Set Aside an Email Address For Online Use: Create and use an email address just to use online when you sign up for email lists, chat rooms, websites and online registrations, etc. Keep your other email addresses for direct-to-direct contact with customers and business associates.
Yes, everyone says they will respect your privacy, and everyone says they will not sell your information…so how did my spam address, “spam(at)mydomain.com” get out so quickly…?
Hmmm? Try not register or sign up for every “special report” or white paper you see online. Free can sometimes have a price tag paid with spam.
Learn How To Control Your Email Filter: Unless your email is going through one of the big boys like AOL, a broadband ISP or an online service Yahoo! or Google, your messages are going to a private email box from your ISP or through your website.
That means “you” are in control of how many email addresses you can create and the email filters that they pass through. Get comfortable with your email filter.
I’m sure your ISP or website hosting service has reams of documentation and will gladly spend time explaining how to set and monitor any email filters you have. Spam costs them lots more in lost money and business than it does you!
Learn how to adjust your “spam” indicator on your filter and monitor for a few days. Do you get more or less spam? Does it eliminate most of the silly stuff but let in the “hard core” junk? Play around with it to see.
Make sure and “whitelist” (preset it “OK” for delivery) the email addresses from all your professional lists, associates, family and friends you trust (leave off the “forwarder”).
Now set your email filter to dump all suspected spam into a bulk or “holding tank” email account (that you will check for good items at least once a week!) or you can just take the chance and have it delete all spam emails.
DON’T forward or bounce spam emails from your ISP/Web Host accounts to another system (from your website to your AOL account). You will get a “nasty-gram” from them offering to either help you or freeze your account! Not a good idea.