| It is reported that 60%+ of internet traffic on | | | | setting is to have these messages delivered to |
| mail servers are spam messages. If you run a | | | | the root email account. Many webmasters don't |
| website, you can be sure that you are (or will be | | | | realize this and the webmail for the root account |
| over time) receiving a tremendous amount of | | | | never gets checked - I came across an account |
| unsolicited email messages. If you haven't started | | | | with 75 pages of unrouted email messages |
| a website yet, remember that an ounce of | | | | (roughly 14,000 messages) and taking up about |
| prevention is worth a pound of cure. There are | | | | 15MB of their of webspace. Believe it or not, |
| safeguards you can use to minimize the number | | | | some spam software is designed to create |
| of unwanted messages you receive. | | | | plausible names (i.e. admin, contact, |
| WHOIS data: When you register a domain name, | | | | customerservice, webmaster, abuse, etc. |
| you are required to provide contact information | | | | @yourdomain.com) and just go for broke and |
| for the WHOIS database, which can later be | | | | hope the account exists. |
| harvested by spammers for e-mail addresses. To | | | | If you are using CPanel, you can check your |
| protect yourself from such unscrupulous people, I | | | | default email account by clicking on the "webmail" |
| suggest using a dummy account with a free email | | | | icon from your control panel home page. You can |
| provider such as Yahoo or Hotmail (don't forget | | | | also set what your unrouted messages will do by |
| to check it at least once a month) - if you've | | | | clicking on the "mail" icon and selecting "default |
| already registered your site and have listed your | | | | address", then "set default address" - you can |
| primary email address in the WHOIS contact | | | | then choose to blackhole unrouted messages (just |
| information, it is highly recommended that you | | | | let them disappear into cyberspace - my personal |
| update the information with a new dummy email | | | | favorite), fail messages (bounce them back to |
| address. Your host and registrar will have your | | | | sender) or you can specify an email address you |
| primary email address on file - you simply need to | | | | want them forwarded to. If you are afraid |
| remember to keep your information with them | | | | someone simply misspelled your email address |
| up to date. If this seems like too much work for | | | | and you want to sift through the unrouted |
| you, you can always use a WHOIS privacy | | | | messages, set up an email account specifically for |
| service such as the WhoisGuard service provided | | | | them (ex: ) and remember to check it every |
| by ($4.88 - which is a great value). | | | | week or so. |
| Your web pages: One of the first things I do | | | | SPAM filters: I consider spam filters to be a final |
| when creating a website is create a contact form | | | | line of defense if all others fail. Currently, I use |
| with the email address embedded in the mailer | | | | Mozilla Thunderbird as my email application and it |
| script such as PHP or ASP. Why? There is a lot of | | | | comes with a built in spam filter which can be |
| software floating around out there designed solely | | | | trained to catch unsolicited email. There are also |
| to crawl website harvesting them for valid email | | | | many other SPAM filter software out there for |
| addresses (some will even ignore the robots.txt | | | | email clients such as Outlook, Outlook Express, |
| file completely). Once you've created your forms, | | | | Eudora, etc. which are worth a look. To find out |
| you can then begin to include your email | | | | more information on the available spam filters, |
| addresses in your web pages for those who wish | | | | check out (for Outlook and Outlook Express - |
| to email you directly from their email clients - you | | | | free) or do a quick google search for "free anti |
| can write your email address as and instead of | | | | spam software" for your platform. |
| using the 'mailto:' link - hyperlink it to your contact | | | | A special note for AOL users: While I have |
| form. You may also include a note for your | | | | nothing against AOL and they are trying very |
| visitors to replace the [at] with the @ sign. Make | | | | hard to combat spam, they are slowly, but surely |
| sure you remember to do this with all the email | | | | losing the battle. I've had two email accounts |
| addresses within your site. | | | | opened with them, and before I even had a |
| Newsgroups/forums/subscriptions: It's a hard pill | | | | chance to sign up for anything or even tell my |
| to swallow, but these areas are not safe from | | | | family about it - I received spam. I do not know |
| email harvesting either and even worse, some | | | | why they are so prone to spam, but something |
| newsletter publishers don't even adhere to their | | | | tells me it has a lot to do with their member |
| own privacy policies (very rare, but it does | | | | directory. My advice, get another email address - |
| happen). Be careful where you post your email | | | | just remember to check your AOL email every |
| address and don't make it a habit to sign up with | | | | once in a while to delete the messages. I've also |
| every forum you should come across. Make sure | | | | noticed that a lot of other subscription services |
| you find the information useful to you and that | | | | are declining to email AOL users due to their new |
| you trust the website first. For extra protection, | | | | "report spam" button being far too close to the |
| use a an email address other than your primary | | | | delete button and webmasters of legitimate email |
| one for all your subscriptions (ex: ). If you wish to | | | | lists are getting warnings from their ISPs. |
| post an email address in the forums for the | | | | In closing, I have managed to keep my current |
| readers to contact you, try to use the format | | | | primary email spam free (literally) for over a year |
| described in the previous section with a note to | | | | using these methods, and before that I kept my |
| replace [at] with @ and hyperlink it to the contact | | | | primary email address spam free for just over |
| form on your website. | | | | two. I will plainly admit that I have no sympathy |
| Unrouted email messages: An unrouted email | | | | for spammers, and I make sure to hunt down |
| message is a message addressed to an email | | | | anyone who sends me spam and report them |
| with your domain name that does not exist - i.e. , | | | | until their site is either shut down or their ISP is |
| only you never created an account. The default | | | | added to a block list. |