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How can I prevent spam / junk email?
updated Wed, February 4, 2009

Here's a list of some ways you can reduce spam and still get the mail you want:

1. Remove your e-mail address from your website
   If you list or link to your e-mail address(es), you WILL be spammed. Address-harvesting robots will "spider" your site and other web sites throughout the internet and extract them. So remove them wherever possible and use web-based forms instead.
   
   
2. Conceal your email address on your websites.
   Bower Web Solutions can program the HTML pages for your web site in such a way so that it will hide your e-mail address by turning it into HTML code that only your browser can make sense of.
   
   Click here to contact Bower Web Solutions and find out how we can program your site to use hidden e-mail address and/or web-based forms.
   
   
3. Consider subscribing to Bower Web Solutions E-Mail Defense System
   Unlike many other so-called "spam filtering" services, our E-Mail Defense Service is NOT a "challenge response" service. A "challenge response" e-mail filtering service require that people who send you email to respond by clicking, visiting a website, and/or typing in a code that only a human (not a spam bot) could do correctly.
   
   Unfortunately, most people simply refuse to participate. That's because it requires people who are sending you legitimate email to take THEIR time to ensure YOU get email. Our E-Mail Defense System does not require the sender to do anything.
   Tip: Make sure that any software or system you select gives YOU control of which email you get (and doesn't automatically erase messages).
   
   
4. Use email filters intelligently
   Some email software, such as Microsoft Outlook, Eudora Pro, and Mail for Macintosh OS X allow you to create multiple filters, mailboxes and personalities for sorting, filtering and filing incoming and outgoing messages.
   
   The advantage of this is that you can set filters based on senders' names, email addresses, subject lines, body text, headers and more. You can even automate reply messages, forwarding, redirection and more. Use of your e-mail program's Filter features IN ADDITION To our E-Mail Defense Service can virtually eliminate ALL your spam from your main e-mail account.
   
   
5. Avoid filter conflicts
   As time passes and your e-mail program's filter system expands to match the growing number of key words and phrases used by spammers, be careful that you don't unwittingly create conflicts between individual filters.
   
   It's possible for messages with conflicting or multiple keywords or phrases to end up in the trash if your email client can't resolve the conflict. Keep filters as uncomplicated as you can. Simplicity works best.
   
   
6. Use Positive Filtering
   Set up filters and mailboxes for each person or organization you want to receive email from, so that incoming mail from them is automatically sorted into their mailboxes ready for you to read, process and file. What's left in your in-box can then be checked for any missed mail that you want to keep -- and the rest can be trashed or sorted manually. This helps to keep your in-box from building up to unmanageable levels.
   
   
7. Multiple email addresses
   Consider acquiring multiple email addresses for different purposes. This helps you to identify different sources and senders. For instance, you may have one for personal use only by friends, family or colleagues that is never used to request information or to subscribe to newsletters, discussion lists, newsgroups, etc.
   
   Another might be used just for sales inquiries or orders, or for making online purchases.
   This can be arranged through your ISP, web host or through any number of online email service providers. A Catch-All e-mail account can also be used for this purpose.
   
   
8. Use a Catch-All e-mail address
   Your Bower Web Solutions Web Hosting Account can be configured to provide you with a "catch-all" e-mail account. This "catch-all" can then be used to create disposable addresses that can be filtered using your e-mail program's Filtering features or our E-Mail Defense Service if they begin to attract spam messages.
   
   For information on what you need to know about catch-all addresses, please read:
   What Is a Catch-All e-mail account?
   

Click here to learn more about how Bower Web Solutions E-mail Defense Service can reduce your spam and virus risk.