Harvest-Proof Autoresponder Email Addresses
Ever have your autoresponder's email address hijacked? Some
spammer spoofed it as a return address?
Your domain's reputation suffered from the slew of
unrequested emails coming from your autoresponder?
There are two ways to harvest-proof your autoresponder
email address.
The first way is to use a form, exclusively, to trigger your
autoresponder. The message returned from the autoresponder
can have a "no-reply@example.com" email address. Your
autoresponder's email address is never revealed.
A good tool to convert email-triggered autoresponders into
form-triggered autoresponders is Master Info Relay. It can
turn your email-triggered autoresponder woes into
safe-to-use form-triggered information senders.
Here is a live demonstration of Master Info Relay. The
demonstration is in an IFRAME tag so you won't have to
leave this page to use it.
The second way to harvest-proof your autoresponder's email
address is by publishing an http://... clickable link,
instead. Clicking on the link brings up the requester's
email program with a one-time use, temporary email address
pre-filled in.
When the email is sent, it is relayed to your autoresponder
email address. The user will never see that address when
using this system. It is not harvestable.
Here is an example of a harvest-proof link. Click on it,
send the email, and the article "Autoresponder Value" will
be sent to your inbox.
http://flow-to.com/email/w1193698125l9ggs72.mth
The harvest-proof link can be published on web pages, in
email messages, in forum messages, anywhere a regular
http://... link can be published.
The above demonstration uses Master Autoresponder Bank as
the autoresponder. Any autoresponder triggered by email
should work just fine with this system.
Here is how to create a harvest-proof link to substitute
for your autoresponder email address:
If your autoresponder email address has already been
harvested, or you suspect it might have been, create a new,
never revealed, email address for it. Actually, you might
want to create a new address anyway, just to start fresh.
An email address composed of a hard-to-guess combination
of numbers and letters in no particular order, with no
dictionary words within it, is best. Get the new address
set up and working. Then, harvest-proof it.
The way to harvest-proof any email address is to go to
http://flow-to.com/ and create a harvest-proof link. Never
publish the real email address, only publish the
harvest-proof link.
First, create a harvest-proof link for one of your
regular email addresses. That's because you will receive an
email with a link to click to confirm your request. And your
autoresponder can't do the clicking (I assume).
After you've created your harvest-proof link for a regular
email address, then edit the record so the email is routed
to your autoresponder address rather than to the address you
originally signed up for.
This is how to do it.
When you confirmed your email in the previous step, you were
sent a URL that is the harvest-proof link.
Go to http://flow-to.com/ChangingLinkRecord.php and provide
that URL so you can edit the record. (You can also get to
that page through the menu links "Account Services" >>
"Changing the information in your email link record".)
When you submit the URL, an email is sent to you with a
12-hour access link you can use to change your harvest-proof
record.
Click on that that access link. Once at the page with your
record, change the "Destination email address" to your
autoresponder email address. Also change the subject line
and/or body text of the email, if desired.
Update the record. Give the harvest-proof link a try (paste
the URL into your browser's address bar) to verify it works
as intended.
You now have a harvest-proof autoresponder email link URL.
Publish the URL anywhere an http://... link can be published.
Two notes:
1.
If you repeatedly test your link, you are likely to trigger
the flow-to.com anti-spam mechanism. The mechanism blocks
the IP address for a certain number of hours (12 hours as of
this writing, but that could change) if it detects anomalous
use. Other people can still use the link, just nobody with
the IP address that got blocked.
If you find your IP address blocked and you're in a hurry to
do more testing, send an email to me from one of our contact
pages — "Contact Us" link at willmaster.com or any of our
other domains. When I see your email, I'll manually unblock
your IP address.
2.
After 12 hours the record access link for editing your
record will expire. Any requests for another access link
will be sent to the email address of record, which is now
your autoresponder email address.
If your autoresponder sends you a copy of all email it
receives, then the new access link will be sent to you that
way. However, if your autoresponder does not send you a copy
of email it receives, you will not be able to get another
record access link.
So make sure you have the information correct :)
If you do get into a bind and must change your harvest-proof
record, but can't receive a record access link, there are
two possible solutions:
-
Make the autoresponder email address redirect to
one of your personal email addresses.
-
Or, create a new harvest-proof link.
The http://flow-to.com/ web site does an excellent job of
harvest-proofing personal and business email addresses.
Now, you know how to also harvest-proof autoresponder
addresses.
Question:
Did you find this article interesting and understandable? How can it be improved?
Your response is anonymous.
When done typing, click anywhere outside the box. [more info]
Will Bontrager
©2007 Bontrager Connection, LLC Bontrager Connection, LLC
Please note:
Articles on this website are presented "as is". However -
If you have a question about a CGI script, HTML, CSS, PHP, or JavaScript
Ask one of our Experts and you'll have your answer!
Click here for details.
