I sent a post to my lists that forwarded email that's circulating not be sent to me. It was suggested by some that I use Outlook Express (I do) and that I use filters (I do). That doesn't change the fact that two days away from home brings in 300 email, takes nearly an hour to download before it gets filtered. So this is my spam and forward rant to explain why I want to be left out of those group forwards.

+++++++++++

All my lists, personal friends and family, Moderators all have their own filters to folders. I have tons of message filters. That doesn't help if the download of everything, before it gets filtered, takes an hour and most of it is deleted anyway.

 

I'd hate to discontinue antalias and open a new email account just to avoid spam.

 

My request is that I be spared the circulating popular forwards that go around and around because I get it from dozens of people, year after year, for these things end up recycling. I've been in the tech camp from 1988. So you know I've seen these before.

 

I do not respond to those email that says "send it back to the sender and more" for this causes net traffic and I don't want to be contributing to more net traffic that does not have original content. If I forwarded this to the folks I know in my real life my credibility would be lowered for they are "Anti Spam" professionals.

 

My husband worked as a programmer for an anti-spam company, BrightMail. Those with Earthlink and other isps might have heard of it. It was the programmers I supported at AOL New Technologies, who left out to start up BrightMail. We got issues about spam. Each day I not only get one spam of one topic, but that same spammer will send me two and three of the same thing. I especially get annoyed at "Antalias, increase the size of your penis." I think I'd best ask my husband first. Honestly. The extreme porn spam pisses me off as well. Not that I don't like porn now and again, I want to CHOOSE what to see, WHEN to see it. First thing in the morning having pictures of bestiality in my preview screen is more than I need with my coffee and toast.

PACBELL needs to pay for BrightMail to Filter its email for its customers. There's reason why there's websites called PACHELL.

 

Original content that's not patently offensive I don't mind. Personal notes that are original content I enjoy heartily. It's the umteenth time of seeing the same forward, that I saw for the first time back in 1995, having it come to me again that makes me tired. The source of which are sweet and well meaning claymates and members from other lists. So I ask, please, do not forward these popularly circulating emails to me. I've seen them, over and over. I do not respond to them because responding to things happening on the list takes priority.

Write me a note, a couple of lines of original content and I'll respond and we can have a on going correspondence that is sharing what's in our hearts and minds. Spare me the forwards. They make me tired. They take my time from doing things for this list.

 

I'm also asking folks to please consider before sending something to a hundred people and having everyone's email address viewable. Blind copy them and send the item to yourself. Protect the email privacy of those you are in contact with if you're broadcasting something by email. Everyone has too much spam in their mail boxes. Everyone can be spared another copy of that which is going around again.  

 

I've unsubscribed and gone onto no mail a bunch of lists. I've discontinued my About.com newsletters that I did enjoy from time to time because with being away from home for days at a time the download time is too long, the amount of "not relevant" junk email is becoming a chore that takes time out of my day when I could be doing a demo.

So spare me ....

 

Chain letters, with and without dire threats attached.

 

The poor Kid who needs (fill in the blank) for this sad reason (fill in the blank).

 

Also those letter that ask for your email address to be added to a list of other email addresses are often sent by spammers gathering valid email addresses.

 

Do a search for "email hoaxes" and "urban legends" before forwarding anything that incites you to riot. Make sure that the forward you're sending to folks to have them delete some vital part of their operating system is actually real.

 

http://www.vmyths.com/ check with these folks for virus myths like the "jdbgmgr.exe virus It's identical to last year's sulfnbk.exe mass hysteria. It's amazing how many people will self-damage their PCs on the advice of a hysterical non-expert... [highlighted here on our front page since 4/22/02]"

 

http://www.scambusters.org/index.html check with these folks if you get an email forwarded to you that has something that seems too good to be true, for it often is too good to be true.