[Buck_W]

I know there are plenty of threads discussing the different hosting providers. I've read most of them but haven't seen this particular issue addressed. I realize spam will always be a problem in a shared hosting environment, but do any specific providers seem to do a better job than others at correcting this problem?

To be more specific, I left my previous provider because a large number of legitimate emails that I sent out would get bounced back to me tagged as spam due to the server being flagged. After doing a lot of research, I moved our entire website over to Media Temple. Unfortunately, the problem has actually gotten worse with them. Their support techs continue to promise that they are working to have the blocks removed, but yet, the problem persists.

Is this a problem across the board on all shared servers, or does anyone know if there are hosting providers who have been able to come up with a way of combatting this problem more effectively?

[Phileas]

Since we've been using gmail for domains, this problem has 100% disappeared. Long may that last.

[Big Mac]

I haven't experienced this problem with my shared hosting providers yet. I use a host based in Panama for my email and haven't had a single problem. I chose this provider because they touted their email hosting reliability, and their track record seemed really good. We get great spam filtering too.

[besson3c]

I think you are going about this the wrong way.

Instead of trying to figure out what host might allow you to send your messages without them getting flagged, you should find out why your messages are being flagged. Most ISPs are using SpamAssassin for spam filtering, although some maybe using a Sophos product or something else. You should find out what is being used by checking on your email headers, and see if your spam scores and breakdown of scoring is included there. If it isn't see if the website for the spam milter service has something you can use to try to trace spam scores.

If you are sending out HTML email there are a number of things that you need to do to make sure that your mailings are not getting assigned spam x-headers. Are you sending out HTML? What email client are you using? If you are using a web based form or something like that, the way the headers are generated could be affected your spam scores. There are many variables here to consider.

Take matters into your own hands, our experiences are pretty much worthless to you. If two different providers are flagging your messages as spam, this suggests that there is something about your messages which are the culprit.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Instead of trying to figure out what host might allow you to send your messages without them getting flagged, you should find out why your messages are being flagged.

It's not his messages that are getting flagged, it sounds like it's the IP of his shared-hosting server. The problem is that on shared hosting, you share the same server with lots of other users, and it only takes one of them to set up some sort of insecure or out-of-date CGI script and for a spammer to exploit it for a bunch of other mail servers to block the IP of your shared hosting server due to its having been a source of spam in the past.

[besson3c]

CharlesS: you are right, I missed the very last part of this sentence:

To be more specific, I left my previous provider because a large number of legitimate emails that I sent out would get bounced back to me tagged as spam due to the server being flagged

Buck, what evidence do you have that their server(s) are blacklisted? If their mail server(s) are on a public blacklist and you can prove this, have you contacted their postmaster address?

[Buck_W]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Buck, what evidence do you have that their server(s) are blacklisted? If their mail server(s) are on a public blacklist and you can prove this, have you contacted their postmaster address?

I have a LENGTHY thread with their techs in support. The techs from Media Temple have all confirmed that it is the IP of the server that is being blacklisted. In each instance they immediately contacted the postmaster from the receiving server with a request to remove the block. Comcast is one of the ones with which I have had the most trouble. Media Temple support says that "Comcast is good about processing removal requests quickly, but has the unfortunate habit of re-blocking us for delayed reports about the same spam we stopped about a week ago."

As I stated in my original post, I realize this will always be a potential problem in the shared hosting environment due to the fact that there may be hundreds of users using the same server, but since moving to Media Temple, this particular problem is more than 10 TIMES worse than it was with my previous hosting provider. Even single emails are getting kicked back as undeliverable due to being blocked by spam. I'm done with MT.

[besson3c]

Buck_W: why don't you get a $20 VPS for Linode or Slicehost, host your site there and your own mail server. With your own dedicated IP address you can control the outgoing mail that originates from your static IP.

[Big Mac]

Sounds like a good solution - except for having to manage everything yourself. Going from shared hosting to a private server situation is a very steep learning curve, isn't it?