Using a spam filter is important for managing email, but understanding how they work is crucial. Language, content, header, and user filters are available, with permission-based filters being the most effective for blocking all unapproved emails.
People who work with email on a daily basis often find that using a spam filter to sort irrelevant messages quickly is a smart move. However, it is important to have a basic understanding of how these filters work. Those who don’t set them up correctly may find themselves inundated with junk or constantly looking for misplaced messages.
Language spam filters are an easy-to-use type of filter, as they simply delete all email that is not written in the recipient’s native language. The internet is a global market, so spammers come from all over the world. With this type of filter, however, users don’t have to be bothered by annoying sales pitches in languages they can’t read.
Content filters use sophisticated programming rules to determine whether or not an email is spam based on the message text and other pertinent characteristics. This approach is quite effective at minimizing spam, but occasionally results in the misdirection of requested email newsletters and other similar bulk messages. People using this type of filter will want to check their spam folder regularly to make sure no mistakes have been made.
Header spam filters are similar to content filters, but attempt to see if the header information in an email message appears to have been forged. Although email with a spoofed header is almost certainly spam, not all spam messages have spoofed headers. Therefore, this filter is best used in conjunction with other email management tools.
User spam filters can be effective, but they require a significant time investment to use properly. People who use them will need to go through all the spam emails they receive and set up a set of rules for the email client to use to filter all incoming messages. For example, a person might have all emails from his friends and co-workers sent to one inbox, all requested email newsletters sent to a second inbox, and all other messages delivered to the third inbox.
Those who find themselves completely overwhelmed by the amount of spam they receive on a daily basis may find that permission-based spam filters may be the solution they’ve been looking for. This type of filter blocks all email that doesn’t come from an approved source. When a person uses this type of filter and someone sends them a message for the first time, the sender will receive an automatic response asking them to complete a validation form. If the sender does not fill out this form, the message is blocked. The form only needs to be completed once, but computer users should be aware that many people find this extra step a hassle in their correspondence.
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