Stopping the Spam Tsunami Simple Steps to Reduce Spam Wayne Kawamoto
Simple Steps to Reduce Spam
While software and other systems can reduce the flow of incoming spam, there are steps that everyone can take to discourage and reduce junk e-mails. To start, you can often block spam using the filtering tools in your e-mail client software.
Microsoft Outlook, for example, offers filtering options in which you can set rules and distribute mail to predefined folders. America Online and EarthLink offer similar features to their subscribers. A proactive approach is to forward offending e-mail to your own and the spammer's ISP's abuse desks.
When you receive spam, simply delete it. Spammers seldom know if the addresses they are harassing are legitimate, because addresses are usually created at random or collected from Web sites by automated trollers or spiders. If you vent your anger in a return message, ou simply verify your address to sleazy senders who'll be happy they've caught a live one.
Similarly, spam messages — like legitimate e-mail newsletters — often offer a way to "opt out" or "Click here to unsubscribe" link. Unfortunately, this is often just another a trick to verify your e-mail address.
And of course, you should never, ever purchase any product or service via a spam ad. If everyone ignored spam, the creators of junk e-mail would have no reason to send it in the first place. It's hard to believe there are people who actually respond to this stuff and perpetuate the problem.
While you can't stop a spammer's random address generator from stumbling on your name, you can minimize spam to a certain degree by not publishing your e-mail addresses for harvesters to find. If you must post an address on a Web site, consider altering it so that legitimate users can use it but scanning software can't. For example, if your address is 123@samplesite.com, you may list it on the site as 123@"samplesite.com" or 123@<samplesite.com>. You can also list an e-mail address in a JPEG image, which scanning software can't read.
Like unchecked vermin, there is seemingly no end to spam and the companies that produce it. But with the right tools and techniques, we may be able to reduce the volume of spam and ultimately get some work done.
