Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS
General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service
President, Prescott Computer Society
Visit the Computer Society Website
www.prescottcomputersociety.org
SPAM
& How to Fight it
Driven by a weak economy
that encourages fast-money schemes and by smarter,
quicker technology, unsolicited commercial e-mails known
as spam are exploding on the Internet. Spam is the
electronic equivalent of junk mail, pitching such items
as "instant online Viagra," "serious wealth from home,"
"quick and EZ debt consolidation" or "the Net's hottest
adult site."
Jupiter Media Metrix, an
Internet research firm based in New York, has reported
that over 30% of all email messages sent each day
through the Internet are nothing but Spam..
Some ways you can reduce
the Spam in your email inbox are:
-
Avoid displaying your e-mail address in public,
including in newsgroups, chat rooms, Web sites and
membership directories of online services.
-
Consider using two e-mail addresses; one for
personal messages, one for newsgroups and chat rooms.
-
Report spam to the Federal Trade Commission by sending
the entire message, including the full header, to
uce@ftc.gov.
-
Be skeptical of moneymaking invitations. Do not click on
an “unsubscribe’ link – this only gets your name added
to more lists.
Visit the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial
Email website at www.cauce.org to learn
more about the Spam problem. Click on “Other Resources”
for a listing of programs you can buy to filter out
Spam.
Time for a commercial plug :)
CommSpeed was the first area Internet Service to provide
FREE email Spam filtering and Virus protection for all
of its customers. Visit
www.commspeed.net
for more info.
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