| Dealing with email spam is like putting up with house | | | | are 1.00 per email, per month. |
| flies and picnic ants -- it comes with the territory. And | | | | Advantage: Cuts down on some spam. (not all, but |
| if you have a wide web presence, the spam will | | | | some). |
| come in droves. | | | | Disadvantage: You'll need to login to your account on |
| I receive up to 100 pieces of email spam per day and | | | | the Positini website to weed through the email that |
| have become accustomed to deleting them. The | | | | the system has captured and identified as spam. In |
| more visible you are on the Web as search engines | | | | some cases I have had one or two client emails |
| pick you up, the more spammers will find you and | | | | captured as spam that I would not want to miss. |
| spam both visible and non-visible emails. | | | | The system allows you to delete emails or forward |
| Beating the spammers is not easy. There are highly | | | | any captured emails to your regular inbox. No email |
| intelligent email spam applications that will send | | | | filter system or application is perfect. |
| thousands of emails by creating random combinations | | | | (Postini is now owned by Google) |
| of names to a single domain name. | | | | 4) AppRiver Spam Filtering |
| For example:marketing@ domain-name.cominfo@ | | | | You can use a 3rd party solution company such as |
| domain-name.comsales@ | | | | APP RIVER, www. In this system, all your email |
| domain-name.comcustomer@ Fortunately, there are | | | | traffic is diverted to their servers where they |
| some popular ways to handle incoming email spam. | | | | identify the spam for you. |
| Here's how: | | | | Advantage: Cuts down on most spam (not all, but |
| 1) Graphic Email Links | | | | most). If some gets through, you can let them know |
| Remove all visible email hyperlinks from all your | | | | and they'll put it on a block list. |
| website pages and replace them with a graphic of | | | | Disadvantage: If a customer or client email gets |
| your email ID or simply type out your email in text as | | | | blocked or filtered, the only way you can find out is |
| yourname (at) Using this method, you are assuming | | | | if they call you and ask if their emails are being |
| your website visitors will recognize that they need to | | | | received. |
| remember and manually type out your email replacing | | | | 5) 3rd Party Email Providers |
| (at) with @. | | | | Some email providers such as Earthlink have a |
| By removing all the email links in your website pages | | | | system called Spam Arrest that requires any person |
| it's highly unlikely that spam-robots will find and | | | | or system sending email to you to fill out an interim |
| detect your email ID. | | | | form to verify that you are the actual sender. |
| Advantage: Cuts down on some spam (not all, but | | | | These systems have inherent pitfalls. An important |
| some). | | | | email delivered to you via an automated system will |
| Disadvantage: Makes it difficult for someone to | | | | get blocked without you knowing, such as a |
| quickly send you an email (when you remove the | | | | confirmation receipt of payment for a credit card or |
| email hyperlink. This may also make the potential | | | | other important confirmation email. |
| sender think your email link is broken). | | | | 6) Do Nothing |
| 2) Email Form Security Scripts | | | | As a business owner with a wide web presence, |
| You can have a developer install security scripts nto | | | | dealing with spam is like putting up with house flies |
| all web forms. This type of system requires a user | | | | and picnic ants. Although I choose to use Postini, I still |
| to enter a random code in ANY web form before | | | | have to deal with spam. But I prefer not to put up |
| they hit the submit button. | | | | any blocks or barriers between any existing or |
| Advantage: Cuts down on most spam (not all, but | | | | potential clients. |
| most). | | | | : All emails get through. |
| Disadvantage: Doing this makes it a little more difficult | | | | Advantage |
| for someone filling out your web-based form. The | | | | Disadvantage: All spam gets through too. |
| less you require a person to do in order to contact | | | | I am of the mindset that if you want the world to |
| you, the better. | | | | beat a path to your door, it's better to keep the |
| 3) Postini Email Filter | | | | proverbial pathway clear and unencumbered. |
| If you are a client, you may request they activate | | | | However, if you're getting 1,000 spam emails a day, |
| the Postini Mail Filter. You get one Postini Filter for | | | | then maybe it would be best to consider options 1, 2 |
| one email account for free. Additional Postini Filters | | | | and 3. |