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However, I, as a receiver of email, get thousands of spam messages a day. So, I use services that block them before they even reach my view, or get sent directly to the spam folder.
If you want to send me an email, that's solved. If you want to send it to ten thousand people on your mailing list, and not have it end up in the spam folder, you may have more work.
For stranger to stranger communication, both business and non-business set up a web form. With a challenge if needed.
For friend to friend communication, use email, friends' address in on a white list.
For business to consumer communication, white list is again used.
For spammer to anyone communication, including business lists that refuse to take you off, not on white list so doesn't get in. Bounce response with reason "non on white list"
It's a cultural change though: an email address won't get through unless you are unblocked, but technically easy.
An email comes in from a sender address which isn't on the whitelist, but is (in fact) a friend. What's the handling?
An email comes in from a sender address which isn't on the whitelist, but is not (in fact) a friend. What's the handling?
Do I never hear from the first friend? Or do I get bombarded with "hey, read this email and see if the sender is a friend" a bunch of times?
There was a big fit thrown on this website a year or two ago when one transactional mail provider (MailChimp?) said they were banning crypto companies with ICOs from their service. They literally put "ICOs are not welcome" in their Terms of Service. Why? Because first off, ICOs are scams. And that means they buy email lists, and then spam the shit out of people with "buy into our ICO!" emails, which get immediately shitcanned into the spam folder by 99.99% of users -- they're no different than Nigerian Princes, as far as most people care. That behavior tanks the reputation of the sender, and you cannot reason with The Algorithm once it "recognizes" you as spam. That kind of problem is not a minor inconvenience to companies like Mailgun, it's an existential threat.
Pity we'll have to move off them. It was good while it lasted.
You might miss something valuable. Perhaps from a long-lost relative. Or a prospective client or employer.
And once you're actually looking through the spam folder, what good is it really?
