Autoresponder
Encyclopedia
An autoresponder is a computer program
that automatically answers e-mail
sent to it. They can be very simple or quite complex.
The first autoresponders were created within mail transfer agent
s that found they could not deliver an e-mail to a given address. These create bounce message
s such as "your e-mail could not be delivered because..." type responses. Today's autoresponders need to be careful to not generate e-mail backscatter
, which can result in the autoresponses being considered E-mail spam
.
Autoresponders are often used as e-mail marketing tools, to immediately provide information to their prospective customers and then follow-up with them at preset time intervals.
Such follow-up autoresponders can be divided into two categories:
Autoresponders are also incorporated into electronic mailing list
software, to confirm subscriptions, unsubscriptions, posts, and other list activities.
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
that automatically answers e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
sent to it. They can be very simple or quite complex.
The first autoresponders were created within mail transfer agent
Mail transfer agent
Within Internet message handling services , a message transfer agent or mail transfer agent or mail relay is software that transfers electronic mail messages from one computer to another using a client–server application architecture...
s that found they could not deliver an e-mail to a given address. These create bounce message
Bounce message
In the Internet's standard e-mail protocol SMTP, a bounce message, also called a Non-Delivery Report/Receipt , a Delivery Status Notification message, a Non-Delivery Notification or simply a bounce, is an automated electronic mail message from a mail system informing the sender of another...
s such as "your e-mail could not be delivered because..." type responses. Today's autoresponders need to be careful to not generate e-mail backscatter
Backscatter (e-mail)
Backscatter is incorrect automated bounce messages sent by mail servers, typically as a side effect of incoming spam....
, which can result in the autoresponses being considered E-mail spam
E-mail spam
Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
.
Autoresponders are often used as e-mail marketing tools, to immediately provide information to their prospective customers and then follow-up with them at preset time intervals.
Such follow-up autoresponders can be divided into two categories:
- Outsourced ASP model — these autoresponders operate on the provider's infrastructure and are usually configurable via a web-based control panel. The customer pays a monthly usage fee. This is easiest to implement for the end-user.
- Server-side — enables users to install the autoresponder system on their own server. This requires technical skills.
Autoresponders are also incorporated into electronic mailing list
Electronic mailing list
An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to...
software, to confirm subscriptions, unsubscriptions, posts, and other list activities.
External links
- Moronic Mail Autoresponders (A FAQ From Hell)
- Gueiner Mail Autoresponders (A FAQ)
- Why are auto responders bad? (a SpamCopSpamCopSpamCop is a free spam reporting service, allowing recipients of unsolicited bulk email and unsolicited commercial email to report offenders to the senders' Internet Service Providers , and sometimes their web hosts...
FAQ) - RFC 3834: Recommendations for Automatic Responses to Electronic Mail
- RFC 5230: Sieve Email Filtering: Vacation Extension