Stopping Spam - Time to Get Serious

Stopping spam email is a necessity for many internet users these days. Many inboxes receive in excess of two-hundred junk emails pitching things from video phones to valium on a daily basis. While there are many large-scale initiatives brewing on how to solve the problem of unsolicited commercial email, users realistically have a few choices.

Most users will find that deploying anti-spam email software is the easiest and most effective way to combat their problem with junk email. The best programs are over 95% effective at stopping spam, with a fairly low risk of blocking wanted email. Also, by using a client-side application, users can review blocked messages for anything that they actually want.

Getting a new email address will almost certainly solve the problem, at least for a while. For most users, this isn't really an option. An email address is commonly seen as a more permanent way to get in contact with someone than a phone number has been historically. It's also important to note that a new email address will only be free of spam as long as the user doesn't repeat the steps that got their prior address inundated with junk.

Unfortunately, the main way an email address starts to receive spam is by giving the address to someone. This can include almost anyone. Even giving your address to a friend, who in-turn sends you an e-card can get you signed up for unwanted messages. However, some activities are more counterproductive towards spam stopping than others. The biggest no-no is probably signing up for online contests. We've all seen the banner ads. Please - don't hit the monkey, don't try to win the free iPod.

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