Spam Blocker Information

Avoid, Shun, Thwart, Prevent, and then Filter Spam


Email is rapidly becoming the standard means of communication among businesses, associates, and even friends. While many people have now been using the internet and email for years, there are thousands of new users on the internet each day. With inexpensive web hosting, free email services, and the blog burst upon us, getting your own slice of the internet pie has never been easier.

Whether you're a seasoned professional looking for a refresher course, or you're new to the internet and email and want to start off right, here are some easy steps to follow to reduce the amount of spam you receive.

Don't choose an obvious email address. Spammers will generate lists of email addresses based on common names. A common list would be something like: nick@yahoo.com, nick1@yahoo.com, nick2@yahoo.com, etc. If you create an email account with less obvious combinations of your name plus some numbers, chances are better that you won't find your way onto one of these lists.

Treat your personal email address with care. Only give out your personal email address to close friends and family who you trust. Give your direct business email only to clients and other contacts you trust to only use your address for legitimate business purposes.

Use different accounts for different functions. Create different aliases with your business's domain name or create a few free accounts from free email servers like Hotmail, Yahoo!, Excite, etc. Use one account that you don't care about for posting to forums or discussion groups. Use another to subscribe to newsletters and newsgroups. When any of these addresses starts to get spammed too heavily, simply delete the account and switch to a different one.

Remove your email address from your website. Between blogs and cheap web space, it seems everyone has their own piece of cyberspace. Before you put a link to your email address on your site, remember that spammers have bots that harvest these addresses. They will even find addresses printed in plain text. Consider using a web-based form for communication from you website, or place your address as a gif or jpeg.

Do NOT open, respond to, or purchase from spam. Interacting with spam in any of these ways indicates to the spammer that not only is your address valid, it's also active. Do not respond with "unsubscribe" in the subject line, or click on any links to remove your name out of the database, as both of these are common ploys to confirm your email address. Remember, because sending email is so inexpensive, spamming can be profitable even if only a small percentage of people purchase what they're selling. Don't support what you're trying to stop.

Finally, Filter your incoming email using filtering software. Even if you guard your email address religiously, you'll likely still receive spam. Filtering software is usually inexpensive and effective, but there are some important features to consider with any filtering package:

? Make sure you can control what comes to your inbox and what gets deleted. The best programs create a spam folder for you to review before permanently deleting emails.

? The software should block images from incoming emails. Many jpegs in spam actually hide code that notifies the spammer when the email is viewed. Blocking images will not only keep offensive content off your screen but will also help prevent more spam in the future.

? Choose software that provides you with updates - as new spamming techniques are created and proliferated, filtering software should keep up.

While eliminating spam from coming to your email address is nigh unto impossible, following these simple steps will mean you'll have to spend less time deleting spam from your inbox, giving you more time for the important things of life -- like reading this article.

Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. Find more information about how to filter spam at ContentWatch, Inc.


MORE RESOURCES:

Investigators warn public to avoid falling for scams
Villages Daily Sun, FL - Nov 21, 2008
In cases such as the UPS e-mail, options are limited, but Gates recommended purchasing a spam blocker and never clicking on links in unsolicited e-mails. ...


Avoiding Identity Theft
The Epoch Times, NY - Nov 19, 2008
A spam blocker set to high will keep your mailbox free of most annoying junk mail, as well as potentially dangerous attachments. ...


REVIEW: Watchguard's Firebox X Edge
Search Security, Australia - Nov 20, 2008
Another two optional features activated by the exchange of funds with WatchGuard are “spamBlocker”, which uses the Recurrent-Pattern Detection (RPD) ...


Finance Minister
International Nepal Solidarity Network, Nepal - Nov 20, 2008
We use a spam blocker that filters comments with certain words. If you cannot post a comment, please send it to the webmaster. Also, comments with more than ...


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Watchguard s First XTM Network Security Appliance
enterpriser.in, India - Nov 19, 2008
XTM 1050 has optional security service subscriptions, including WatchGuard SpamBlocker with virus outbreak detection, WatchGuard Web for URL and content ...


Singin' the Fontainebleau shut-out blues?
MiamiHerald.com, FL - Nov 14, 2008
There's even one named after the band: the Spam Blocker martini, a combo of Absolut Pear, amaretto, melon liqueur and cranberry juice for $11. ...


Spam drops after McColo shut down
MX Logic, CO - Nov 13, 2008
However, there may still be a need for spam blocker software in light of the fact that levels of spurious email have increased in the days after the ...


More email security tips
TechRepublic, KY - Nov 11, 2008
The more spammers and phishers spoof your email address that way, the more likely your email address is to end up on spam blocker blacklists used by ISPs ...


University develops spam filter for e-mail accounts
Royal Purple News, WI - Nov 5, 2008
... and students but the university will be upgrading the campus e-mail system, which would allow students to set up their own personal spam blocker. ...


PnR/ WatchGuard stellt ,,Fireware XTM" in Deutschland vor
FinanzNachrichten.de, Germany - Nov 4, 2008
Die Palette der neuen, erweiterbaren Lösungen umfasst unter anderem Virtual Private Networking (SSL VPN), Advanced Web (HTTP und HTTPS), Spam Blocker, ...
DJ PnR / WatchGuard kündigt neue Hochleistungs-XTM-Lösung für ... VisAvis (Pressemitteilung)
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