How To Get Rid Of Spam
Short of cutting off the internet connection of every spammer, there's no way you could stop spam from being sent (and even then, it would probably still happen).
So how do you get rid of spam once it reaches you?
Without deleting important messages from people you really want to get email from?
And without having to go through all sorts of horrible, complicated routines?
The only way to be sure is to use a program that learns what emails you want to receive.
As far as spam is concerned, one size doesn't fit all.
The programs that claim to block all spam aren't telling you the truth. A landscape gardening business has different needs from you - they may need a quote for the hard core they want delivered, but in your in-box it has a totally different and unwanted meaning.
So you need to get anti spam software you can train and that comes with support when you get stuck.
If you're technically inclined, then there's a free spam blocking program available called Pop File. It works with Outlook and most other email programs. I've found that it takes about 500 emails to train it up to a reasonable accuracy and you can always go back and re-teach it when it gets things wrong.
The biggest problem with Pop File is that when you first download it, it's completely dumb. So you have to go through the initial few hundred emails for it to stand a chance.
I'm guessing that you've got better things to do with your time than wade through lots of spam emails.
One program I've found that does this is called SpamWeed. It works much the same way as PopFile (Bayesian logic, if you must know) but it comes pre-trained. So chances are that it will work well for you, straight after you download it.
It works with all the major email programs: Works with Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Eudora, etc. It will even filter your Hotmail and Yahoo mail as well.
Spam Blocker Software
You may wonder why I'm not recommending that you buy spam blocker software from the big names - people like Norton, McAfee and so on.Mainly because they seem to want you to spend an annual subscription on their products. Programs like McAfee Total Protection try to do everything, including getting rid of spam.
In my view it's much better to get a specialist program that does one job and one job only.
Another option is to use a service that will intercept spam before it reaches your computer.
Probably the best of these services is MailWasher. It's long established, inexpensive and comes with a 30 day free trial so you can see whether it fits in with you.
As with the other software I've recommended (with the exception of PopFile), there's full support available if you get stuck at any stage.
If you've got more than one email address - say you use a main email address and a Hotmail account - that's not an issue. MailWasher works with multiple email accounts at once.
How Do You Get Rid Of Spam?
Inside The Mind Of An Email Spammer
Inside the Spam Cartel: Trade Secrets from the Dark Side
Amazon Price: $38.02 (as of 10/07/2008)
Authored by a former spammer, this is a methodical, technically explicit expose of the inner workings of the SPAM economy. Readers will be shocked by the sophistication and sheer size of this underworld.
How To Set Up An Outlook Spam Filter
Most people use Outlook Express or Windows Mail (the new name for Outlook in Vista).If you don't want to spend a few dollars on a software program to block spam in Outlook then you'll need to manage the problem yourself.
If you don't get many spam emails (lucky you!) then you may be able to get away with this:
When you get an unwanted email, highlight it by clicking it once with your mouse.- Go to the top of the menu and click "Message"
- Scroll through the message menu and select "Block sender"
- Click OK to confirm to Outlook that you really did mean to do this.
The problem is that spammers keep changing their email address, so you'll often be doing this for an email address that will only ever send you one piece of spam. So it really only stands a chance of working if you don't get many spam emails.
For everyone else, it's worth getting a Outlook spam blocker program to take the tedium out of it.
More About Spam Emails
More About Email Spam
E-mail spam, also known as "bulk e-mail" or "junk e-mail," is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by e-mail. A common synonym for spam is unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE). Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. "UCE" refers specifically to "unsolicited commercial e-mail."
E-mail spam slowly but exponentially grew for several decades to several billion messages a day. Spam has frustrated, confused, and annoyed e-mail users. Laws against spam have been sporadically implemented, with some being opt-out and others requiring opt in e-mail. The total volume of spam (over 100 billion emails per day as of April 2008) has leveled off slightly in recent years, and is no longer growing exponentially. The amount received by most e-mail users has decreased, mostly because of better filtering. About 80% of all spam is sent by fewer than 200 spammers. Botnets, networks of virus-infected computers, are used to send about 80% of spam. The cost of spam is borne mostly by the recipient, so it is a form of postage due advertising.
E-mail addresses are collected from chatrooms, websites, newsgroups, and viruses which harvest users' address books, and are sold to other spammers. Much of spam is sent to invalid e-mail addresses. ISPs have attempted to recover the cost of spam through lawsuits against spammers, although they have been mostly unsuccessful in collecting damages despite winning in court.Clinton Internet provider wins $11B suit against spammerAOL gives up treasure hunt
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This is a great lens. I hate spammers and may an elephant carress them with its toes. Welcome to G Rated Lense Factory. Please check out my lens Affiliate Marketing Blog if you get a chance. Posted January 20, 2008 |
