We’re more connected than ever, with e-mail available through phones and other gadgets. But junk e-mail has skyrocketed. Some estimate that more than 100 billion (yes, billion with a b) spam messages travel the Internet every day. That’s a lot of junk. Add the possibility of computer viruses spreading through those e-mails, and you have the potential for a big headache. Here are five ways to get more of the e-mail you want and less of the e-mail you don’t want:
Save time—let a program do the work. U.S. law says that advertising and solicitation mass e-mails can’t contain misleading information in the subject, to, and from lines. So why does some of this tricky mail still land on your computer? Much of it is produced overseas. Protect your e-mail account with anti-spam software such as IronMail at securecomputing.com. To build an even better defense, use what’s called a “challenge-response” spam filter. When you install such a program (such as ChoiceMail), e-mailers unknown to you are required to verify that they’re human. This type of filter doubles the effectiveness of common programs included on many computers.
Customize your mailbox. Several mail programs, such as AOL and Microsoft Outlook, have options that allow you to autosort e-mail. This means you can funnel mail from friends in one in-box folder and mail from work in another, and then send any mail from anyone you don’t know into another folder. Some services even allow you to sort messages with specific kinds of words in the body of the e-mail into a separate folder. Other options can block mail with attached files (a common potential threat for viruses) and disable links from unknown senders. You’ll find most of these options by clicking on a “settings” tab.
Create a safe senders list. Some of the anti-spam tools are so good that you run the risk of blocking out e-mails you want to receive. Make sure to add your favorite e-mail addresses (your best friend, your prescription refill reminder service, your Vocal Point newsletter [moms@web.vocalpoint.com]) to your safe senders (sometimes called safe recipients) list. In Outlook, you can find this tool under Tools>Options>Preferences>E-mail>Junk E-mail>Safe Senders. If you use a program other than Outlook, check under your tools menu for options. It’s worth a few minutes to make sure you don’t miss out on messages.
Disguise yourself. Create a new primary e-mail address, and give it out only to friends and family. Then use your old one for everything else, including online shopping. (Most Internet service providers give you a few addresses for free, anyway.) And remember, when it comes to spammers, never hit “unsubscribe.” That’s the fastest way to let them know you exist.
Add your e-mail to the do-not-spam list. The Direct Marketing Association offers an online form where you can register your e-mail to help cut down on the unwanted messages. The registration is good for 5 years, but you may still receive some e-mails from organizations that don’t stick to the association’s rules. Go to dmachoice.org/EMPS/ to sign up.
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