Trevor brought a problem to our attention and it illustrates two growing
problems.  Please read and understand the following, since it may soon
affect you, and your BEE-L subscription.

Some background: There are many possible email formats.  Some include plain
text and HTML, some send HTML as attachments, etc.  At any rate, the
moderators receive all email -- even HTML -- as plain text source code; in
some cases the email is readable, and some times it is scrambled.  If the
email is readable in the moderators' inboxes and not too badly scrambled,
all other things being equal, it is sent to the list.  (The moderators
cannot easily edit posts and send them on.  It is basically a matter of
accept or reject).

1.) Although BEE-L guidelines specify plain text only, and no attachments,
some members, accidentally, or unknowingly, send email to BEE-L as HTML or
attach V-cards to their outgoing email.  Such messages show up in the end
users' mailboxes as having attachments.  Given the horror stories going
around, most of us either delete such messages or have the bomb disposal
robot handle them.  When such a message comes via BEE-L, BEE-L members then
have to decide if the message is safe or not.

Inasmuch as at least one moderator must have read and examined it in plain
text, if it did come from BEE-L, it is probably safe.  As I say, all email
is decoded by the LISTSERV and given to the moderators as plain text and we
have examined it for nasties.  It is then sent on, in its original form

2.) Increasingly, to protect their customers, ISPs are filtering and
blocking email.  Although the main thrust is at machine generated email,
like the output of our LISTSERV, it also can block personal email, too.
Read on.

That ISP blocking, whether requested by you, the customer, or not, has two
effects that will increasingly affect BEE-L members.  The filter problems
are described in greater detail on the BEE-L page (See tag line), but the
upshot is that, increasingly, email cannot be considered reliable, and incre
asingly, email may disappear on the way to the recipient, often with no
notice.

In the case in mentioned here, although a moderator had already attempted to
notify the member of the attachment problem, his ISP has blocked our message
and sent it to a folder where it will likely be ignored and indicated in a
robot generated message (that was not blocked by my ISP)  that we must go
thru some nuisance to get onto his 'approved' list. of course we will not
bother.

Thus, we cannot contact him to mention why many of our readers will not open
his email!

--- Trevor's warning ---

Thought I should draw your attention to a post that comes as a Bee-L post
from (a member) under the heading of "How many hives should there be in a
yard".  It has an attachment which I have not opened for obvious reasons.

As I recall, Bee-L did not send out posts with attachments as they were not
approved.  This particular post has come out about 3 or 4 times now over the
past week or so.

Maybe it originates from elsewhere as a virus producing email and, if so, I
think it would be worthwhile warning the Bee-L members about this.

Regards

Trevor Weatherhead

--- end note ---

Thanks, Trevor, for that.  I hope our explanation will set people's minds at
ease.

Unfortunately, however there are no guarantees, and people must be cautious.
Please *be sure* any email you get, that seems to come from BEE-L or comes
to your BEE-L email address, actually comes from BEE-L.  Occasionally,
several times, as we recall, unscrupulous operators have, against BEE-L
regulations and in violation of good taste, farmed BEE-L messages for
addresses, and then emailed members direct, to advertise one thing or
another.  This practice is generally considered to be a violation of privacy
and common decency, and we apologise, but there is nothing we can do about
it.  Although it is not easy to harvest BEE-L addresses, please don't assume
that your email address cannot be read when you post to BEE-L.


Signed,

Your faithful, friendly bee-l janitors.

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