Yahoo mail problem

I have a paid for mail account at Yahoo. I use an e-mail client to handle my mail. For the last week or so I've had trouble sending mail. I have to try for several hours before I can send. I usually get an error like this:

The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'yahoo', Server: 'smtp.mail.yahoo.com', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E

I can receive mail okay, although occasionally it takes twenty seconds to connect to their POP server.

Anyone else having this problem?

More and more internet providers are prohibiting the use of port 25, which is the normal port for smtp. Their hope is that it will decrease the amount of spam that can be sent out by their users. Actually, it's just stupidity, since smtp options are readilly available that make use of other ports. What it really does is make things more difficult for their average users, rather than their spamming users.

It may be that your provider has started blocking port 25, but then it may be something different. If so, your choices would be to check Yahoo to see if they offer an optional port service for smtp, or you could simply use your providers smtp server.

That may not be the cause of your problems, but it did give me a chance to gripe a bit about the tendency of providers to do something simply to appear as if they're fighting spam.

Wanna hear another way that servers take it upon themselves to "fight SPAM"? ...

AOL is infamous for this... they put all email addresses that contain "webmaster@" on users' SPAM-block list. So then it's up to the user to go unblock them. You guys have no idea how many emails I get each and every day from AOL users complaining that they never got their password upon registration or when trying to retrieve a lost password. And without exception, the fix is for them to either go to their block list and unblock the [email protected] address or to add it to their "allow" list.

Nice of these guys to take it upon themselves to "help" us. It's my opinion that if you are going to be on the internet and use the email systems, it's up to YOU and no one else to control your email settings. My server allows me to go set my own levels of SPAM control and set my own allow and disallow lists. Then they do the work based on what I want. Again it's that personal responsibility thing... and AOL (and now Yahoo, it seems) need to quit trying to act like our current welfare system by removing personal responsibility and determining what your needs are... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif

Hmmmm... I think I have an issue with this... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

god i hate spam though .

Update. I successfully sent my mail. It took 8 hours though.

This is getting to be just like snail mail, except you don't have to put a stamp on it.

Actually I wouldn't mind paying a small amount for "postage" if it would help the spam problem. Something needs to be done, and it seems to me as long as it costs nothing to send millions of spam messages, there will be people who will do it.