I have been asked about Spam quite often lately. Here are some Spam recipes, if this is what you meant.

Apparently this is picking up with some of you.

Spam is impossible to stop completely. I have not received any Spam in my Inbox. It has all been stopped by the Spam folder.

I recently read that 97 % of all e-mail sent is Spam and that about 100 billion Spam messages are sent daily. Here are some answers to your questions:

What is Spam?

You probably heard that question a thousand times. Here is a simple short definition.

An inappropriate attempt to use email, USENET, or another networked communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which it isn't) by sending the same message to numerous people who didn’t ask for it.

What is not Spam?

There is no clear definition of what can be considered Spam / Junk Email and what is not. An Email is not Spam by itself. Even if the subject matter or attachments are offensive, the mail is not of itself an attack on the ability of the user or network to receive email or use the Internet. The message generally must be commercial or bulk to classify as Spam.

If you sign up for a mailing list or give a company your e-mail address and agree to receive e-mail, even if you are sent a metaphorical sack full of e-mail every day, it isn't regarded to be Spam. All such lists should offer you a legitimate way to remove your address, however, if they sell your address without your authorization and a third party sends you bulk e-mail, that is Spam.

After all, it is you who decides what is spam and what is not spam.

Why do I get Spam?

By disclosing your e-mail address.

This is the main reason why you are getting all this spam email. 95% of all junk mail you get is because you gave your email address to somebody, somehow, somewhere.

Ask yourself to whom you gave your email address.

Examples to whom you disclosed your email address

1. Online Forums
2. News Groups
3. Sign-ups and Software downloads (This is the big one. Nothing is free...)
4. From IRC and chat rooms
5. your homepage
6. your business card
7. White & yellow pages
8. your friends!

This list only contains the main sources where you disclose your email address.

Other sources of Spam Email

Through Mail Relaying

Mail Relaying is sending mail to a user that is not local to the server you have connected to. It slows down your email and gives spammers free bandwidth.

Through dictionary attacks

This happens when spammers connect to your server and just trying random address or even stepping through the alphabet.

Lets say someone@dunmoreschooldistrict.net signs up to receive free screensavers or PowerPoint templates using their e-mail address.

The company will then use a computer to try a@dunmoreschooldistrict.net, then b@dunmoreschooldistrict.net, all the way to z@dunmoreschooldistrict.net . Then aa@..., ab@... Then aaa@...etc. They will eventually find all of us this way.

Through the selling of e-mail addresses

Companies sell your information to other companies.

Trojans/Script capturing/Viruses

By using HTML e-mails, spammers can confirm your email address. Best to disable preview window and delete the message. You can disable HTML or even block the email client from communicating on port 80.

What do I do when I get Spam?

If a message is being sent directly to your spam folder and you find the messages offensive, don’t go in there and read them.

After 30 days they will be automatically deleted by Google, or you can manually delete them yourself. If they are showing up in your Inbox, click the check box and then the Report Spam button.

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

John