| This article which you are about to read has been | | | | A couple of suggestions for you: a) use form emails, |
| written because of a growing concern amongst all | | | | which can hide addresses or also b) use addresses |
| email users of the rise in spam emails which threatens | | | | like instead of your full address to help battle the |
| to overwhelm us. | | | | problem. c) There are also programs that encode |
| How prevalent is Spam? According to Scott | | | | your email, like jsGuard, which encodes your email |
| McAdams, OMA Public Affairs and Communications | | | | address on web pages so that spam spiders find it |
| Department,studies show unsolicited or junk e-mail, | | | | difficult or impossible to read your email address. |
| known as spam, accounts for roughly half of all email | | | | Number 2: Get spam blocking software. There are |
| messages received. Although once regarded as little | | | | many programs out there for this. (go to or for |
| more than a nuisance, the prevalence of spam has | | | | example). You may also buy a professional version. |
| increased to the point where many users have begun | | | | Whatever you do, get the software. It will save you |
| to express a general lack of confidence in the | | | | time. The software is not foolproof, but they really |
| effectiveness of email transmissions, and increased | | | | do help. You usually have to do some manual set up |
| concern over the spread of computer viruses via | | | | to block certain types of email. |
| unsolicited messages. | | | | Number 3: Use the multiple email address approach. |
| In 2003, President Bush signed the Can Spam bill, in | | | | There are a lot of free email addresses to be had. If |
| December of 2003, which is the first national | | | | you must subscribe to newsletters, then have a back |
| standards around bulk unsolicited commercial email. | | | | up email address. It would be like giving your cell |
| The bill, approved by the Senate by a vote of 97 to | | | | phone number to your best friends and the business |
| 0, prohibits senders of unsolicited commercial email | | | | number to everyone else. |
| from using false return addresses to disguise their | | | | Number 4: Attachments from people you dont know |
| identity (spoofing) and the use of dictionaries to | | | | are BAD, BAD, BAD. |
| generate such mailers. In addition, it prohibits the use | | | | A common problem with spam is that they have |
| of misleading subject lines and requires that emails | | | | attachments and attachments can have viruses. |
| include an opt out mechanism. The legislation also | | | | Corporations often have filters that dont let such |
| prohibits senders from harvesting addresses off Web | | | | things pass to you. Personal email is far more open |
| sites. Violations constitute a misdemeanor crime | | | | country for spamers. General rule of thumb: if you do |
| subject to up to one year in jail. | | | | not know who is sending you something, DO NOT |
| One major point that needs to be discussed about | | | | OPEN THE ATTACHMENT. Secondly, look for |
| this: spam is now coming from other countries in | | | | services that offer filtering. Firewall vendors offer this |
| ever greater numbers. These emails are harder to | | | | type of service as well. |
| fight, because they come from outside our countrys | | | | Number 5: Email services now have bulk mail baskets. |
| laws and regulations. Because the Internet opens | | | | If what you use currently does not support this, |
| borders and thinks globally, these laws are fine and | | | | think about moving to a new vendor. The concept is |
| good, but do not stop the problem. | | | | simple. If you know someone, they can send you |
| So what do you do about this? Her are the top 5 | | | | emails. If you dont know them, put them in the bulk |
| Rules to do to protect yourself from spam. | | | | email pile and then choose to allow them into your |
| Number 1: Do what you can to avoid having your | | | | circle. Spam Blocking software has this concept as |
| email address out on the net. | | | | well, but having extra layers seems critical these |
| There are products called spam spiders that search | | | | days, so it is worth looking into. |
| the Internet for email addresses to send email to. If | | | | Let me finish by saying that I do hope you found this |
| you are interested, do a search on spam spider and | | | | article helpful and informative. There is a lot of |
| you will be amazed at what you get back. | | | | information out there on this subject, in your local |
| Interestingly, there is a site, WebPoison.org, which is | | | | bookstore, your library, my Blog, details which follow, |
| an open source project geared to fight Internet | | | | and indeed the internet, so please spend some time |
| spambots and spam spiders, by giving them bogus | | | | on research, you will be well rewarded for your |
| HTML web pages, which contain bogus email | | | | efforts. |
| addresses. | | | | |