How to Avoid Email Spam
Email spam is one of the most annoying and time wasting activities that we have to endure in the Internet Age. There are various pieces of software that you can use to help in the fight against garbage email, such as spam email blockers. But one of the most effective ways is to take steps to avoid problems before they occur. Here are 4 ways that you can avoid email spam.
1) Use Sign Up Forms On Your Website
Never have your real email address on your website as this can be 'harvested' by software that searches the web for email addresses and delivers them to spammers. It is better to have a form that people can fill and the contents are then forwarded to your email address.
2) Use Disposable Email Addresses
If your activities on the web mean that you have to expose your email address, you may find it useful to have a disposable email address. This could be a free account at Hotmail or Gmail. This is ideal if you sign up for newsletters, post in forums, chatrooms, buy stuff on eBay or have a Paypal account. Keep your main email address private and only give it out to friends.
3) Never Reply To A Spammer
Spammers send out millions of messages, many of which do not get delivered. But they are always looking for verification that an email has been sent to a valid email address. If you respond to an email from a spammer, you are likely to receive even more unsolicited email. Even if you click the unsubscribe link or reply with a message "don't send me spam", you are likely to be increasing the amount of junk mail that will be delivered.
4) Use a Spam Email Blocker
Using software that helps you detect unwanted messages is now an essential tool to help you avoid spam email. Products such as Cactus spam filter are freeware, and Mailwasher has a free version and the upgrade is inexpensive.