Nothing makes me angrier than opening my email in-box to
find over 150 messages, wading through them all, and
discovering that 135 of the messages rate as nothing more
than junk.
The problem with junk email or "spam" (the popular slang
for unsolicited commercial email) only seems to get worse
with each passing day.
Luckily, we can fight back in ways that will actually cut
down significantly on the amount of spam we receive on a
daily basis.
Try these tips and see if they can't cut the spam you
receive down by at least half.
** Don't Respond
Much of the spam you receive contains an "unsubscribe" link
saying something like "To unsubscribe, click here." Do NOT
click that link.
Clicking it lets spammers know they've got a live email
address!
** Use Mailwasher
Get a program like "Mailwasher" from Mailwasher.net that
allows you to view the email you receive before you
download it.
The program makes it simple to delete dozens of emails,
including viruses, before they reach your computer.
** Use Your Filters
Your email program most likely contains filters you can use
to weed out emails containing the usual spam words like
"opportunity, $$$, sex, Viagra" and a host of others.
You can set the filters to delete messages containing these
words before ever downloading them to your computer.
** Use An "Assassin"
Spam "killer" services offer users high-powered filtering,
often requiring a sender to prove their identity before an
email gets sent to the recipient.
One such service, SpamArrest.com, forces email senders to
go to a website and type in a random word before their
email gets delivered. This service has gained a lot of
popularity lately and seems reasonably effective.
** Use a Temporary Email
Maintain a public and private email address and never give
your private email to anyone other than family and friends.
Go sign up for a free email account with Hotmail.com or
mail.yahoo.com to use whenever you subscribe to a
newsletter or request a free report. That way, if the spam
ever gets too bad, you can simply abandon the free account
and open another.
Your private email address should remain safe because
nobody will know it except the people you trust.
** Never Post Your Email
Never posts your private email address in forums, guest
books, news groups or on a website. Spammers use little
robots that comb the Internet looking for email addresses
they can collect and sell to others.
Always use a free account or set it up so you can shut off
the exposed email address once the spam gets too bad.
** Abandon Ship
Shut down your current account and just start over! This
may seem a drastic move, but it may represent the best
course of action if your sanity or your email box can't
handle another offer for sexual enhancements, a great
business opportunity, or a free cruise.
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