# Museum name caught in spam filters

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/10/18/museum-name-caught-spam-filters/
- Published: 2004-10-18T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Most e-mail newsletter publishers soon become aware of the vagaries of spam and 
other filters which can prevent some subscribers from receiving their copies because
that issue contained certain prohibited words. But one London museum’s name itself
is causing all kinds of problems in terms of sending and receiving e-mails.
The 
Horniman Museum is an established anthropological museum in South London. According
to the Guardian, it estimates that up to 10% of e-mails sent to and from the museum
are being prevented from being delivered due to spam filters at ISPs and organisations
which misinterpret the meaning of “horniman”.

The filters are affecting both e-mail and Web traffic, with some visitors reportedly
being prevented from accessing horniman.ac.uk. The problem is particularly affecting
schools, many of who use the educational services offered by the museum.

The Horniman is facing a pernicious problem, and it is all the result of a number
of badly configured filters outside their control. The museum’s staff are only going
to find out about a particular ISP that is not allowing its e-mails to get through
when a supporter or would-be visitor lets them know.

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The best it can do is to encourage supporters and visitors to add the horniman.ac.
uk domain to their e-mail package’s white list of approved recipients. They are 
also encouraging people to try visiting the Web site, and if they are prevented 
from doing so, let the museum know, and perhaps complain to their ISP. It is not
a satisfactory solution, but at least they are aware of the problem.

Charities should review their domain names from time to time and check that they
could not be misinterpreted by spam filters. Those sending out e-mail newsletters
or alerts should also test the effect of spam filters both by using a filter such
as Spam Assassin themselves and by testing the delivery of the newsletter to seed
addresses at the various major ISPs.

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