Love it, hate it, crave it, curse it! Either way there's no debating the fact that it's extremely time and cost effective in comparison to other methods of communication, especially when it comes to moving everything from documents to programs to the latest family pictures around the world within minutes! What would we do without it? Arrgh! But as wonderful at it is there's no denying the pitfalls that come with come with it...like SPAM (junk mail) and the inevitable virus that one day will be sitting in your 'In Box' ready to pounce on that unsuspecting 'click' but if you take some precautions your emailing ventures can be relatively trouble free.

SPAM...the electronic equivalent to people constantly stuffing your letterbox with fliers, advertisements, unsolicited offers and other such junk mail. Annoying as it can be there isn't a lot you can do to completely avoid it especially if you're active on the net or post to newsgroups etc but there's a couple of precautions you can take to lessen the amount that you're likely to receive. Personally, I guard my POP based accounts with a fierce determination to keep them relatively SPAM free for as long as I can. I intend to have these accounts for the remainder of my net life and the idea of having them overflowing with junk mail day in and day out is a not a thought I relish so I have taken a couple of precautions....

Firstly...business is business, personal is personal
I have separate POP based email accounts for both which allows me to monitor who I have given access to and I have multiple Web Based email accounts which support them. I have an account for good friends and family, another for trusted sites and one more... for requesting information, submitting required addresses etc. I know it probably sounds a lot but for the last few years this system has served me well. It's only been over the last 6months that I have lost all hope of ever recovering my very first web based account which is now being subject to around 400+ dumpings of SPAM per week...my POP based accounts are still relatively SPAM free!

Always remember it's easier to dump a personal account that's drowning in SPAM than it is to dump a business/professional account. Monitor how your address is being used
If you receive an email that has your address listed with numerous others in the To: field kindly request that the sender either remove your address from future mailouts or uses the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) when they distribute information. Your address is a commodity that companies will pay money for....once you've been 'sold' there isn't a great deal you can do about it. SPAM aside but speaking of friends...
>>>> if you're sick and tired of trying to
>>>>decipher the dreaded forwarded email
>>>>message that's littered with
>>>>>>>>>>
then go grab yourself a copy of [Email Stripper!] which get's rid of them in a flash! Ok so it's more of a 'click' than a flash but you get my point.

Submission Forms
Before filling out a response form think twice about submitting your email address unless of course it's a requirement, that being the case, then give serious consideration to the credibility of the site before you submit your POP based account details... if in doubt give them your web based address. Another thing to keep you eye out for is a really tiny check box that normally resides by the submit button... now beside that wee box is fine print which asks if you'd like to be sent similar offers from select companys... UNCHECK the box!

Nearly Finally....
When your posting to a newsgroup, BBS (Bulletin Board System), guest book etc...disable your address (from farming) by inserting a couple of words i.e. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or characters *yourname*@domain.com but don't forget to note at the bottom of your post how to decipher the correct address i.e. "to reply simply remove NOSPAM/** from address" or something similar. Also, DON'T be tempted to list your name/details in 'net directories'... spammers use these like telemarketers use phone directories.

Finally....
Whatever you do DON'T reply via the 'unsubscribe' listing on SPAM, all your achieving by doing this generating more and more and more and more.....
Check out our link [GOT SPAM] for information on how to deal

The Last Word...
Whatever your feelings about email, it's here to stay so go out and arm yourself with the knowledge, know-how and savvy that'll allow you to harness it's powers to suit your own needs...an save you a bit of grief in the long run.

{no-combomax}