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Did you hear the news? America Online is saying its subscribers are getting less spam. Hey, it's gotta be true; the data is from an AOL press release. In fact, AOL is boasting that e-mails diverted to users' "Spam Folder" dropped by 60 percent to a daily average of 40 million messages from 100 million. And that's just in one user's inbox.

The news may be good for AOL users, but there's been no slowdown for me. So I've beefed up the way I have Eudora funnel junk mail into the trash. And in this three-part series, I'm going to talk about spam and show you how to create e-mail filters in just about every popular e-mail program. I'll also direct you to some articles that talk about spam solutions.

Spam Datebook 2005

First I want you to get clued in on the latest about spam.

One trend that's discouraging is hearing that some people actually buy products from spammers. That, folks, is absurd: It only encourages spammers to continue sending junk.

Think I'm kidding? For the annoying news, read "Holiday Online Shopping Trends Emerge."

Our Spam Slayer, Tom Spring, has more bad news in his December column. His "2005 Inbox Forecast" portrays next year as having more of the same--more spam, more phishing expeditions, and, darn it, more viruses.

And like it or not, the CAN-SPAM legislation that was supposed to help us easily opt-out of spam lists just ain't working. Tom, this week's bearer of bad news, gives up the details in "Spam Law Test."

On a more positive note, three spammers in the Midwest were nailed to the wall with a gigantic judgment (but not big enough, IMHO).

Still more good news: Ever since Bill Gates complained about getting too much spam (like 4 million e-mails a day, if you can believe that), spammers have started feeling some pressure. Gates is proposing that we all use Sender ID, a scheme that would identify e-mail senders and essentially stop spammers from spoofing their e-mail addresses. AOL first supported the idea, then abandoned it, and now is back on track. Read "AOL Supports Microsoft Antispam Plan" for details and an explanation of the antispam strategy.

Quick Digression: One of my favorite writers is David Pogue at the New York Times. Last November he wrote about his experience with spam I'm guessing everyone's received at least once. I don't want to spoil the story--or the punch line--so just trust me and read "My Nigerian Connection." (Yes, stop kvetching, you'll have to register. It's free, but if you're still feeling hassled, use my login: It's bass_omatic and the password's sbass.)

Dig This: This LOL commercial is about a guy and a bowling ball (it's a 500KB WMV video).

E-Mail Filter Basic Training

I've been using filters for years; they're not terribly difficult to create.

When you create an e-mail filter, also known as a rule, you're doing some simple programming. A filter is a series of "if then" statements: If this happens, then do that. But if this piece of e-mail has an attachment, then don't do that, do something else (which sounds like Abbot and Costello's "Who's on First" routine).

For instance, if I receive a message from billgates@microsoft.com, one of my filters will move his message directly to my VIP mailbox folder. However, if Bill is dumb enough to have let a virus infect his PC and his e-mail has a virus-laden file attached, his message is filtered right into the trash folder.

More complex filters can make use of Boolean logic. For example, I can move a message from Bill that has any type of file attachment into my VIP folder--unless the attachment is an executable file, in which case it goes to the trash.

If you're better at visualizing stuff, check out this humorous Microsoft PowerPoint chart that will give you a better idea how an e-mail filter works. BTW, if you don't have PowerPoint, you can get a free PowerPoint 97-2000 viewer from Microsoft.

Oh, and Microsoft has finally released a utility to view, print and copy Word documents for those of you who don't use the program. It's the first new Word viewer since the one released for Word 97.

Step Up to the Filter

I wrote two columns about e-mail filters and I think it'd be useful for you to browse through them. They're both a few years old, but the step-by-step instructions still work very well. In the next few paragraphs, I'll point out the areas in each column that are valuable. I'll also tell you which portions are no longer worth bothering with.

First up is "Got Spam? Here's How to Stop It":

• Read the section on "Here's the Outlook," but ignore the download link for the Outlook 97 Rules Wizard. It's not working, and by now I imagine most of you have upgraded to a fresher version of Outlook.
• If you use Eudora, skip down to "And Now (drum roll) Help for Eudora." The section describes a nifty way for you to add my own Eudora filters to your copy of the program. The filter examples work in all versions of Eudora, including the most current, 6.2.

Next is "Slam Spam and Be More Productive," and this one is chock full of links to how-to's and useful downloads:

• Visit the "Spam-Stopping Strategies" section, and be sure to click on the link for Jim Welp's "Spam Begone" article.
• Head for "Filtering Spam." That section points you to a Jim Welp column (oh, how I miss that guy's writing) and "Tame Your In-Box," an article I wrote that covers Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, AOL, and Netscape filters.

Dig This: Take about 5 minutes with ImagiNation and click your mouse, drag it around, and whip it across the screen.

Next week? The latest tips and strategies for designing filters and rules.

In addition to writing PC World's Home Office column, Steve Bass is the author of "PC Annoyances." Sign up to have Steve Bass's Home Office Newsletter e-mailed to you each week. Even though he's busy writing filters, Steve Bass can be reached via e-mail.