Yahoo Tech Offers Tips To Reduce Spam

I just watched this Yahoo Tech video yesterday and thought I'd pass it along to you...it's got some great tips on how to combat spam, plus some other helpful tips--have a look:

Upgrade Your Life: Tips to Tame Spam (and Bacn)

Some great ideas to help you clean up your inbox!

Wait A Minute--That's Not Spam!

Has this ever happened to you? An e-mail that you wanted to receive mistakenly gets flagged as junk mail, or unsolicited e-mail, and ends up in your spam folder instead of your inbox. Frustrating, but it just proves what you already know, that machine intelligence isn't infallible--sometimes what's needed is a little old fashioned human intervention.

In this case you have to tell your e-mail program that the e-mail in question is not spam, so if you get any more from the sender it ends up in the right place. Depending on the program, it's usually pretty easy to do. Here's how it works in the popular Yahoo! Mail program, for example:

1. In your spam folder, click on the message in question.


2. While reading the message you'll notice that the menu at the top has changed to include the following option: Not Spam. Click on it.


3. You're done! The message now appears in your inbox.

From now on, additional messages from that sender should start ending up in your inbox, instead of your spam folder.

Did You Forget To "Opt-Out?"

Has this ever happened to you? You used your primary e-mail address to register at a site on the Web that really interested you. Then, you started receiving e-mail newsletters you don't remember signing up for. What gives? Chances are, you might have signed up for them without realizing it-you forgot to "opt-out" of the e-mail newsletters offered at the sign-up process, in other words.

This brings up an important point you might not be aware of: Some sites will sign you up for e-mail newsletters and the like by default and put the onus on you to "opt-out" of the offers. Next time you sign up for something on the Web follow these simple steps:

1. First, decide if this is something you really want to use your primary e-mail address for. If not, use an alternate or even temporary e-mail address.



2. Next, make sure you read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of the site. Sometimes, buried in the legalese of a site is the disclosure that your e-mail address will be shared with third parties.



3. Finally, take a closer look at the sign-up screen. See any boxes with check marks in them? Read what's next to those boxes very carefully. If you don't want to receive what's being offered there, make sure you click on those boxes and remove the check marks-that's how you can "opt-out" of e-mail newsletters and other offers before they reach your inbox.

Just a reminder that in cyberspace too, you must always read the fine print!

A Unique Way To Reduce Spam: Disposable E-mail Addresses

How many times have you avoided registering at a site because you didn't want to divulge your e-mail address for fear of all the spam or unwanted junk e-mail you might receive? One possible solution to your problem could be to use what is known as disposable or temporary e-mail addresses.

Disposable e-mail addresses work like this: You sign up for an e-mail account that's designed to remain active for only a short period of time-24 hours or so-just enough time to use it for a site you'd like to register at but one from which you don't want to receive any future e-mails.

Here are a few places on the Web that offer free disposable e-mail addresses:

• Mailinator.com
• SpamGourment.com
• PookMail.com

Disposable e-mail addresses are perfect for those times when you need to provide an e-mail address but don't want to worry about receiving more spam!

Could You Be Fooled By A Phony E-mail?

Of the many Internet threats you face while surfing the Web, one of the more notorious is what is known as a "phishing" attack. Although these types of attacks can be carried out in a variety of ways, perhaps the most common form involves the use of e-mail.

The scam works like this: You receive an e-mail purportedly from your bank or similar organization that asks you to verify personal information-usually via a link in the e-mail. Of course, the e-mail is a fake. If you do what it asks, your sensitive information will be stolen and you'll find yourself the victim of a phishing attack!

Question is, how can you tell the difference between legitimate e-mail correspondence from trusted institutions and phony e-mails from the perpetrators of phishing attacks? It's not always easy, which is why several reputable Web sites have created helpful quizzes to test your ability to do just that and help you stay one step ahead of the phishers.

Think you couldn't be fooled? Before you answer, take these quizzes:

• OnGuard Online's Phishing Quiz
• PayPal's Can You Spot Phishing? challenge
• SonicWall's Phishing IQ Test

After taking these quizzes don't be surprised if you start looking at your incoming e-mails with a more critical eye!

How To Tell If That E-mail Story You Just Read Is A Hoax

How many times has someone forwarded you an e-mail about some wild rumor, a heartfelt appeal for money, or a warning about a malicious new virus rapidly spreading around the Web? Don't you wish there was an easy way to tell if these stories are true or not? There is! Next time you find one of those dubious sounding stories in your e-mail inbox, visit TruthOrFiction.com, a web site dedicated to exposing e-mail hoaxes. From the site:

TruthOrFiction.com is a web site where Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumors, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email.

Started in 1998 by broadcaster and best-selling author Rich Buhler, the site has become one of the most popular of its kind on the Web. Remember, don't just blindly forward that outrageous e-mail to everyone in your address book-run it by TruthOrFiction.com first!

5 Places Online Where You Can Get A Free E-mail Account

You know the old maxim, "you can't get anything for free." It doesn't apply to the world of e-mail. Fact is, there are several sites that offer free e-mail accounts. Even if you already have an e-mail address, there are many reasons to consider signing up for an additional one.

Remember, an extra e-mail account can come in handy in a variety of situations, like when you have to register for something online that requires an e-mail address but you want to keep your primary e-mail address private.

Here are 5 sites you can go to right now and get a free e-mail account:

1. Gmail - Google's free e-mail account makes it easy to search for old messages and provides you with tons of storage.
2. Windows Live Hotmail - Microsoft's free e-mail service gives you 2 GB of storage (likely more than you will ever need) and lets you choose colors and layout.
3. AOL E-mail - The e-mail service formerly available only to AOL members has now been made available to everyone free of charge.
4. Lycos Mail - 3 GB of storage is just one of the perks of this e-mail service from Lycos.
5. Yahoo! Mail - Yes, Yahoo does e-mail too and since they offer unlimited storage, it's hard not to sign up for this one.

Don't forget, when looking for free e-mail accounts on the Web it's a good bet to stick with brand names like the ones above!

How To Get Your Local Weather Forecast Delivered To You By E-mail

Do you check your e-mail inbox on a regular basis? If so, then you might find it convenient to check your local weather forecast there as well. At many weather-related web sites you can sign up to receive weather forecasts by e-mail and it won't cost you a dime!

Take a weather site like Qwikcast.com, for example. To sign up for your free local weather forecast by e-mail at Qwikcast, just follow these easy steps:

1. From the homepage, click Email under the heading Free Forecast in the left hand column.
2. On the resulting page, fill in the information they request - your first name, email address, city or zip code, time of day you'd like the email delivered, etc.
3. Click Send. You're done! You'll start receiving your local 5-day weather forecast by e-mail, shortly.

Rain or shine? Just check your inbox!

What Does That Acronym Stand For, Anyway?

Confused by all the Internet acronyms you encounter on the web these days? Do terms like AAR8, DBEYR or SWDYT and countless others leave you scratching your head?

You're not alone. The fact is, if you communicate online, whether through chat rooms and message boards, or by e-mail and instant messaging, you're bound to come across one or more of these cryptic acronyms. Thankfully, there is help available in the form of some very useful web sites.

When you're faced with acronyms that make you feel like, it's all geek to me, check out the following sites:

• Internet Acronyms Dictionary
• Acronym & Text Messaging List at Netlingo.com
• Acronym Finder

HTH!

Jazz Up Your E-mails With A Few Simple Keystrokes

Want to add some flair and emphasis to your e-mails? Next time you compose an e-mail include what are known as emoticons or smileys. In plain English that just means combining common symbols on your keyboard so they look like the expressions of a human face. For example, to make a basic smiley face you would type a colon, a hyphen and the right half of a parenthesis, exactly in that order, so it would look like this:

:-)

See...doesn't that look like a smiling human face?

Here's a list of some popular emoticons and what they communicate to your readers when you include them in an e-mail:

:-)

A smile tells them you're happy.

:-(

A frown lets them know you're unhappy.

>:-(

This tells them your not just unhappy, you're downright angry!

:-o

Here, you're letting them know how shocked or surprised you feel.

And there are many, many more! In fact, if you want to dig deeper and get a better idea of just how many of these you can create with your keyboard, try going to any search engine and type in either "list of emoticons" or "list of smileys" and you'll find plenty of sites to satisfy your curiosity :-)

4 E-mail Security Tips You Should Know About

We rely on e-mail so much these days that we tend to take it for granted. What we should never take for granted, however, is e-mail security. With that in mind, here are 4 quick tips to help keep you out of trouble:

1. Make sure you have a good anti-virus/firewall program installed on your computer and keep it up to date. Never forget that e-mail is vulnerable to viruses and other online hazards. In today's digital world internet security software is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
   
2. Never click on a suspicious e-mail attachment. In fact, you should be wary of all attachments. Sometimes they carry viruses or other malicious programs that your anti-virus software might miss. And if you receive an unexpected e-mail attachment from your friend, do the smart thing and call her to make sure she really sent it!
   
3. Be wary of e-mails that ask for financial information, tell you there's a problem with your account, or use other similar tactics to try to get you to divulge sensitive information about yourself--they're usually scams designed to steal your money and/or personal information--don't fall for these tricks!
4. DO NOT CALL THE PHONE NUMBER OR CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THOSE E-MAILS! If you receive an email from a bank or financial institution and you want to phone them to see if it's legitimate, don't use the number provided in the e-mail--it might just be another trick. Instead get the number out of the phone book or visit the bank in person to inquire about the e-mail!

Remember, there are no 100% guarantees in the online world, but following these tips and exercising good common sense just might help you avoid e-mail's darker side.

How To Remember Those Important Dates With A Little Help From The Web

Ever forget an important anniversary or a best friend's birthday? How much fun was it coming up with excuses? You can put those days behind you now that you're surfing the web. On the web, you can have e-mail reminders sent to you so you never have to come up with excuses again!

You have several options if you're looking to receive e-mail reminders. Many web based e-mail accounts like those offered by Yahoo! and MSN typically offer a calendar feature which allows users to send e-mail reminders to themselves, days and even weeks in advance of an important event. Or, you could try one of the many popular web services that exist for the sole purpose of reminding you by e-mail, like Memotome.com.

Whatever your choice, remembering important events will get a whole lot easier--just don't forget to use an e-mail reminder!

5 Ways To Reduce Spam

Spam. Unwanted junk mail. Offensive solicitations. Call it what you will, if you've been using e-mail for a while, you know that far too much of it ends up clogging your inbox. If spam is giving you a digital migraine try these 5 simple tips to help make it go away:

• Use Filters. Most if not all e-mail software programs (even the web based ones) allow you different filtering options with your e-mail account. If you have an account with Yahoo!Mail for example follow their detailed instructions on using filters to help you reduce spam.
  
• Don't post your e-mail address in a public message board or forum where everyone can read it.
  
• If spam really gets out of hand, you can try reporting it to your ISP(Internet Service Provider).
• Or setting up a free account at Spam Cop.
  
• You can even report spam to Uncle Sam.

Remember, that nothing is foolproof when it comes to spam, but these tips and some good common sense should go a long way in ridding your inbox of this unwanted pest.