How to decrease spam
Spam (unwanted e-mail) wastes your time and costs you money. It sometimes carries viruses and web bugs. Here are some tips to help you to deal with it.
- A reputable organisation will remove your e-mail address from its mailing list if you request this. But never ask to be removed from a spammer's list because that only confirms the validity of the e-mail address.
- HTML e-mail looks good, but using it can lead to your receiving more spam. Eight out of 10 spam HTML e-mails contain tracking codes. A tracking code enables a sender to record and log a recipient's e-mail address as soon as a message is opened. (Computer Weekly, www.computerweekly.com, 13 February 2003.)
- Do not give away other people's addresses when you send e-mail message to many people (unless they all know one another). You increase the risk of the addresses falling into the hands of spammers. Possibly, you break the Data Protection Act. Make sure that you use Bcc, not To or Cc.
- Be selective when you submit your website to search engines. All the major search engines are reputable, but some of the lesser-known search engines are only a tool for spammers to get e-mail addresses.
- Spammers collect e-mail addresses from the Web using automatic tools. Some people suggest that you hide the addresses on a website so that they cannot be read by these tools. One popular suggestion is to use a form such as:
yourname AT yourcompany DOT co DOT uk. You then tell the reader to reassemble the e-mail address. This is not a practical solution for most businesses. - Do not forward virus warnings (whether genuine or not). A classic case is the JDBGMGR.EXE scare. You receive a message from someone you know. The message tells you that they have got a virus that is not identified by anti-virus tools and that you must first delete the file and then forward the message to everyone listed in your address book. Doh! Your naive friend was fooled — make sure that you are not!
- Many companies use server-based e-mail filtering tools. If you work in a small organisation that does not have this type of protection, use one of the many e-mail filtering tools that are on the market.
- Remember, if you receive spam, do not automatically blame the apparent sender. Viruses and worms such as KLEZ make the e-mail message look as if it is coming from someone although it is not.
These tips for avoiding spam were first written for City Business Magazine (www.city-business.com) and appeared in the June/July 2003 issue.
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