This is a logical extension of the thinking parked.com has been applying to expired domains by showing “click here” imagines whenever a web browser requests an image from their parked domains, or even RSS feeds with links back to the site for expired domains. I have yet to see a catch-all flash file on parked domains though.

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
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invalid-email-address-test@replycycle.com
SMTP error from remote mail server after RCPT TO::
host replycycle.com [72.55.174.165]: 550 No Such User Here

So all a spammer has to do is find domains that are parked and send all kinds of spam to any fake address at the parked domain with a reply address of those they want to send spam to. Or harass. The messages bounce back to all of us, now carrying the additional ads on top of the orginal spam…!

I suggest that anyone considering this first set up a “Catchall” email address on one or more of their domains (I have in the past) and see for themselves what kind of god-awlful junk pours in…

On the other hand, the idea of most large corporate sites like Verizon “caring” if you send them email or not is laughable. It seems like everytime I try to find contact email addresses on the sites of large companies it’s just about impossible! I often have to hunt just to find a contact form…!

They want to add in CPA offers. I think I kind of know the reason. I think, and I don’t know the truth behind this so this is only my opinion…but I think that they want to send out CPA offers in bounce back emails, this would only work for types of large businesses such as Target or Amazon that have affiliate programs. If the visitor were to click on the CPA offer, it would set a cookie on the user’s computer for 30-45 days. The user doesn’t have to buy something right then and there. If he/she returns within 30-45 days and buys something at these big sites and still has the cookie on his/her pc, then the ReplyCycle company gets credited commission for the affiliate referral, which is passed on to the domain parking company / domain owner.

That’s the only way I can really think that this will work.

I think in general customers (if they are domain owners) are interested in making more money atm. . . . No poll necessary :)

Interesting. In the hosting world there are all sorts of solutions to email management. From simple ones like procmail to complete management software to handle responses, filter, give replies from a knowledgebase etc.

It sounds like the parking companies need to hire a few linux admins and add some email features to their parking plans!

OR perhaps their is no customer interest? That’s a good poll question, I bet.

Also, I don’t believe the returning of undeliverable mails with a message is quite the same as typical auto-responders really. Auto-responders typically work on valid email addresses and I think they are handled differently than a “no valid email” type of bounce.

I guess it is a form of auto-responding, but you’d have to ‘wild card’ your auto-response to handle all the invalid emails as well and at the same time filter out the spam before you replied back. Not sure of the technical parts associated with either so can’t speak on that.

Capturing the emails would be a whole different matter since they aren’t really opting in by accidentally emailing. What are you going to do with the “captured” addresses?

I don’t know of any parking company doing this and I don’t know any domain owner doing what you describe either.

Do you mean no one is using auto-responders for their email?