Quick Tip: How Bad Is Spam, Really?

Your Internet Service Provider (like SBC, AOL, or Earthlink) probably has spam filters that keep you from ever seeing most spam email. These filters look for words like “sale,” “FREE,” “Money Back Guarantee,” “Viagra,” and “Cialis.” When they find those words, they prevent the unwanted email from being sent to you.

But should you set your ISP’s spam filters high enough to avoid ALL spam?

The answer is “no.”

The reason: You’ll be using some of these words in your work. You’d hate to have your ISP permanently filter out comments from a client on a paying assignment.

Plus, some unsolicited email is well-written and can become part of your swipe file.

So here’s what you do: You let your email software move potential spam to a special spam folder. Check your email software “Help” file to learn how to do this. Most email programs let you train them to differentiate between true spam and other email that you may want to read.

Then, every time you receive email, check your “spam folder” to see if there are any important messages in it that you do need to read.