Each day we all face the same challenge. Spam. It doesn't matter if you're a home computer user or the head of IT for a multinational limiting or totally preventing the distribution of junk email to your computer(s) is now a daily chore.
The sheer frustration that spam causes combined with the number of lost man hours adds up to junk email being a very real problem for all involved. You have to filter through all the junk to find your own personal or work email. This on its own is annoying enough. When you consider the security risks from spyware, trojans, diallers and attempted identity theft spam becomes much more than just an annoyance - it becomes a minefield for any computer user.
So what can you do to block spam? The first step each user should take is to simply limit the number of people who know your personal email address. If you have a work email address then just use it for work. For home users only distribute your email address to people you know and trust. This simple move can cut your spam problems by 50%.
But what about all those online forms I need to fill in? No problem. Use a free email service like Hotmail or Gmail for this purpose. Treat it as a throwaway account that you can use as a buffer between your true personal email address and the rest of the world. Let it fill up with junk email and then just login once a week and delete everything you see.
Your password. It's amazing how many people set the password for their email account to abc123 or something similar. These passwords are incredibly easy for spammers to guess and would give them easy access to your mail account. The password for your email account should follow corporate standards of being 6 - 8 characters long and be alphanumeric (a mixture of numbers and letters). Make it longer if you can. Using a weak password is just asking for trouble.
If you're already receiving a ton of spam then you'll need to invest in a spam blocker. There are free spam blockers you can download and also also their paid equivalents. A great spam blocker can cost you as little as $30 and you'll see an immediate reduction in the amount of spam you're receiving.
Over and above installing software on your computer (especially for Mac users as your choices are limited) you could sign up for one of the web based challenge response spam blockers like Mailblocks or SpamArrest. Both of these services are ideal for somebody who's on the move a lot. Also because they're web based there's no software to install so they're perfect for Mac or PocketPC/Palm users.
Taking a pro-active anti spam stance is the next step. If you get junk email from people then check the mail headers and report any offensive email to the hosting company or ISP involved. Never, ever reply to spam directly. This simply confirms to the spammer that your email address is active. Also never click on any hyperlinks in any junk email - this again confirms your existence and can lead to a virus being downloaded directly onto your PC. Filter the spam, report the abusers, delete the remaining junk email.
Spam can be stopped. Not by some corporate giant or genius programmer. It can be stopped by each of you individually. Spammers rely on the widespread availability of email addresses and for people to reply to these emails or click on the links within the emails. The sooner people stop reacting emotionally to spam and simply filter, report and delete the offensive mail itself the sooner the lucrative market of bulk email will dry up for the spammers.
This article was provided courtesy of Spam-site.com which reviews spam blocker software and other anti spam utilties.
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carEffectively stopping spam over the long-term requires much more than... Read More
The Vandals are coming! And this time they're after your... Read More
With SPAM being such a problem it might seem the... Read More
Spam can be a lot more damaging than you might... Read More
If you are buried in SPAM then you're not alone.... Read More
The lifeblood of the spammer is email. They need to... Read More
Do you like spam? No, I'm not kidding. Everybody knows... Read More
Microsoft scores one for the good guysScott Richter, the self-proclaimed... Read More
You must be one of them experiencing a lot of... Read More
They're sneaky. And stealthy. They're quiet and mostly unobtrusive, but... Read More
Even being as careful as possible with my email address,... Read More
Let me ask a couple of questions:If (potential) customers sends... Read More
You may have already received a do not spam list... Read More
Until recently, spam has been an annoyance, a definite load... Read More
Spam is annoying. Period. Why people would want to send... Read More
Spam filters are responsible for deleting a high percentage of... Read More
Spam filter is the solution that most people resort when... Read More
It absolutely amazes me how many people over-react to receiving... Read More
A hearty welcome to all the spam fighting filters and... Read More
Effectively stopping spam over the long-term requires much more than... Read More
Q: I am so sick of all the spam that... Read More
I'm sure you find spam just as frustrating and annoying... Read More
A friend asked me: I don't get it. Why do... Read More
A Privacy Policy can be defined as the policy under... Read More
Do you get bounced, or rejected emails sent by someone... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..When you receive an email telling you about a virus,... Read More
Email is rapidly becoming the standard means of communication among... Read More
I'm sure you find spam just as frustrating and annoying... Read More
It's no secret that the US economy has slowed down,... Read More
Spam filter is the solution that most people resort when... Read More
You may have already received a do not spam list... Read More
6 August, 2004: Polesoft Inc., home of Professional anti spam... Read More
Unless the filters on your computer are really good, you're... Read More
I. BACKGROUNDThe CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of... Read More
English, German, Italian - It's All SPAM To MeHas anyone... Read More
Q: I am so sick of all the spam that... Read More
Why do so many people think I need to take... Read More
Spam. You've all heard of the crazy pink meat in... Read More
E-mails now have a connection back to their servers. I... Read More
With the number of spam filtering solutions increasing each week... Read More
While the Federal Trade Commission is busy fighting over definitions... Read More
What is spam ? ... Read More
Do you like spam? No, I'm not kidding. Everybody knows... Read More
Spam can be a lot more damaging than you might... Read More
When you go to your mailbox and find pieces of... Read More
Are you tired of spam stealing your time, your money,... Read More
In today's spam-filled email world, it's sometimes VERY difficult to... Read More
Junk mail works. Why does it work? How does it... Read More
About a month ago I had the privilege of giving... Read More
You're not alone!Who hasn't surfed the web looking for information... Read More
Spam Blocking |