HOW TO WRITE SECURE PHP MAIL SCRIPTS

Allowing people to fill out forms on your web site that generate email messages is an important part of any organizing web site. This feature allows you to have interested people contact you for more information, join an email list, or tell a friend about your site. PHP makes programming these types of forms a breeze.

MAY FIRST/PEOPLE BLOG BLOGGED PUBLISHED IN SOCIAL POLICY MAGAZINE

Alfredo Lopez’s blog on Spam and Censorship was published in the current issue of Social Policy Magazine. We’re excited to see the debate about the serious political implications of controlling spam reach an activist audience, rather than remaining soley an issue for techies.

PHP FORM MAILER

Several weeks ago I submitted a blog for PHP developers about how to write secure PHP email scripts. Recently, after some back and forth with the folks working on the Sustainable South Bronx’s website, we decided to package up that idea into a PHP mailer May First/People Link members can simply download and use. Well, here it is! Please give it a shot and add comments/make changes.

PROPOSAL REVIEW SOFTWARE

During a meeting with a small NYC group that funds social justice organizations, we hit upon a need for software that can help manage the proposal review process. While there are gazillions of programs to help nonprofits manage their proposals and grants, there are much fewer that can help a foundation manage the proposal acceptance process.

SPAM IS OUT OF CONTROL!

Especially the last few weeks we’ve seen an signficant rise in spam on the May First/People Link servers. We’ve started taking more aggressive evasive action, so you should see more spam identified with the SPAM subject line or rejected all together over the next few weeks. Thanks for your patience!

THE BEGINNING OF A FRIGHTNING TREND

According to ClickZ, AOL will be charging people to send bulk email to it’s user base. This is truly a frightening trend.

THE FUTURE OF POLITICAL EMAIL

I just did some quick and dirty tests on the 150,000 or so email addresses that are subscribed to the hundreds of email lists that we host. Somewhere between 30 and 40% of these email addresses end in either: hotmail.com, yahoo.com, aol.com, or (increasingly) gmail.com. Four providers - which happens to be consistent with the presentation that Chris at Democracy In Action gave at the AdvocacyDev conference.

THE ONLY CLIENTS WE TALK ABOUT

Some of you have heard us correct you when you refer to yourself as our client (not client, member!).

THE PURSUIT OF MANLINESS HARMS MEN - AND WOMEN AS WELL

Thanks Rafa for this one. Harvey Mansfield’s book Manliness hardly deserves mention except as a foil for talking about something much more interesting. In this case why men should support feminism out of self-interest (for those that can’t think of any other reasons).

TRANS DAY OF JUSTICE

Join May First members Audre Lorde Project, Sylvia Rivera Law Project and others at the Trans Day of Justice Friday June 23 in New York City. For more information: www.fiercenyc.org.