Hacker News Reader

Comment by spoiledtechie | Hacker News Reader

GMail is the worst for email blocking resolutions. They don't have an effective feedback loop built into their system. So when a user does block you, no one is told about it, to be fixed. Therefore lowering your reputation with them over time.

How can we as ESPs respond to them appropriately with removal of these people who don't want our emails anymore, if we don't know who the user is?

If there are any GMAIL service team members here, I would LOVE to know why a feedback loop was never implemented like the other providers.

View on HN

Maybe ask yourself why some users end up blocking you altogether. Surely you didn't start sending them newsletters or the like without being completely certain that they wanted to receive them, and you provide a simple, prominent and reliable way to unsubscribe if/when they change their mind, right?

There's a block-by-default setup for new email servers. You have to go through the reputation-building process which is not at all clear nor is it always guaranteed to work.

Yes, it "works" for most people, but it also has the effect of entrenching the incumbent large email providers and preventing more independent providers from cropping up.

The current method is very lazy and collectively punishes a lot of innocent email providers for the crimes of the abusers.

Exactly.

It destroys competition.

> How can we as ESPs respond to them appropriately with removal of these people who don't want our emails anymore, if we don't know who the user is?

1. Don't send spam

2. ???

3. Profit!

Literally _all_ email that I've blocked has been from companies where I uncheck the box "send spam to me" and the company sends it anyway, or where the company thinks "oh this guy bought stuff from us, we can now send our daily/weekly/fuckly marketing spam!" or "we got your email from whatever shady place, and now we're sending you our information because you're in our industry" or stupid shit like that.

Gmail does not have a "block everything from this domain feature". I would love to block whole domains from my gmail account. Alas, I run my own email server to achieve it.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com