Known Issues and Error Messages with Action Network

Sending to your full list is not best practice

This new warning message is documented on the Targeting an email page.

Email fails domain authentication

Error message seen, sometimes in conjunction with an email going in to junk email.

'This email has failed its domain's authentication requirements. It may be spoofed or improperly forwarded!'

How you would notice

You've drafted your email and send a test to your own email (protonmail.com is particularly sensitive to this error), and you have this error message shown above. Your test email may have also gone into your Junk/Spam folder

Reason

Something wrong with the reply-to email. In particular proton.me email addresses are not recommended

Temporary fix

Try sending another test with noreply@extinctionrebellion.uk in the 'Reply-to Email' field. If this works - then that is a sign that the system (or the internet!) doesn't like your reply-to email address.

Permanant fix

Use a different reply-to email address. If you are part of an XRUK central team, campaign group or local group you can apply for an xxxx@extinctionrebellion.uk email address which should work much better for you as we have registered 'extinctionrebellion.uk' with Action Network as a valid 'domain' to stop this kind of problem.



Action Network ID attached

This is very important: links copied from other Action Network emails contain tracking links; people's personal Action Network ID's etc.

The error you get is a pop-up box list this...

you appear to have a link with an Action Network ID attached

The cause

Using this example:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CZZX5DN?link_id=2&can_id=071ccc07c7xxxxxxxxxxxxxd003

If you copied the link from an Action Network email that you had previously received - the link will have your personal ID attached (the &can_id=xxx part). You don't need any of the information after the question mark.

The solution

In this case you would just use https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CZZX5DN

This goes for other links with user info embedded - eg. some Google links or links to Facebook or a fundraiser. Just cut out the question mark and everything after, make sure the links still works and just use that instead.

Photos not loading

Note : Protonmail seems to be the most sensitive to errors like this, so sending [test] emails to a protonmail address is a good way to test for errors.

Filename glitch

Glitch noticed Apr 2022 : If photos look like they've been added to your email, but when you do a test email they appear blank with only the alt-text showing.... then check the file name.

It was found that file names with a + sign were being problematic.

Fix:

Change the filename to something simpler. Add the image to the email again and do another test to yourself to check.

Size glitch

It is good practice to optimise your images within an email. Smaller files load faster and have a smaller carbon footprint! Also it has been noted that some email providers aren't loading large images. You can reduce the size of your graphics and images, preferably to 600px or 700px wide. You can either do this in graphics software before you upload OR you can do this after you've uploaded to your Action Network email. The instructions on this are on this page here.

Alt text glitch

Don't use quotation marks in the alt-text. This makes images fail to load in protonmail (and maybe other emails too)

Glitch in html style emails

Don't copy and paste images in to emails, this will cause problems for a lot of your email recipients who's email provider won't interpret what you've pasted as an image and instead print 100s of rows of code instead.
Read the guidance here on how to add safetly to an email written in the html mode.

Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp join links

The very best thing to do to avoid glitches like the ones described below is to ALWAYS send yourself test emails before sending to a whole email list.

These errors change over time, so testing is your best friend!

Be sure to read your test emails both on a computer AND a phone. Then click on every link in your email to check it's working.

It has been noted that Telegram invite links (ones with + signs in them, not the public ones like Rebellion Broadcast, they are fine) don't work when reading an email on a phone.

Current work-around (which goes against advice about shortlinks!) is to turn the Telegram join link in to an short link, before then hyperlinking it in an email. e.g.

Fix for signal join links not working is to add the suffix of ?no_rewrite=true to the end or the URL - which stops the Action Network tracking link and seems to help.

No known issues.

Proton.me domain

Major problems using proton.me as the 'reply-to email'

We are seeing very substantially reduced delivery and open rates if using a proton.me domain email address as a reply-to address when sending Action Network emails.

Action Network have been informed, but no change as yet for this issue.(Aug 2023).

For now it is just best to avoid using this domain.

No issues noticed with the older protonmail.com email addresses.

Note: Local Groups, XRUK or Nation/Region circles, or other people holding roles in the movement can apply for an xxxx@extinctionrebellion.uk email address

Not receiving emails from XR?

There may be a few reasons why this might happen and the fix is different for different cases.

Not receiving ANY emails from XR?

Please check your junk email folder, and if you find emails in there do some or all of the following (email software is different, so here are a few options):

If this doesn't help, then please contact the Action Network Data Team. We can check to see if there is a problem with your subscription and may be able to help.

Problems when signing up for events or using other forms

1 - Check junk email

The first step is always to check your junk email. If there isn't anything in there, then one reason could be the settings in your Action Network account. You may have created an account years ago and forgotten, so this is how you check...

2 - Log in to Action Network

ANlogin.png

If you know your password, log straight in and jump to step 3.

If you aren't sure if you have an account, try the 'Forgot your password?' link. This will either

3 - Then check your settings

Click on the icon in very the top right of the screen and then click 'Edit Subscriptions'

ANsettings.png

On the right of the screen is some information about 'Transactional Emails' - scroll down and check to see if you are opted-in or out.

If you have deliberately or accidentally opted-out, then click this button to opt-in again. This should fix your issues.

ANoptin.png