| I wonder now who was the genius who said email | | | | viruses and have it connected to my email system |
| would make our lives easier? Don't you want to | | | | so that all incoming and outgoing messages are |
| strangle this person on some days?? | | | | scanned for viruses. Norton prompts me to update it |
| I've found email to be both a blessing and a curse. I | | | | regularly. ZoneAlarm, my firewall system, is up and |
| love the immediacy of the communication, but hate | | | | running whenever I'm online to protect me from any |
| all of the spam and viruses that I have to be vigilant | | | | type of intrusive attacks. Eudora has a built-in junk |
| about. | | | | email detector system that works relatively well, but |
| So, here's 6 quick tips that I use to help me better | | | | I'd prefer that most of my junkmail never even |
| manage my email: | | | | reach my email program. Consequently, I use |
| 1. The rule of handling email is the same as handling | | | | SpamArrest, which runs $34.95/year. All of my email |
| paper correspondence. Only handle it once. When | | | | goes through SpamArrest before it's downloaded into |
| you've read it, decide at that point to delete it, | | | | Eudora, and I can approve or block certain senders |
| answer it, or file it for later action. Don't let you email | | | | as I see fit. I log in at the beginning of the day and |
| inbox grow to 1000 or more messages--that | | | | the end of the day to see if something was labeled |
| becomes incredibly overwhelming and drains too | | | | as spam and rescue it, and then proceed to delete all |
| much energy from you every day. I receive roughly | | | | the spam. Of the 600 emails a day I receive, I would |
| about 600 pieces of email a day, so if I didn't do | | | | estimate that at least 400/day are due to spam. |
| something to manage it properly, I'd be drowning in | | | | Thanks goodness for SpamArrest! |
| email. | | | | 5. If you're receiving emails via your domain name, |
| 2. Control your urge to check your email all of the | | | | like , and the email address is set up as a POP3 |
| time. I have my email program set to check email | | | | account, log into your web hosting account and be |
| every 4 hours, which is twice a day for my | | | | sure that you're set up only to receive emails at |
| workday, rather than having the program check it | | | | designated email addresses. Many times spammers |
| automatically during the day. I know that many of | | | | will send emails out to postmaster@ or webmaster@ |
| my clients will procrastinate on what they need to do | | | | or info@, as these are pretty common email address |
| by deciding to read their email rather than to do the | | | | aliases. If your hosting email account has an address |
| pressing items on their to do lists. Limiting your ability | | | | that is set up to receive all the email to the bogus |
| to read your email will result in getting productivity--I | | | | aliases (unrouted email) , you'll be getting lots of |
| guarantee it! | | | | spam. Instead, log in to your hosting account and set |
| 3. Set up filters (in Eudora) or rules (in Outlook) to | | | | your default email address to :blackhole: or to :fail: No |
| automatically shuffle email into appropriate folders. I | | | | Such User Here so that you'll only get the email at |
| have numerous mailboxes set up in Eudora to house | | | | the addresses you've created. |
| all of the posts of the discussion lists I belong to or | | | | 6. Never put your email address on your website. |
| newsletters I receive or daily correspondence that I | | | | Spammers buy robot or spider programs that scour |
| get from clients. In many cases, I have sub-mailboxes | | | | websites for unecoded email addresses to add to |
| set up under my primary mailboxes to further | | | | their spam database. You can use a contact form |
| categorize the email that I receive. I've set these | | | | where a visitor will have to input information and |
| mailboxes up over time, and in many cases at the | | | | send the form data to you, or you can use an email |
| point where the email arrives in my inbox. It may | | | | address encoder program. I like to maintain the ability |
| take you 30 or so days to set up filters or rules for | | | | for my visitors to email me if they wish, so I use a |
| your email, but the effort will be very worthwhile. | | | | program called Natata Anit-Spam Encoder, I encode |
| Now, when I check email, the mailboxes containing | | | | all the email addresses on my websites and those of |
| new mail appear across the bottom of my screen, so | | | | clients. The program is free of charge. |
| I can quickly eyeball them and figure out what on | | | | You can tame the email beast, but it'll take a little |
| which emails immediate action is needed. | | | | effort and energy and due diligence to make it all |
| 4. Be sure that your virus system, firewall system, | | | | work. Implement these steps, and you'll stop |
| junk mail systems are up-to-date. I use Norton for | | | | dreading receiving email. |