 Welcome
to my hot flashes!
Are you tired of receiving unwanted e-mails (SPAM) and
need some ideas on how to minimize the flood of junk mail? Here are some
useful tips that can cut down on the junk. If you are like me, you don’t
want advertising unless you subscribe to a newsletter or ask to join an
e-mail list. Recently, there have been laws passed in Australia making
spamming an offense punishable by a substantial fine, but that doesn’t
stop the spammers overseas. You probably won’t see much of a decrease,
because the spammers always find ways of disguising themselves.
Creative Email Addresses
Don’t use an e-mail address that can be easily guessed
by an automated address generator. johnsmith@bigpond.com is sure to attract
attention. All spammers need is a major domain name like “bigpond.com”
then, plug in all the names imaginable. Do that for all of the well-known,
global domains and you have a considerable list of names. Solution: Get
a little creative and use a name that a generator wouldn’t guess
or know to combine. That will keep away the random generators from your
Inbox.
Separate Email Addresses
Spammers use automated tools to “harvest” valid e-mail
addresses from web pages, chat rooms and online directories. Don’t
use your main e-mail address to register for chat rooms, directories,
etc. Consider using a second e-mail address for public correspondence
by using a separate e-mail address from a provider like Yahoo or Hotmail.
That way, these servers get your spam and your home e-mail stays out of
the limelight.
Another possible one-off solution is Dodgeit, http://www.dodgeit.com -
it’s free and gives you a one-time only address to receive a verification
letter, for example. Just beware, it’s not private, so don’t
have login and password emails sent to these addresses!
Use An Email Filter
No matter what you do with your address formats, some spam is still going
to get to your Inbox. In addition to the points already discussed, you
can use an e-mail filter. Outlook Express has something called “Message
Rules” that you can set-up to filter your emails and delete them
before you see them. You’ll find this feature under the dropdown
menu, “Tools”… “Message Rules.” The coolest
option I think is under “Select the actions for your rule”.
You can tick a box “Delete from server.” This means the e-mail
isn’t downloaded to your PC. (for those on dial-up and limited plans).
One word of caution, be very careful with your rules, as you may set them
to delete mail you do want.
Check Privacy Statements
Before giving up your e-mail address, check a web site’s privacy
policy to see whether it “shares” this information with on-line
marketing companies. If it does, then decide to opt out. If you can’t
opt out, then use a separate e-mail address for this purpose. At least
you can then, control where the spam goes because believe me, you’ll
get it!
Don't Send Replies
If you get spam, you can reply and give the marketer a “do-not-send”
request after the first unsolicited advertisement. Even though this sounds
good, you may want to resist sending the request at all - replying verifies
to the spammer that the e-mail address is valid. Some marketers may follow
the rules, but do they all? I know, I am a paranoid sort, but I don’t
get a lot of spam, either. It’s your choice. If it is a big, reputable
company, then replying may help, but then again, maybe not. My motto is,
“Silence is Golden.”
Delete All Spam
Don’t open your spam. Some of them have imbedded scripts that notify
the sender that the mail has been read thus, verifying that your e-mail
address is a valid one. Just delete it and move on.
Advanced Filter Rules
Spammers are now getting real cutesy with their spelling to thwart your
e-mail filters, spelling Viagra, V1agra (putting a 1 in for the i), asterisks
instead of spaces, asterisks between each letter of a word, the number
8 instead of the letter B….well, you get the picture. When programming
your email filters, you may have to account for all of these permutations
and this could be quite time consuming. Whatever actions you take, it
is a real relief to be rid of all that junk!
Email Filter Packages
There are other commercial software filters available for you to use.
Some are free, and some work better than others. Most are customizable
to allow for personal e-mails, but block ads, etc. Many anti-virus and
firewall vendors are now building spam filter utilities into their products
and some work quite well. If you are interested in learning more, “PC
World” has a great article and conducted some testing. Read it here:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,115885,00.asp
I hope this information helps. I’ve been getting lots of feedback
about spam lately. Know that all is not lost and you can take some steps
to rid yourself of a lot of these unwanted e-mails. As the great Monty
Python troupe said in one of my favorite skits, “I don’t like
SPAM!” With that, I say, “Adieu!” until next time.
Tip: PC Cleaning
PC’s need cleaning. If your PC sits in a dusty area, if you smoke,
or you have pets, then you probably need to check the fans and the ventilation
holes on your computer. They can get really dusty/hairy. You don’t
have to open the box, but you can check out the fan/fans in the back,
the holes, and all the drives. If they have “fuzz” on them,
get a vacuum cleaner hose and go over them (gently!). Blockages can make
your PC run hot and sometimes overheated PC’s will do strange things
- lock up or restart unexpectedly or shut down or sound an alarm. You
may want to check this out every couple of months, just for the health
of your PC.
13 June 2004
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