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HTML-burdened email (Re: [Asrg] Re: bounces, and anti-spam principles)

2007-01-26 09:49:15
On Jan 26,  1:53am, <gep2(_at_)terabites(_dot_)com> wrote:
} Subject: Re: [Asrg] Re: bounces, and anti-spam principles
}
} I don't consider that ANYBODY has the right to blindly 
} haul off and presume that I'm willing to accept 
} HTML-burdened E-mails from them.

You're welcome to take that position, but it doesn't seem to fit with
the rest of your argument that what gets accepted should be controlled
on a per-user basis.  Elsewhere you wrote:

} Even 2% legitimate traffic is too much to block, if that 
} 2% is critically important stuff.

How is blocking legitmate email because it contains HTML less wrong
than blocking it based on point of origin?

} It doesn't matter.  You simply block (by default) ALL 
} images (whether embedded or attached) coming from 
} unfamiliar/first time senders.  If they want to send 
} images, they first negotiate that permission with the 
} intended recipient.  (And that permission, of course, can 
} be revoked by the recipient if the privilege is abused).

[...]

} There is NEVER the NEED to send HTML/attachments/scripting 
} to someone in an INTRODUCTORY E-mail.  Not until you've 
} established that they are willing and able to receive that 
} kind of content from you.

This presumes a whole lot of effort on the part of the recipient in a
variety of circumstances.

(1) I'm shopping at a major retailer's website and decide to sign up
for their newsletter.  What happens if the confirmation message uses
HTML content (not uncommon)?  But let's presume everyone has bought
into your scheme, so a plain text confirmation arrives.  I now have
to take the additional step of confirming (where? has my email client
but updated to include an interface for this?) that I'll accept HTML
from the same source in the future.  Assuming that the confirmation
and the newsletter come from the same source, that is, which also is
not always the case.

(2) I'm working with an HTML design firm.  They're doing a rush job
for me, which has to be confirmed on Saturday so it can be turned over
to my IT staff to be installed on the company website before Monday
morning; but I'm going to be out of town, so I want a copy of the work
sent to another address such as a freemail service so I can easily
review it.  The HTML contains images and scripts, but the design firm
has never sent mail to that freemail service before, and I don't know
which of their team of designers might be sending the final product.
How much effort must I go to up front to be able to tell them they can
send me an attachment that I know will reach me?

(3) My biggest customer is a giant corporation which requires its
employees to use Microsoft Outlook and to attach a vCard-like signature
to every email, using a background stationery and having an image of
the company's latest logo because they're engaged in a major rebranding
initiative.  Not surprisingly, they have massive turnover, so the
people there who send email to a variety of people at my company
changes every several weeks.  Who's responsible for upkeep of all of
those individual agreements to exhange HTML with each other?

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