In 1998, nearly 10% of all email traffic on the internet was SPAM. By 2003 that number had climbed to 50%, and the problem had gotten so bad that Congress passed the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act)
The specific requirements and penalties of that law, (which took effect in 2004) have done little to stem the tide of junk email we all receive. Today, in 2005, the percentage of unsolicited email is at an all time high of 87% (source ? Wired Magazine July 2005)
How can we even stand to check our email? Well I can't. That's why I pay for a service to protect my entire domain name from all Spam. That's a great solution for me, but it's too expensive for a home or very small business user. How then can you protect yourself?
First, there are filtering options in Outlook and Outlook Express, and I encourage you to investigate them further. More details on this are in my article from May of 2000 called "Managing your E-mail II" here http://pdxtc.com/200005-managingemail2.htm
After trying about 6 other programs, I found a free version of some software that I used for a long time called Mailwasher. This program was easily trained and configured to learn all of my preferences, and for free, there's nothing better. However, you I still basically have to check mail twice, once in a clunky web-interface to sift through all the blocked SPAM. I prefer to just check my mail normally, not worrying about a missed message.
In 2003, a friend recommended a service called Knowspam. That was a great solution that blocked 100% of all SPAM through a "permission based" system. A permission based system means that all new senders not on your list, will get a "verification" email, asking them "Are you human?" Well, if they are really human, then they take the simple instructed action, and you'll get their email, as well as all future mail from them, unless you choose to block them later.
Many readers of my column tried Knowspam, and I got dozens of positive comments. That wasn't enough for Knowspam though, because they still went out of business.
Well the good news is that there's a replacement for Knowspam. It's called Spam Arrest, and it's under $3 a month. It does everything that Knowspam used to do, and then some. I've now set myself up with an affiliate account and arranged for you try it for free for 30 days.
First, you easily upload all of your contacts, and then follow their easy directions to change your system mail settings, and anyone on your list or anyone you ever send mail to is automatically approved.
The great news is that this works for up to 5 email accounts, and even works for AOL mail! If you want to see 100% of your spam get blocked, and not be embarrassed to let your kids see your inbox, then visit http://www.pdxtc.com/spamarrest and sign up for your free 30 day trial.
Scott Hendison is living in Oregon, and is the owner of Portland Technology Consultants. He is a computer and internet consultant, and has been in the industry since 1995. He provides search engine marketing and optimization services for selected clients, and offers integrated POS / e-commerce systems for retail businesses that want to sell online. For over 75 other articles, visit his website at http://www.pdxtc.com
Effectively stopping spam over the long-term requires much more than... Read More
Spam is out of control! I guess that would be... Read More
A hearty welcome to all the spam fighting filters and... Read More
While we all admit that unsolicited commercial email is a... Read More
About a month ago I had the privilege of giving... Read More
English, German, Italian - It's All SPAM To MeHas anyone... Read More
Until recently, spam has been an annoyance, a definite load... Read More
A blacklist, as the name implies, is a list of... Read More
You're not alone!Who hasn't surfed the web looking for information... Read More
Did you know that there are software programs that view... Read More
A Privacy Policy can be defined as the policy under... Read More
The harmful affects of pornography use and addiction are well... Read More
I imagine you have seen, heard about, or already know... Read More
I must be the luckiest person alive! My inbox is... Read More
Let me ask a couple of questions:If (potential) customers sends... Read More
Spam is annoying. Period. Why people would want to send... Read More
5 Ways Spam Is Affecting Your Business And what we... Read More
Spam can bring down your website faster than a speeding... Read More
It seems like the volume of email spam has doubled... Read More
I. BACKGROUNDThe CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of... Read More
It absolutely amazes me how many people over-react to receiving... Read More
While the Federal Trade Commission is busy fighting over definitions... Read More
Each day we all face the same challenge. Spam. It... Read More
Spam, as defined in the context of computers, the Internet... Read More
Spam can be a lot more damaging than you might... Read More
Spam filter is the solution that most people resort when... Read More
Like everybody who will ever read this, I get spam... Read More
News last week that Internet service provider Verizon settled its... Read More
Are you tired of spam stealing your time, your money,... Read More
What comes to your mind when you think about your... Read More
Junk mail works. Why does it work? How does it... Read More
Effectively stopping spam over the long-term requires much more than... Read More
Email is the quintessential business communication tool, so when it... Read More
Email is rapidly becoming the standard means of communication among... Read More
Why do so many people think I need to take... Read More
Below is a letter I wrote to the following organizations:S.H.U.... Read More
My friends in the web hosting business have recently informed... Read More
How would you feel if you found a link on... Read More
As the flood of spam increases end users are looking... Read More
The harmful affects of pornography use and addiction are well... Read More
Spam filters are responsible for deleting a high percentage of... Read More
What comes to your mind when you think about your... Read More
What is spam ? ... Read More
Q: I am so sick of all the spam that... Read More
You are familiar with the software applications that you run... Read More
This review is taken DIRECTLY from a piece of "junk... Read More
News last week that Internet service provider Verizon settled its... Read More
Will other spammers take heed? Don't count on it.Jeremy Jaynes... Read More
2004 was really a year when the whole subject of... Read More
6 August, 2004: Polesoft Inc., home of Professional anti spam... Read More
No. I'm not talking here about the outdoor activity enjoyed... Read More
Spam. You've all heard of the crazy pink meat in... Read More
For years I didn't worry much about spam.But lately it's... Read More
We've all become familiar with the term spam. It's become... Read More
You can stop unwanted email spam, you can choose to... Read More
There are hundreds of thousands of people who are trying... Read More
When you go to your mailbox and find pieces of... Read More
Very often SPAMMERS take advantage of catch-all email setup on... Read More
Effectively stopping spam over the long-term requires much more than... Read More
Before we start getting deep into the meat of this... Read More
A friend of mine received a chilling email message from... Read More
Marketers usually think of anti-spam tactics as 'how to prevent'... Read More
You must be one of them experiencing a lot of... Read More
5 Ways Spam Is Affecting Your Business And what we... Read More
Did you know that there are software programs that view... Read More
We receive so much information on the Internet, especially via... Read More
Spam Blocking |