notify sender when email is opened?

[gchappel]

Newbie question
I understand there are methods that an email sender can be notified when their message is downloaded or read. Would someone please explain how this works and what software packages can be used to monitor this?
There may be times I would like to read an email without a notification to the sender that I read it.
As an email recipient is there a way to know if a notification is being sent, or which email messages are so monitored?
Is there a way to read an email without sending the notification?
If it means anything I use the pop3 protocol.
Just because I am paranoid, does not mean they are not still out to get me.
Thanks
Gary

[911Rob]

not sure how to block the "secret" notices?

I use swiftpage to send out my broadcast marketing emails.
Tells me who opened the email, who didn't, tells me what links they clicked, how many times, etc., etc. A very resourceful tool in marketing to say the least.

Not sure how it works, but I can tell who just deletes my emails without even opening them and who spends tons of time reviewing them.

www.swiftpage.com fyi

[stomachmonkey]

You are referring to Return Receipt. Can be enabled in the senders email application.

Depending on what application you use to read your mail you should be able to set preferences to notify you when Return Receipt has been requested and let you decide if you want to allow it.

[911Rob]

fwiw stomach, I have that option set on my outlook too; BUT it doesn't work against the "swiftgpage" emails. Ha! I love it.

[ljowdy]

So, 911Rob is a "spammer"

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by ljowdy

So, 911Rob is a "spammer"

As long as he does it by hand and does not use robots/viruses for his spamming, that is fine with me.

[911Rob]

I don't spam, I hate that crap too.
I do send out tons of info on emails, some of which I create my "special" tracking email to see who is serious and who is not.
Every email I send is by invitation only (they invite me) and I allows have an opt out function whereby they can be removed.

I've got over 5,000 RE contacts and have them grouped into categories that I email info too. I also mail the RE newspaper to clients that dont like computers; about 50 of them right now. When I detect a buyer getting serious about a target market, then I hone in on them personally; of which I'm currently focused on about 50 hot leads from my group of contacts.

My biggest group of clients is waterfront buyers.
FWIW

[jeffgrant]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

fwiw stomach, I have that option set on my outlook too; BUT it doesn't work against the "swiftgpage" emails. Ha! I love it.

That's usually accomplished by embedding an image, sometimes a single, invisible pixel graphic, in the email. A lot of times it has a special URL that is specific to the recipient of the email.

A lot of clients automatically download images, so when that image is downloaded, it knows which recipient it was.

They can also set up redirectors in the URLS that are posted in the links in the email to accomplish the same thing.

Personally, I don't automatically download images, or ever send a read receipt, and run my own mail servers, so NOBODY knows if I've ever read their emails.

[911Rob]

I'll test you Jeff on my next blast; Ha, ha.
Cheers buddy!

Yudda King of PC

[gchappel]

Thanks for the input- I am still surprised this can be "monitored" without the recipients knowledge. I do not automatically download images, but they still know when I open an email. Would like to know which messages are monitored, and if possible how to block the return receipt.
Gary

[jeffgrant]

Hey Rob-

Go ahead, and feel free! I may just let myself be tracked, just to mess with you.


It's the default behaviour of most email clients to "properly" parse and render HTML emails, including CSS and image content. If these are remote objects that are downloaded from the sender's servers, then the message will be tracked.

[URY914]

If you set your email to give you a "preview" of the message, you are able to read it without opening it and the sender won't the the return receipt.

[911Rob]

I'm no geek; but the software is fun.

I agree with what Jeff said
always have, always will.

[911Freak]

Originally Posted by jeffgrant

That's usually accomplished by embedding an image, sometimes a single, invisible pixel graphic, in the email. A lot of times it has a special URL that is specific to the recipient of the email.

A lot of clients automatically download images, so when that image is downloaded, it knows which recipient it was.

They can also set up redirectors in the URLS that are posted in the links in the email to accomplish the same thing.

Personally, I don't automatically download images, or ever send a read receipt, and run my own mail servers, so NOBODY knows if I've ever read their emails.

Wow! You sir are an "IT Guru"....

Aka "King of PC"

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by ljowdy

So, 911Rob is a "spammer"

thats what popped into my head.
i make a note NOT to do buisiness with ANYONE that sends me email advertisements. for one, i dont trust the site. thats how you get crap on your computer that you dont want. and two, i dont want to encourage the spaming by going to their site from an email ad.

some email programs have an option for returning receipts.
my boss sends everything out return receipt. we hold them in our out box until we have several hundred then send them all at once. drives him nuts.

hey jeff, check my post about my window opening minimized, maybe you can help.

[911Rob]

Originally Posted by T77911S

thats what popped into my head.
i make a note NOT to do buisiness with ANYONE that sends me email advertisements. .........
.........my boss sends everything out return receipt.

Ha! Let me check with MY BOSS? Oh, I don't have one? Ha, ha.

Google "Spam" dude.
Try sending out an email to over 1,000 people and see what happens?
If I send out spam emails I can lose my internet provider, my RE license and find myself in a ton of trouble. I don't send out spam.
I can't even telephone solicit in my Province, it's against the law here.

When I went to college they didn't even have computers yet. I'm 100% self taught since; and since I have learned how to use the thing as a tool AND it has brought me tremendous success as a tool. I continue to develop business concepts that utilize the tool.

When I put my mind to marketing something...... there is just no stopping me! Period. Top RE guy in Canada 'eh.

My RE partner is a 25 years old school guy; he is absolutely amazed at what I can do marketing RE with my little box. The nay sayers, well I just love them, the longer they say *nay*, the longer I stay out in front.

Using software like *swiftpage* is just a good way to assist in marketing and as long as every person that I email INVITED me to email them the info, then WTF, that's not SPAM.

Now, the first thing that tells me that YOU and I probably wouldn't agree on too many things comes from your very own post..... so I won't argue with you here.
Rant over. Back to work

[jeffgrant]

Originally Posted by 911Freak

Wow! You sir are an "IT Guru"....

Aka "King of PC"

Actually, I don't do the "PC" thing.

I'm a technical architect that does things like internet banking sites, large web-services systems (last one was a global online system for EA that supports 25 million users a day), etc.

I'm a *nix/Java/Oracle guy with a bunch of "infrastructure" thrown in (storage, networks, security, etc). I'm also a bit of a kernel hacker.

I know a little enough about a lot to, as my clients say, "build **** that works".

Not that there's been much "building" lately... things have been dried up for a while. They seem to be getting a bit more optimistic lately, but we'll see.

Originally Posted by T77911S

hey jeff, check my post about my window opening minimized, maybe you can help.

Sorry, I'm a "Mac guy"... I do 99% of my desktop work on a Mac, and all of my other computers don't even have keyboards/monitors/windows/etc.

The only "Windows" thing I do is for MoTec on our Cup Car. (I manage a Grand Am Rolex team).


Good luck with figuring it out... I'm sure someone on here can help you out.

[jeffgrant]

Originally Posted by T77911S

thats what popped into my head.
i make a note NOT to do buisiness with ANYONE that sends me email advertisements. for one, i dont trust the site. thats how you get crap on your computer that you dont want. and two, i dont want to encourage the spaming by going to their site from an email ad.

I think you're making some invalid assumptions. Having a large, opt-in email list is NOT the same as spamming.

I've helped my parents set up their own marketing email list/system that gets sent out to over 3,000 people every month, ALL of whom have signed up via their website.

As the webmaster for the local PCA, I also have over 600 users that I send messages out to, again, all opt-in and not "spam". (They might not appreciate the content all the time, but it's opt-in).

I also maintain an opt-in email list of clients that want to be kept notified on software updates and issues. Again, relatively large list, but not spam.

Everything I know about Rob shows that he's technically and socially aware of what he's doing, and isn't being the typical "professional" moron trying to spam for leads.


$0.02

[T77911S]

hey, i said thats what popped in my head when i first read it just like the guy above. no need to jump on me about it. i expressed my untrust of ANY email advertising or for that matter website advertising. i just dont trust the sites. how many of you would click on the monkey jumping around that says you might win $$? not me. thats how you get junk on your computer that yopu dont want. i did not mean to offend, just stating my first impression.

i have seen and heard of quite a few people with pop up ads so bad they could not use their computers. it was from going to sites that put advertising software on your computers. personally, i think it sould be against the law for ANY site to install something on your computer without your consent. its kinda funny, most programs make you click an "i agree" button to there legal stuff when it comes to installing something you want, but it does not work that way when they install stuff to monitor what sites you visit.

[911Rob]

Originally Posted by jeffgrant

Sorry, I'm a "Mac guy"...

Now there goes the respect!

Hee Hee

What do your mom and dad do sending out 3000 emails Jeff?

Also T77, just pullin' your leg; kinda sensitive issue to call someone a spammer; I had a young lady call me a male slut once (I was much younger) and It made me realize that I wuz. So there u have it?

Jeff is spot on and anti-spam laws are very good; nobody likes the stuff.
As for pop ups, ads links, etc., that's totally different from spam emails.