Web Savvy: Finally, Real Relief From Spam

Few things make my blood boil more than an unsolicited e-mail message like, "You have received this e-mail because you have registered with Karizma Offers or subscribed through one of our marketing partners." Not true. I've never heard of Karizma Offers, and I religiously opt out of e-mail campaigns when I buy products or sign up for services online.

For years I dealt with spam very simply: If a message was clearly junk, I deleted it immediately. But then junk marketers like Karizma started insisting I'd asked for it--and that was the last straw. With some trial and error, a unique new Web service, and a little common sense, I've finally cut the flow of spam to a trickle.

A Filter and Then Some

Although good spam filters can help fight unwanted e-mail, they're never perfect and spammers can outsmart them. But what if spammers never get your real e-mail address? Recently my editor turned me on to Mailshell, a powerful service using that idea to do more than just filter spam.

When you sign up for Mailshell's $35-per-year premium service, you provide an existing e-mail address and register a new Web domain ("@bradgrimes.com," say). With a simple form, you can then create an unlimited number of e-mail addresses at your new domain. For instance, if I register for Karizma Offers (yeah, right), I put down Karizma@bradgrimes.com. If Karizma or its partners barrage me with junk, I just delete that address.

The dummy addresses forward to my real e-mail account, which I still use to send and receive mail. But now I have a measure of control over what reaches that account.

For the easy-to-wield control it offers, Mailshell is worth its cost (a 30-day trial is free). Sure, you can get your own domain from an ISP and do much the same thing, but maintenance can be cumbersome, and you won't save much money.

Be Brave and Opt Out

Mailshell is most effective if you start with a new e-mail address. For spam that started before your Mailshell account did, the service acts as little more than a filter--albeit a good one. So besides using Mailshell, I've done the inadvisable: I've asked spammers to leave me alone.

At PC World, we frequently tell readers not to ask spammers to remove them from mailing lists because it only confirms that your e-mail address is active. I'd still never reply to anything XXX or Viagra-related, but what I have begun to do is opt out of spam that I get from "legitimate" marketers.

In general, if the spam comes in HTML format and includes a link for opting out of future messages, I figure it's not from a sleazy marketer pounding out spam in his basement. For instance, I opted out of e-mail from Karizma Offers and haven't been bothered since.

I also asked the Direct Marketing Association to remove my addresses from national lists through its E-Mail Preference Service.

Bottom line: I used to receive about 30 junk messages a day before taking these steps. On the day that I wrote this column, the tally was exactly one.