If you've received an email from a group and replies aren't going through, here's what's happening and why we handle it the way we do.
What "Silenced" Means
When an email address starts bouncing — meaning our messages to you can't be delivered — we silence that address. This means we temporarily stop sending to it. That's all. You're still a member of your group. Your name is still on the roster. Nothing has been removed or deleted.
We do this because sending repeated emails to an address that can't receive them hurts the reputation of every group on the platform. Email providers start treating all of our messages as suspicious when too many bounce. That affects everyone.
What We Don't Do
We don't remove you from your group. That's not our call to make.
Your group has organizers — real people who decided to bring their community onto this platform. They manage who's in and who's out. We respect that boundary completely. The only situation where we would remove someone from a group without the organizer's involvement is a clear case of abuse — spam, harassment, or something that puts other members at risk.
Outside of that? Your membership is between you and your group. Period.
Why This Matters
Think about what it would mean if your email provider decided, on its own, to stop delivering messages from your family, your coworkers, or your community — without telling you and without anyone agreeing to it. That would be a problem, right?
We think so too. So we drew a clear line: we manage delivery, your group manages membership. If your email is bouncing, we'll pause delivery to protect the system. But your spot in the group isn't ours to touch.
If You've Been Silenced
It usually means one of these things happened:
- Your inbox was full
- Your email provider temporarily rejected our messages
- There was a typo in your email address when you signed up
- Your email provider's spam filter blocked us
The fix is usually simple. Reach out to your group's organizer or contact us directly, and we'll get it sorted out. Once the delivery issue is resolved, we un-silence the address and everything picks up where it left off.
The Principle
People come first. Technology serves people, not the other way around. If you want out of a group, talk to your group's organizer — that's a conversation between humans, not a decision made by software.