How do I interpret the results of Content Scoring?

When the analysis is completed, Content Check displays an Email Message List window which displays a table with four columns. The first column contains the subject line of the message analyzed by Content Check, the second column contains the date on which the analysis took place, the third column displays the Spam Risk Level, and the fourth column contains a hyperlink which leads to Content Rendering results.

The Spam Risk Level is indicated by a color-coded bar and can be High, Medium or Low. The color-coded bars are active hyperlinks; clicking on the hyperlink causes a Content Scoring window to open with additional information about the analysis.

The Content Scoring results are divided into three sections. The first section assigns the message an overall Spam Risk Rating of High, Medium or Low based upon the results of the Brightmail and SpamAssassin analyses. At the left margin of this section the subject line of the analyzed message is repeated along with the date and time of the analysis. A hyperlink to the full text of the analyzed message also is included.

The field containing the subject of the test message is a drop-down menu which allows you to select other messages for review if any are available.  Select the desired message and click the button labeled "Go" in order to see the Content Check results for other messages.

The second section displays the results of the Brightmail analysis, and the result will be either "Not Spam" or "Spam". Messages marked as "Spam" indicate possible delivery problems at ISPs using Brightmail. Unfortunately, Brightmail does not provide any additional information about the basis for its rating.

The third section presents the results of the SpamAssassin analysis of the message. A box at the top of this section shows the total score SpamAssassin assigned to the message. A detailed list of the reasons why SpamAssassin produced its final score appears below the box. If the analysis resulted in a Spam Risk Level of High, reviewing this list is extremely important because it will provide suggestions for modifications to the message which are likely to result in a lower Spam Risk Rating and better delivery rates.

Please note that in some cases the results of the Brightmail and SpamAssassin tests may be dissimilar.