General Questions

Why can't I use my own FROM: address?

In an attempt to control SPAM, many Internet Service Providers discard mail if the sender's domain in the "From" field does not match the actual domain from which the message was sent. Therefore, messageREACH cannot place your domain address in the From field; however, it can add your address to appear at the start of the required messageREACH address. For example, the From field could include your name and/or company as in the example that follows:

JohnSmith-Biz.com<[email protected]>

messageREACH receives all replies. It handles all incoming removal requests and bad/bounced destination addresses, reports them to you, and forwards to you any other replies that your deliveries generate.


Is there a limit to the number of e-mail addresses to which a message can be sent?

As of the current date, a maximum of 250,000 destinations per mailing provides the best results. For larger distributions, simply send to additional destinations as a separate distribution.


What happens if the first delivery attempt fails, e.g., if a recipient's mailbox is full or their mail server is down?

If a mailbox is full, messageREACH reports the mailbox full condition in a detail report. If the destination domain is not immediately able to accept mail, messageREACH will automatically retry the delivery for up to 24 hours.


Can I send an attachment with the message text, and include pull files for download as part of the same message?

Yes, but make sure you list the files correctly in the attachment or pull file section of the job submission web page.


How long will it take for my message to be delivered to all recipients?

messageREACH can send tens of thousands of messages every hour. The speed of delivering to your recipients depends on message size and other variables; however, delivery is extremely fast!


Are there any domains that messageREACH will not send to?

The following is a list of domains that the messageREACH system intentionally will not send to due to State Department restrictions.

  • .cu - Cuba

  • .ir - Iran

  • .iq - Iraq

  • .ly - Libya

  • .kp - North Korea

  • .sd - Sudan

  • .sy - Syria


I submitted a job, but I cannot locate it via the Status screen. What could be wrong?

See in the Job Lifecycle topic of the Guide.


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Questions about Lists

What happens if my distribution list contains other address types, such as fax or proprietary e-mail addresses?

messageREACH only delivers to Internet and SMS addresses. All other addresses are invalid and will be canceled.


Will the messageREACH List Maintenance department create lists for me?

The messageREACH List Maintenance department can create and maintain your lists if you wish to pay for this service. Please contact your sales representative for more information.


Will the messageREACH List Maintenance Department remove addresses and clean my lists for me?

You can do this or List Maintenance can perform this service. To get a listing of all destinations that have requested removal from distribution, request a removal report. To do this, click List Services, located on the left panel of the messageREACH Web site after you are logged-in. Then click Removal Report and follow the on-screen directions.

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Questions about the Message Body

Why should I use the Multipart/Alternative feature?

An e-mail standard is not yet a reality. The different e-mail service providers and different e-mail programs in use result in differing e-mail capabilities. Some users are limited to viewing plain text messages; others can read HTML, and others can view some, but not all HTML. When you send messages, often you do not know just how a message body will be displayed by a recipient's e-mail program, unless all recipients inform you of their e-mail capabilities.

Instead of worrying about which recipients can read what formats, you can send your messages using multipart/alternative. This means sending multiple versions of the same message (a text version and an HTML, or text and HTML-Lite, or text, HTML, and HTML-Lite).

Generally, recipients only see what their mail programs can display, although some e-mail programs may display both the HTML and the text versions in different sections of the message. Plain text is the default alternative if the other formats cannot be displayed. Using multipart/alternative means that recipients are more likely to correctly display your message, regardless of possible system limitations. See

You do not have to know how to build web pages to use HTML or HTML-Lite in your messages. Generally, you can use HTML or HTML-Lite to "dress-up" your message with text enhancements such as bold, italics, changing font sizes, font colors, font faces, and text alignments (left, center, right and justified text).

However, other enhancements that might be used�such as numbered lists, bulleted lists, tables, and forms�are currently not supported by HTML-Lite (or the AOL mail reader). To address this, messageREACH lets you submit an HTML-Lite version of your message for your AOL users. See

Can I use HTML text with inserts?

Yes, you can use inserts in HTML or plain ASCII text messages.


Can I add color and fonts to a text message?

Only if the text is rendered and saved in HTML.

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Questions about Attachments

What kinds of files can I attach and send?

You may send any type of file you wish! This includes files that are not documents, such as sound and video files (.wav files, for example). Keep in mind that these files can be very large. Sending them as pull files may be a better way to distribute them, since that service allows the recipient to decide whether to download a specific file. Also note that many mail systems will now not pass files ending in certain extensions thay may harbor viruses, such as executable files with exe extensions, visual basic script files with vbs extensions, and others.


Is there a size limit for file attachments and/or messages?

messageREACH will tell you if your messages are "too big" for the file to be distributed as an attachment (if it exceeds the 1 MB default). In that case, you can send it as a pull file. This is a more efficient way of getting your message out, and you are less likely to annoy recipients with large mail items. Also, keep in mind that some Internet Service Providers place restrictions on files over a certain size (such as 1 MB) and will not deliver files that exceed this size.

Additionally, a default size of 50 MB is permitted for the total bytes sent (the sum for all destinations). If you wish to exceed the defaults, messageREACH Customer Service can increase them for you in your User Profile. However, when a default is exceeded, your message may nonetheless be temporarily placed in an error queue which Customer Service can further override to launch a distribution for you.


Can I place inserts in my attachments?

Yes, inserts can be used in plain text and HTML attachments. Inserts cannot be used in attachments of other file types.

Can I place a pull file or Click-TO reference within an attachment?

Yes, as long as the attachment is a plain text or HTML file, you can embed a pull file link or Click-TO link using the standard syntax.

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Questions about Pull Files

After I send a message, the pull-file links for some recipients are not clickable. Why not, and what can be done?

Some mail services and e-mail readers do not properly display the Web-based URLs that are placed in the message body and used to identify and download pull files. If the recipient cannot activate these links, the recipient can nonetheless obtain the files as follows:

  1. Copy the URL information to the clipboard.
  2. Paste it into the browser's URL field (called the "Address" box for Microsoft Internet Explorer users; "Location" box for Netscape users; "Web address" for AOL� users).
  3. Press the Enter key on the keyboard.

Who creates my pull files?

You create these files and submit them with your messageREACH job. messageREACH stores the files, creates links to them, and adds the links to the message body. (Recipients click the links to request the files.)


Why do pull files have to be posted on your system?

Hosting pull files on the messageREACH system frees-up your system for other tasks. Plus, it allows messageREACH to handle�and notify you of�all remove requests, and it forwards any other replies to you. In addition, it keeps track of recipients who request each pull file and reports these results to you.


Can I send a follow-up response to all recipients who downloaded pull files and/or "clicked to" my links?

Yes. Request a pull report. This report indicates which files were requested and/or which links were clicked-to by each recipient address. Use this information to create an address list to be used with your follow-up message.

Can I place a pull file or Click-TO reference within another pull file?

Yes, as long as the original pull file is a text or HTML file, you can embed a pull file link or Click-TO link using the standard syntax.

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Questions about Reports

Can I check the status of my messages or e-mail campaign from your Web site?

Yes. You can get a report at any time.


How do I get a report?

Click Status, located on the left panel of the messageREACH Web site once you are logged-in. First, follow the instructions to locate the job and submit a query. Then, once your job is listed in the Activity Summary, click the Job Number to request a report.

You will automatically receive a report when your messageREACH job expires. Interim reports can also be sent to you on a scheduled basis to inform you of job progress (messageREACH Customer Service sets this up for you in your User Profile).


Can a report be e-mailed to a different address or addresses?

Yes. Request a report from the messageREACH Web site and you can specify the e-mail destination (can be a list or an e-mail address) to which the report will be sent. Otherwise, your reports are sent to the report address in your User Profile.


Why does a detail report sometimes arrive as an e-mail attachment, while at other times I get a pull reference to click for the report?

The way the report arrives in your mailbox is determined by its size. Since large e-mail messages can be rejected by some users' mail systems, messageREACH instead makes large detail reports available to you as pull files.


My message completed very quickly, but when I request a detail report, it says that it is an "Interim" detail report, as if the job is still active. How come?

Even after delivery completes, a final report is not typically issued until the job expires. For messages that do not include pull files, job expiration is usually 3 days after posting. This allows any additional Internet communications to be received by messageREACH and communicated to you. For messages that include pull files, the default is 14 days; the job submission form lets you specify a different job expiration if you like.


Why can't delivery be tracked to every recipient's mail node?

Not all mail systems respond to a "request to advise" when a message has been placed in a recipient's mailbox.

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Questions about Removals

How long does it take for a removal request to be activated?

Removal requests are activated by the end of the day that they are received.


What happens if a recipient requests removal after the time limit for my message expires?

If you are using the traditional messageREACH From field (with the R##### sequence), the remove request will be honored. If you have the static From field, the remove request must be manually handled. If the original message is not included, the remove request may be placed in as a system wide removal.

If you are using a web based remove link, the link will contain the recipient email address. Therefore it will operate even after the broadcast has expired.


Are separate reports available for removal requests? If so, how do I get them?

Yes. Request a removal report, listing all your destinations that have requested removal, by clicking List Services (located on the left panel of the messageREACH Web site). Then click Removal Report, supply your e-mail address, and click the button. Be sure to delete these "removal" addresses from your list(s) so that you don't waste time needlessly attempting to send to them in the future.

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Questions about the Send-a-Friend Feature

Can the send-a-friend link be used in attachments and pull files?

No, send-a-friend links can only be used in the message body files. The syntax link required for this function (mr_sendafriend) must exist in all body parts (if multiple body parts are input).


Can I limit the number of send-a-friend links any recipient can send to?

You can set the overall limit on how many send-a-friend messages can be sent (call Customer Service to set a limit), but you cannot set a limit based on any one destination. The form the original recipient receives has room for up to 5 friend addresses. The recipient can click on the link again, and get to fill in another 5 addresses. Our experience is that send-a-friend links are not a serious source of spam because each address must be entered manually.


Can friends also use the send-a-friend link? Can this go on continuously?

Yes, the friends can start new chains, that can go through multiple generations of friends. This is the concept behind viral marketing. If you are afraid of the number of friend messages that you will be responsible for - you should not use the send-a-friend feature.


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messageREACH is a service/trademark of Premiere Global Services. Adobe is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. AOL is a registered trademark of America Online, Inc. Netscape and Netscape Navigator are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other names mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be the service/trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.