An autoresponder is a
computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to Execution (computing), execute. It is one component of software, which also includes software documentation, documentation and other intangibl ...
that automatically answers
e-mail
Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...
sent to it. They can be very simple or quite complex.
The first autoresponders were created within
mail transfer agent
Within the Internet email system, a message transfer agent (MTA), mail transfer agent, or mail relay is software that transfers electronic mail messages from one computer to another using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. In some contexts, the a ...
s that found they could not deliver an e-mail to a given address. These create
bounce message
A bounce message or just "bounce" is an automated message from an email system, informing the sender of a previous message that the message has not been delivered (or some other delivery problem occurred). The original message is said to have "boun ...
s such as "your e-mail could not be delivered because..." type responses. Today's autoresponders need to be careful to not generate
e-mail backscatter, which can result in the autoresponses being considered
e-mail spam
Email spam, also referred to as junk email, spam mail, or simply spam, refers to unsolicited messages sent in bulk via email. The term originates from a Monty Python sketch, where the name of a canned meat product, "Spam," is used repetitively, m ...
.
An autoresponder allows you to send email messages automatically to people who have elected to receive them (your subscribers). For example, if you've created a free report, a template, a guide, or other helpful piece of content, you can let your website visitors access it in exchange for their email address.
Such ''follow-up autoresponders'' can be divided into two categories:
* Outsourced ASP model – these autoresponders operate on the provider's infrastructure and are usually configurable via a web-based control panel. The customer pays a monthly usage fee. This is easiest to implement for the end-user.
* Server-side – enables users to install the autoresponder system on their own server. This requires technical skills.
Autoresponders are also incorporated into
electronic mailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients.
Mailing lists are often rented or sold. If rented, the renter agrees to use the mailing list only at contra ...
software, to confirm subscriptions, unsubscriptions, posts, and other list activities. Popular email clients such as
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager software system from Microsoft, available as a part of the Microsoft 365 software suites. Primarily popular as an email client for businesses, Outlook also includes functions such as Calendari ...
and
Gmail
Gmail is the email service provided by Google. it had 1.5 billion active user (computing), users worldwide, making it the largest email service in the world. It also provides a webmail interface, accessible through a web browser, and is also ...
contain features to allow users to create autoresponses.
Autoresponder sequence
They are used with autoresponders being used as part of a mailing list manager. These are used by marketers to deliver a queued sequence of messages to mailing list subscribers. Messages are sent relative to the date of subscription to the list or within single list systems, opt-ins that result in the addition of new mailing list tags. However, the length of the sequence for a user should be chosen such that it could be sufficient to accomplish one's goal.
See also
*
Procmail
*
Mail delivery agent
A message delivery agent (MDA), or mail delivery agent, is a computer software component that is responsible for the delivery of e-mail messages to a local recipient's mailbox. It is also called a local delivery agent (LDA).
Within the Internet ...
*
Squeeze page
References
External links
Why are auto responders bad?(a
SpamCop FAQ)
What is an autoresponder? * : Recommendations for Automatic Responses to Electronic Mail
* {{IETF RFC, 5230, link=no: Sieve Email Filtering: Vacation Extension
Email