[SpamCop-List] Re: Why Am I Blocked? FAQ

[Miss Betsy]

"Steven Maesslein" <nobody at nowhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:slrnd01d5d.mt.nobody at 127.0.0.1...
> On Tue, 1 Feb 2005 17:43:47 -0500, Miss Betsy coughed into
spamcop and
> left this in <ctp0gk$5kj$1 at news.spamcop.net>:
>
> > The SpmCopDNSbl listing will expire automatically within 48
hours
> > of the last report of spam from it.
>
> This isn't quite accurate as I understand it.
>
> I was led to believe that the listing will expire within 48 hours
of the
> last reportED spam being sent, not within 48 hours of the last
report.
>
> For example, if a machine that was spewing merrily away is locked
down
> on Monday morning at 10.00 am GMT, thus stopping the spewage,
it'll age
> off the list by Wednesday morning 10.00 am GMT, even if someone
waits
> until Tuesday night to report spam. The important part is that
the spam
> being reported on Tuedsay night was still sent before the machine
was
> locked down on Monday morning.

Technically, you are correct.  The point of this FAQ is to go from
'easy to understand' general statements (for most of the people who
come to find out why they are blocked) to the more specific
technical details.  There are also the ways that ISPs can get off
the blocklist now, etc.  For an end user, nothing more is really
needed to know than the IP addresses will age off the blocklist
within a certain period of time.  For those running servers when
they start clicking on the links, they will find out all the
technical details that they need to know.  Of course, end users can
click on those links also, but most get totally confused by the
information - which is why it is put in links.

It was a challenge to write this FAQ because it is directed toward
people who know nothing about how email works and don't even
understand simple terms like 'ISP' (that was one of the
suggestions - to say 'internet service provider' because ISP was an
unknown term) and those who are running servers and want to know
the details.

Miss Betsy