Secret Tips to Reducing Spam

Unsolicited email. The bottomless pit of offers for University Diplomas, vacations, get-rich-quick schemes, and others, far too many to count. As Jim Moore Jr. once said, sitting staring into space at the dinner table, “Just think, someone somewhere is putting my name on an e-mail spam list right now."

Fear not, there is some good news to this dire situation in which you find your inbox filling nightly with warped offers, and it starts with knowing some insider Internet secrets. Good ones. Big, juicy, sneaky secrets, Internet for Beginners style.

1. When registering for anything over the web, look for the little checkbox.
Repeat the mantra: read the checkbox. Read the checkbox. Reeeeeeeead the checkbox. When you fill out a form on the web to register for anything, be sure to read the contents of the checkbox at the bottom of the form. It will either say to check the box TO receive special offers, or check the box NOT to receive offers. Here’s an example of what to look for when signing up for something:

Note that most signups default to this box being checked. It’s up to you to uncheck it.

2. Set up an email account just for registrations.
Most Internet service providers now allow you to have multiple email accounts, sometimes as many as six per account, so each family member can have their own email address. Take advantage of this to set up an email account that is strictly for signing up for things on the Internet, leaving that mailbox alone to fill up with junk while your personal account stays lean, mean, and, well, personal.

3. Use extra words while giving out your email address.
While you can’t use this for registering, as most companies email you your password, you can use this technique while posting on message forums and any other web transaction that doesn’t require an auto-reply. When giving out your email address, add extra letters in capitals and instruct people to remove the extra letters when sending messages to you. This way, no bots can scan web pages picking up your email address, as it will bounce if they try to use it. For example, I might use this: kendertaunt@NOSPAMcox.net, instructing people to remove the “NOSPAM” from the address.

4. Use Sneakemail, the latest and greatest (and free!) service.
Sneakemail is a free service that allows you to hide your real email address while you create fake ones that send the email to your hidden one. Once you are done with the “fake” email address, you simple log back into Sneakemail and delete the alias account. Poof, no more spam. This is also useful for monitoring purposes. Seeing as you are creating and deleting accounts with Sneakemail, if you get spam through a certain address you created at Sneakemail, you will know which online companies are selling your email address. Oh, and did I mention it’s free?

We all hate spam, but with these insider tips, you can be on your way to a clean inbox that’s free to use for other things.