

I keep that message up because every week I receive around 20 to 30 e-mails stating, "I am not receiving your e-mail newsletter." 99% of those e-mail messages come from AOL members. It is unusual to receive such a message from a non-AOL address.

I do not understand all the details but AOL members have told me that the problem varies depending upon (1.) whether or not the sending address has been added to the AOL member's "buddy list," (2.) the version of AOL software used by the AOL member and (3.) whether or not the AOL member is using the Macintosh or Windows versions of the software.

When I stop receiving those e-mails from AOL members then obviously there will no longer be a need for that notice. That notice will then be deleted. I would love to see that happen, my life will become much simpler then!

- Dick Eastman