Email Configuracion, Spam Reducer

Configure Your Email Client To Reduce Spam

Still, the biggest battle against spam is not fought by Congress or in courtrooms, but rather at the email client of every PC user. This article illustrates the basic steps needed to block and manage unwanted messages in a common email program. For this example, we’ll use Microsoft Outlook.

1. Set your level of spam protection. Right-click any email message, select Junk E-mail, and choose Junk E-mail Options. There are four levels of protection: No Automatic Filtering; Low; High; and Safe Lists Only. No Automatic Filtering turns spam protection off—only mail received from designated blocked senders will be routed to the Junk E-mail folder. Low filtering will catch simple or obvious junk mail, usually containing keywords that are common to spam. High filtering uses aggressive filtering options to catch most spam, but it can also catch valid email. Finally, you can opt to receive mail from Safe Lists Only, and mail not specifically from designated safe domains or safe recipients will be ignored. Select the radio button that matches your filtering requirements. Click Apply and OK to save any changes.

2. Delete junk email automatically. Messages identified as junk are routed to the Junk E-mail folder. In most cases, messages are retained in the folder until you deliberately delete the contents. You can configure Outlook to automatically delete the junk for you. With the Junk E-mail Options dialog box open, select the Permanently Delete Suspected Junk E-mail Instead Of Moving It To The Junk E-mail Folder checkbox. Click Apply and OK to save any changes. This is a fine option if you’re using Low filtering, but this can become problematic with High filtering, because valid email might also get caught and deleted before you ever see it. As a rule, keep this feature turned off until you’re satisfied that it isn’t catching valid email.

The International tab in Junk E-mail Options lets you block mail from certain countries or in certain languages.

3. Block junk from other countries and languages. A great deal of spam originates from outside of the United States and often arrives in foreign languages. You can configure Outlook to block email arriving from certain countries or languages. With the Junk E-mail Options dialog box open, select the International tab. Click the Blocked Top-Level Domain List button to open the list of available domains, from Andorra through Zimbabwe. By default, no domains are blocked, and you can accept mail from anywhere in the world. To restrict mail delivery from certain countries, just select the checkboxes for those countries and click OK.

Similarly, you can restrict mail delivery from certain languages by clicking the Blocked Encodings List button. A listing of possible languages appears, from Arabic to Western European. By default, no languages are blocked, and you can accept mail in any language. To restrict mail in certain languages, just select the checkboxes for those languages and click OK.

4. Block senders. You can use your email client to block unwanted senders. Suppose you receive an unwanted email. Right-click the email, select Junk E-mail, and click Add Sender To Blocked Senders List. Any further emails from that sender will go directly to the Junk E-mail folder. You can review the email entries before deleting them or simply delete the contents of the Junk E-mail folder directly.

Use your email client’s Junk E-mail Options feature to set the desired level of spam blocking.

5. Identify safe senders. You can also use the email client to identify safe senders, ensuring that messages from those designated senders are passed through the spam filter. If you want to denote a safe sender, just right-click the email, select Junk E-mail, and click Add Sender To Safe Senders List. Any further emails from that sender will bypass the spam filter.

You can manage the list of blocked and safe senders by right-clicking any email message, selecting Junk E-mail, and choosing Junk E-mail Options. The Safe Senders tab allows you to add or delete people from the Safe Senders List. Similarly, the Blocked Senders tab allows you to manage the Blocked Senders List.

Take Other Steps To Reduce Spam

Spam can also be reduced by changing your email address periodically. Most ISPs (Internet service providers) allow several email addresses and support unlimited changes to your email address. If you’re tired of wading through spam, try changing your email address. Of course, you’ll need to update family, friends, and important accounts that you receive email from, but the inconvenience is far less than dealing with spam every day.

Another important tactic is to refrain from replying to unknown senders. Avoid sending return receipts and don’t use your email’s automated Out Of Office feature. These features will simply confirm the validity of your email address, encouraging only more spam.