Starship Asterisk*

I have successfully sent a number of emails which included this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3YYwIsMHzw

Last night, however, my outgoing email server refused to send a message, and I finally narrowed down the issue to that one link. With the link, the server rejected the message, even to another sender, even to myself, even if the link is the only thing in the message. Doesn't matter whether the link is just the bare link or whether it's used to hyperlink text; in all cases, the outgoing server is now refusing to send it. Removing just that link allowed the message to go.

This is absolutely maddening!! What is going on? Why would an outgoing mail server be okay with the link for an number of messages but then reject it?? Why would it care??

I have no idea why this is happening and if anyone can enlighten me, I would really appreciate it!

Possible fix: copy and paste that link into a simple text editor -- not a word processor. Then drag to select it there (don't use any sort of Select All command) and copy it into a new email. It may send now. Why? The link perhaps contains an invisible character which the email system rejects.

If that doesn't work, call your ISP and get one of their techs on the line. They'll likely suggest you send the email while they "watch". They'll be able to see what is happening, or not happening, and can advise further.

Rob

[a few minutes later...]
"Verrrrryyy interesting!" I copied that link into an email and sent it to myself. No error when I sent it, but I'm not receiving it. I sent myself a simple text message a couple of minutes after that and received it within a few seconds, but still not the link one. Deeply weird!

[and a bit later...]
If you go to that video on YouTube and click the Share link, the URL you get isn't the same as the one you're trying to send, even though that URL works in a browser. You get this one instead: http://youtu.be/Q3YYwIsMHzw
When I try that one in an email, it works.

It must have somehow gotten added to a spam blacklist.

Thanks very much, Rob! I cut and pasted that link -- indeed, the entire text of the email -- from a previous email that I'd sent successfully, several times! I will follow your suggestions when I get home, though, just to see whether any of them make a difference. How very bizarre that you could send it but not receive it! Such a weird thing to have happen!

That YouTube link is the (older) "long" link; just in the past week or so, YouTube has stopped generating the long link (which one had to request) and offers links now just in the newer format. (Animals!)

geckzilla, thanks; how weird that a NASA video might have be added to a blacklist! I've sent out that link more than a few times by now.

geckzilla wrote:It must have somehow gotten added to a spam blacklist.

That would be my guess as well, although it's unusual for ISPs to filter outgoing mail for content. That usually happens with incoming mail.