| I wonder now who was the genius who said email | | | | messages are scanned for viruses. Norton |
| would make our lives easier? Don't you want to | | | | prompts me to update it regularly. ZoneAlarm, |
| strangle this person on some days?? | | | | my firewall system, is up and running whenever |
| I've found email to be both a blessing and a curse. | | | | I'm online to protect me from any type of |
| I love the immediacy of the communication, but | | | | intrusive attacks. Eudora has a built-in junk email |
| hate all of the spam and viruses that I have to | | | | detector system that works relatively well, but I'd |
| be vigilant about. | | | | prefer that most of my junkmail never even |
| So, here's 6 quick tips that I use to help me | | | | reach my email program. Consequently, I use |
| better manage my email: | | | | SpamArrest, which runs $34.95/year. All of my |
| 1. The rule of handling email is the same as | | | | email goes through SpamArrest before it's |
| handling paper correspondence. Only handle it | | | | downloaded into Eudora, and I can approve or |
| once. When you've read it, decide at that point to | | | | block certain senders as I see fit. I log in at the |
| delete it, answer it, or file it for later action. Don't | | | | beginning of the day and the end of the day to |
| let you email inbox grow to 1000 or more | | | | see if something was labeled as spam and rescue |
| messages--that becomes incredibly overwhelming | | | | it, and then proceed to delete all the spam. Of the |
| and drains too much energy from you every day. | | | | 600 emails a day I receive, I would estimate that |
| I receive roughly about 600 pieces of email a day, | | | | at least 400/day are due to spam. Thanks |
| so if I didn't do something to manage it properly, | | | | goodness for SpamArrest! |
| I'd be drowning in email. | | | | 5. If you're receiving emails via your domain |
| 2. Control your urge to check your email all of the | | | | name, like , and the email address is set up as a |
| time. I have my email program set to check email | | | | POP3 account, log into your web hosting account |
| every 4 hours, which is twice a day for my | | | | and be sure that you're set up only to receive |
| workday, rather than having the program check it | | | | emails at designated email addresses. Many times |
| automatically during the day. I know that many of | | | | spammers will send emails out to postmaster@ |
| my clients will procrastinate on what they need to | | | | or webmaster@ or info@, as these are pretty |
| do by deciding to read their email rather than to | | | | common email address aliases. If your hosting |
| do the pressing items on their to do lists. Limiting | | | | email account has an address that is set up to |
| your ability to read your email will result in getting | | | | receive all the email to the bogus aliases (unrouted |
| productivity--I guarantee it! | | | | email) , you'll be getting lots of spam. Instead, log |
| 3. Set up filters (in Eudora) or rules (in Outlook) to | | | | in to your hosting account and set your default |
| automatically shuffle email into appropriate folders. | | | | email address to :blackhole: or to :fail: No Such |
| I have numerous mailboxes set up in Eudora to | | | | User Here so that you'll only get the email at the |
| house all of the posts of the discussion lists I | | | | addresses you've created. |
| belong to or newsletters I receive or daily | | | | 6. Never put your email address on your website. |
| correspondence that I get from clients. In many | | | | Spammers buy robot or spider programs that |
| cases, I have sub-mailboxes set up under my | | | | scour websites for unecoded email addresses to |
| primary mailboxes to further categorize the email | | | | add to their spam database. You can use a |
| that I receive. I've set these mailboxes up over | | | | contact form where a visitor will have to input |
| time, and in many cases at the point where the | | | | information and send the form data to you, or |
| email arrives in my inbox. It may take you 30 or | | | | you can use an email address encoder program. I |
| so days to set up filters or rules for your email, | | | | like to maintain the ability for my visitors to email |
| but the effort will be very worthwhile. Now, when | | | | me if they wish, so I use a program called Natata |
| I check email, the mailboxes containing new mail | | | | Anit-Spam Encoder, I encode all the email |
| appear across the bottom of my screen, so I can | | | | addresses on my websites and those of clients. |
| quickly eyeball them and figure out what on which | | | | The program is free of charge. |
| emails immediate action is needed. | | | | You can tame the email beast, but it'll take a little |
| 4. Be sure that your virus system, firewall | | | | effort and energy and due diligence to make it all |
| system, junk mail systems are up-to-date. I use | | | | work. Implement these steps, and you'll stop |
| Norton for viruses and have it connected to my | | | | dreading receiving email. |
| email system so that all incoming and outgoing | | | | |