Astara Email Policy

The avalanche of spam (unsolicited marketing messages) has, by necessity, changed the way we handle email. At Astara's center, we experienced difficulty both receiving and sending email messages because of this growing problem. Consequently, we had to implement procedural changes to insure that we receive and read all messages sent to us by our members and that you receive and read those messages you wish to see from us.

Effective July 1st, 2004, our email policy is:

We will only open and read messages sent to us through this website (Webmail Form) or those from members who have registered their email addresses with us and use one of our addresses designated for member correspondence. Use this link for a full list of those contact addresses. The link for sending messages through this site is available on that contact web page, too. There is also a shortcut in the drop-down menu at the top of every page under the "members" tab.

Please note that we will not be accepting messages which include attachments or those with imbedded images or files. This is necessary to help keep our system healthy and virus-free. We also request that you do not forward messages to us or include us in any "bulk" mailings sent to lists of recipients. We appreciate that you think of Astara when you send along the virus warnings, jokes, stories, newsletters, etc., but these are clogging our inboxes. Please help us keep the volume of messages we receive manageable and we will be able to respond to your personal specific questions and requests much more quickly and efficiently.

If you wish to receive email messages from Astara, you will need to inform us when you register your email address with us. That can also be done from the same "Contact" page indicated above. You will have an opportunity to choose your preferences and receive regular news from Astara's center, or simply responses to your own messages and receipts for lesson or book orders. And remember, if you have set up filters or use spam blocker software, you must allow email to come through from "astara.org" and "astara.net" or you will not receive any email communication from anyone at Astara. We encounter blocks on members' email accounts regularly and there is no way we can answer their requests and messages.