- tips, tricks, & aids -

decreasing spam in your inbox

by: Sharon Marie Agnello

Often we subscribe to lists unintentionally. This can occur when making an online purchase or filling out an online form. Many times there's a tic box that is already selected requesting email updates or newsletters that we sometimes fail to uncheck. These items typically are not added to the Junk Folder since you have subscribed to them. I hate having to go thru the process of unsubscribing. So, besides using Norton Internet Security's Email Protection, a product that scans my email and sends what it considers to be spam immediately upon arrival to the Junk Folder, I use an additional technique that anyone using Outlook (or Outlook Express) can also use. It's very easy - simply by using rules! And I suspect other email products contain such an option as well.

Outlook and Outlook Express create rules a little differently but the concept is the same and should be quit simple to figure out. To create a rule in Outlook:

• Method One:
  • Right click on the message from the reading pane and scroll down to "Rules"
  • Select "Always Move Messages From..."
  • Select "Junk Folder"
  • Click "OK".
• Method Two:
  • Right click on the message from the reading pane and scroll down to "Junk"
  • Select "Block Sender". The sender is added to your Block Sender's List and the email and all future emails are moved to the Junk Folder.
• Method Three:
  • On the File tab, select the button, "Manage Rules & Alerts"
  • Select "New Rule"
  • Follow the instructions and make appropriate selections in the "Rules Wizard".
  • During the final step, you will need to select a name for your rule and will need to select the appropriate options to turn the rule on and to run the rule so it applies to all messages matching your criteria that are currently in your inbox
  • Click "Finish"

Each works like a charm... never another email from an address you consider spam!!