Spam Proof Your Email
By John
March 4, 2005
There are people who compile email addresses just for the purposes of selling the list of emails to anyone, which we call ‘spammers.’ Once that happens, it’s very hard to control Spam. To fight back against Spam, the first step is finding out how the spammers got your email address in the first place. You must diligently protect your email address. Once your email address gets in the wrong hands, you’ve lost the fight.
The Three Sources of Spam
Spam Source #1:
Domain Name Registrations
When you register for a domain name, you must provide a contact email address. If you give your real email address, you’ve just given it to everyone, including the spammers. Always use a portable email address to set up your domain name. An example of ‘portable’ email address would be ‘hotmail’ or ‘yahoo.’
Spam Source #2:
Online Forms and e-Newsletters
Instead of giving out your real email address when filling out a form or subscribing to a newsletter, create a unique email address for each website or newsletter. For example, if you subscribe to ‘creativememories.com’ mailing list as: ‘creativememories@yourdomainname.com’ and let your catch-all address route it to you and you will always know where the email came from, even if it’s junk mail. If that address ever starts receiving Spam mail, you can filter it out using your email software designed to filter out unwanted mail.
Spam Source #3:
The Website
The biggest source of email addresses used by spammers is your website. Most websites list multiple contact addresses and other information that allows this information to be seen by potential spammers. A good website designer, whether you’re developing a new one or upgrading, will program JavaScript snippets that will meet almost every need you have to display your email address to the public, without allowing the Spam bots to see it.
To really combat Spam, you really need an email software program that is capable of filtering incoming email. All of the major email applications (i.e. Outlook) support filtering. Your website needs to use a hosting service that provides or allows unlimited email aliases or addresses. This process allows the email addresses to forward unwanted emails to some other address. It’s a catch-all email address that will forward any emails sent to an unknown address in your domain, protecting your real email from unwanted Spam mail. If your hosting company is reputable and offers top-notch services, ask if you may be able to create a number of email aliases that will automatically delete all incoming messages. Many hosting companies do provide this feature within their packages and it would be well worth the investment to take this route.
Are you using the appropriate email system to protect yourself from spammers? If not, you should immediately start being smart about where and how your email address or addresses are being shown. Get serious about a good email software program with filtering capabilities that will allow you to concentrate on providing your customers with quality customer service. Don’t let your visitors or potential customers get lost in the clutter of Spam mail. Protect your website and your investment. It’s the most important thing you have, so keep Spam mail out of your inbox!
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