JUNK, SPAM or Unwanted Email

On the Email page.. you learned about the niceties of sending email.. but what can you do about all the SPAM coming INTO your mail box ?... just like the junk mail the Post Office delivers. There's a whole lot more of it, but it's quicker to get rid of... just hit the Delete button!

Junk Folder:

First line of defense is using an email program that is "intelligent". This means that it can be taught to recognize senders that you do NOT want to hear from. There is a button or some type of indicator that you press to tell the program that you consider this mail to be Spam or Junk. You set up the situation by giving the program instructions what to do with it automatically. It can be deleted immediately, or go to another folder that you name Junk(recommended). Then all you have to do is select (checkmark) the unwanted message and press the button which marks it as junk. Gradually, all mail from that sender does not show up in your In box.

This does require that you check the Junk folder periodically (weekly? ) to be sure something valuable didn't get misrouted, like that invitation you really wanted! (After all, it's only a machine.. and not too bright, sometimes.) Usually, oldest messages are automatically deleted, giving you a little time to check.

Some email programs are becoming quite aggresive about this now.. even sending all messages from anyone not in your address book to the Junk pile. So, now we have a method called the Whitelist. You have to designate on a separate list who is alright to pass through. That's where you put the ones that are MOST important to you! (Seems redundant to me.. if they were THAT important, they'd probably be in your address book already..but different programs work differently)

Filters:

Now, these are the handiest tools ever! We will all eventually find a Newsletter (or three or four) from a website that we like.. and we really want to read them, but not necessarily right now. Newsletters can fill up your mailbox in a hurry, especially ones delivered weekly! So you create another folder for each newsletter, then set up a Filter or a Message Rule to automatically re-route it there. It's saved for you to read when you want to, and keeps your Inbox uncluttered. Automatic Organization! I LOVE IT! (Now, if it would only do that to all the papers all over my study...)

This also works to control (without opening) all that forwarded email from those inconsiderate people who flood you with everything forwarded that they think you just must read, but you don't really want to miss something important from them, just in case it ever happens.

Setting up a filter is very logical. Your program may do it a little differently, but the principle is the same.
(I will use the terminology from my Gmail.)
At the top of the window, to the right of the Search boxes, is a link which says "Create a Filter" On a different program, you might find it through the top Menu under Tools, or Messages.. There are boxes where you fill out the criteria you want to program to look for.. such as: From (a certain address or person), Subject line: (here I place "Fwd." to eliminate a LOT!).
Use only ONE criteria at a time for each filter. Click "Next Step"
But as I said, programs differ. GMail does not set up Folders. (There's a better way...)
It keeps all your mail in the same place, but encourages you to set up LABELs and automatic labeling rules. After labeling a message you then send it to the ARCHIVE. When you want to read all the ones with a certain label, you just put that label in the Search box. Neat, organized.. without a lot of folders. It works great!

I hope this has helped you to clean up your Mailbox.
We must be Tidy, musn't we??




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