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| How to get rid of the Junk Mail Blues | 22 Feb 2002 |
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| Do you get a lot of emails that you don't want advertising everything from free credit cards to various bodily enlargements? This email is called “spam”, which basically means unsolicited email. Spam is sent to mailing lists compiled by various means, but one of the most common ways is by people forwarding “chain” and joke emails. These emails make their way around the internet, and as you would be aware if you have ever received one, often come with a huge long list of email addresses they have been sent to previously. You know the ones, “send this to 20 people in the next 5 minutes or you will fall off a cliff”. By sending this on, you've just sent your email address to another 20 people who could each send it to another 20 people and so on. In the end you have spread your email address all over the internet.
Another thing you need to watch out for is “unsubscribe” links or buttons in the email. Clicking on this link will show the spammer that your email address has a live person at the other end reading the emails, which obviously is what they want. Finally, try to avoid giving your email address to companies that you don't trust not to sell it. A good way to manage this is to set up a Hotmail or Yahoo! email address and when you're not sure, give the company this one instead of your primary Adam address. That way, if they do spam you, you can always open another one. |
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