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HEFS Bulletin:
Updates on the Huggins' email Form Script
I publish an ezine called HEFS Bulletin.
The HEFS Bulletin helps keep people advised about changes to the
Huggins Email Form Script.
ISSN: International Standard Serial Number
Because I was not sure about this ezine when I started, I did not apply for
the for the International Standard Serial Number, or ISSN. I have now applied
and this is where that number will go once issued.
ISSN 0000-0000
NB: The Library of Congress has not assigned HEFS Bulletin an ISSN. But
once it does, this is where I will put the notice.
Whitelist Information
Because ISPs and Spam Filters sometimes block our ezine, you may need to add us to your Whitelist. If you do not do this, your ISP or Spam Filter may block our emails and you may not receive your subscription issues.
A Whitelist is a list of addresses you do not want your ISP or Spam Filter to block.
When you add addresses to your Whitelist you are telling your ISP or Spam Filter that "no matter what", it should let this address send you mail.
I have created a tool to tell you what addresses to add and how to add them:
Send a blank email to this address:
HEFS-Bulletin-Request@JamesSHuggins.com
You will receive instructions back.
Note that sending this email does not subscribe you, or unsubscribe you or trigger the whitelist or spam test. It just tells my system to send you instructions on how to do all these things.
Testing has shown that putting the actual trigger addresses on my web site cause me to get a ton of "requests" that are really spam. The simple way to stop this is to have you request the info this way.
Spam Test Information
Do you know if your emails are being filtered?
Do you know how they are being filtered?
Do you know if you've updated your Whitelist correctly?
Because so many of my subscribers did not know whether their emails were being filtered, I created a spam test tool.
When you use this tool, my system will send you 5 emails:
- First, an email to start the test
This email is "plain vanilla" and won't be filtered
- Second, three emails ... one for each address the ezine uses
These emails are packed with spam phrases. (How packed? Spam Assassin gives it a score of 110+ and remember, Spam Assassin thinks a 5 is spam!)
- Third, an email to end the test
Again, it is "plain vanilla" and won't be filtered
If you get all 5, you know you will receive all the ezine mailings.
But if some of the three middle test emails (with lots of spam trigger phrases) do not go through, you will know you have a mail delivery problem.
The emails will explain in more detail how it works and how to interpret the results.
I recommend running this test whenever you subscribe or change subscribe addresses, and also after you whitelist my addresses to be sure your whitelisting works.
Send a blank email to this address:
HEFS-Bulletin-Request@JamesSHuggins.com
You will receive instructions back.
Note that sending this email does not subscribe you, or unsubscribe you or trigger the whitelist or spam test. It just tells my system to send you instructions on how to do all these things.
Testing has shown that putting the actual trigger addresses on my web site cause me to get a ton of "requests" that are really spam. The simple way to stop this is to have you request the info this way.
More Pages About HEFS Bulletin
 History of Changes to HEFS Bulletin:
Describes the history of HEFS Bulletin,
with emphasis on the technical changes I've made since starting it, including
moving to
Gammadyne, adding double-opt-in and complying with CAN-SPAM.
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HEFS Bulletin Privacy Policy:
The short version of my privacy policy for my HEFS Bulletin ezine. It explains that I do not spam. Period. And, I do not sell, lend or release your subscription
information to anyone for any reason.
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More Pages About Huggins' Email Form Script
Huggins'
Email Form Script:
I created the Huggins' Email Form Scriptto provide an easy to use but highly
flexible script to process email forms while protecting email addresses. It is
free to use with extensive documentation.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Objectives:
explains the motivations for and objectives of the script.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Suggested Improvements:
These are suggested improvements. I am soliciting feedback on these
suggestions.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Samples:
Shows some sites using the script.
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Huggins'
Email Form Script, Version
2 enhancements:
enhancements which were developed for Version 2 of the script.
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Huggins'
Email Form ScriptTestimonials:
Testimonials sent to me from script users.
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Huggins'
Email Form ScriptAcknowledgements:
My acknowledgements to others for their assistance with development and
deployment of the script.
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example
Form:
This example form shows some (though clearly not all) of the features
of the script.
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Other ezines I Offer
All About Snippets, My Free ezine:
This page tells about my free ezine (newsletter), where it came from, how to subscribe . . . the whole banana.
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All About TestZine, My ezine:
This page tells about my
test ezine which I created to let me test my ezine processing system.
NB: This ezine is fully functional, but there isn't really a newsletter. TestZine lets me test my system. It also lets the curious subscribe, unsubscribe and get a sample issue without really really signing up for anything.
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List Management Information
Best Practices of email, ezine and List Management:
The organization known as MAPS (Mail Abuse Prevention System) once published a list it called "Basic Mailing List Management
Principles for Preventing Abuse". I used this list as the starting point to create my own "Best Practices" which I follow in managing my lists.
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List email Headers:
An explanation of the RFC standard headers which should be used on emails for lists and ezines. Also identifies the supplementary user-defined fields I use on my ezines, as well as RFC standard email addresses ezine publishers should implement.
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Gammadyne Mailer:
I use the Gammadyne Mailer for all my ezines. This page provides more information about that use, including summary information about the data I keep, the functions I've custom programmed and how to access my TestZine if you want to try it out.
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CAN-SPAM Is Stupid:
A personal rant about the U. S. federal law known as known as CAN-SPAM. While it is supposedly designed to help eliminate email spam, I think the law is stupid. The article also provides links to CAN-SPAM resources.
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I Use Gammadyne Mailer
I began using the
Gammadyne Mailer in late 2002. It is possible to use it very simply, almost out of the box. But it also features a very complete internal programming language to let you do just about anything you want. And, it keeps all the information on my PC in an Access database, where I know the information is secure and under my control.
It is
screaming
software. I strongly recommend
Gammadyne Mailer.
PS: You can test drive my implementation of the Gammadyne Mailer just to see how it works. I created an
ezine named
TestZine
to let me test my programming. You can test it too. Subscribe and receive a "sample issue". You can even try out some of the tests I perform,
like submitting a subscription request twice in a row, or subscribing when I'm
already subscribed or unsubscribing when I'm not subscribed, just to see how it
handles these "special conditions". Just go to my
TestZine
page.
Disclosure: I participate in the Gammadyne affiliate program.
Click here to link without crediting my referral account.
COPPA Cabana
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Information Practices
COPPA (the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) requires that websites post "prominent links" to a notice of how they collect, use, and/or disclose "personal information" from children.
In order to subscribe to any of my ezines and mailing lists (e.g.,
Snippets) you must give me your email address (duh!). COPPA considers this "personal information". So, I am posting this notice on this page to comply with that law.
Rather than attempt to obtain parental permission and maintain the wazillions of records required by COPPA, I just don't collect personal data from anyone under 13. If I somehow discover that someone under 13 has subscribed, I unsubscribe that person.
For more information on COPPA and this site's COPPA Child Privacy Notice, click here or on the "Kidz Privacy" graphic above or on the "COPPA Child Privacy" button on the right.
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