It’s closing in on the holiday time of year when we think warm thoughts of buying pumpkins, sipping apple cider, waiting in lines at the malls (whoops – too early for that, or is it?), and sending our holiday cards and scaring each other! Is there a scarier site than facing your inbox in the morning with 85-90% of it filled with spam? No, we’re not talking about the canned holiday meat. We’re going to tackle spam and make sending cards a bit easier.
Enjoy!
Spam Prevention, Part II
The last time we talked about Spam, we talked about Spam management from a desktop viewpoint: This basically involved moving spam out of your inbox to a “Spam” or “Junk” folder.
This time, we’re going to talk about keeping the spam (and viruses and Trojans) off your machine until you review it.
My favorite (and many of yours, too) is Spam Arrest. With this wonderful online program, all of your email is scrutinized. If you put someone’s email address you know on Spam Arrest’s website, then you get email from that person.
If Spam Arrest doesn’t recognize the recipient, it does 2 things:
1.) holds the email until you review it and
2.) sends this “person” an email to confirm that they are a human.
They do this by typing in a word and hitting the “send” button.
If it’s a spammer, then they don’t confirm the email response. If it’s a person, they confirm it and then you get the email. The only “gotcha” is that you have to review the “unverified” email from time to time and see if some of your e-zines and/or receipts from Internet purchases and/or Yahoo/Google Groups emails are in there. If they are, you verify them and they’ll make it to your inbox the next time. Go to the site, check out the demo, and try it FREE for 30 days.
Another “challenge and response” email program I’ve seen is through EarthLink. They have something similar to Spam Arrest, although it’s a bit more restrictive. You have to individually approve each sender after they’ve verified they are human. Also, the persons getting the verification email have to type in a word and a reason why they’re emailing you.
The other form of keeping the unwanted mail off your computer is having a server-side “junk/spam” folder. All the leading free email providers like Yahoo, Hotmail & Gmail have spam or junk folders.
After having used these 3 services, I would definitely rank Gmail as the best of the 3. The cool thing is that you can easily read Google mail on your Treo, or in Microsoft Outlook and you only see your Inbox. All Spam is left on the server for you to review. If you want to join the Gmail service, either subscribe via your cell phone or send me an email and I’ll invite you.
Next Spam Tips – Eliminating spam for (almost) good by using a couple of more tricks….
It’s the holiday season; do you know where your holiday cards are?
You say it every year, I should really send out holiday cards. But then you say, “It’s such a hassle!” Well, guess what?? Sending cards just got easier! We now offer you a convenient way to:
- Enter names in your database.
- Upload your own personal photo on the front of a card. Add a cool holiday border around the card (like a Christmas Wreath or Red wrapping paper).
- Upload your personal message inside the card with your own handwriting and signature.
- Have each holiday card be personalized “Dear Clyde…”
- Send to all friends, family, business associates with the push of a button. Stamped, Sealed, Mailed via the US Postal Service, and delivered to their postal mailbox anywhere in the world.
All of this holiday card sending done from the privacy of your own home.
Want to know how to do it? Just call me, write me, or fill out the form at http://www.sendcardswithease.com/index.html and in 15 minutes, I’ll show you how you can send out that special holiday card, including postage, for $1.00/card.
Clyde jumps on the Blog Bandwagon
Yes, it’s true! I’ve created a blog and have started actually writing it. What’s a blog you say? You keep hearing that term and think it’s just a blob. It’s many things: It’s an online journal, it’s a way to report the news, it’s a way to share your favorite websites. It’s a website that changes day/day – minute/minute. If you get a blog – you need to update it regularly so it will be fun and popular. What’s my blog? www.clydesblog.net. Check it out!!!
Learn that Treo – Get your life back!
It’s Treo Time again – we have another 3 night seminar, once again at a great, discounted price. We’ll be covering all the features of the Treo 600/Treo 650/Treo 700p (Palm-based Treos only). We’ll show you how to get your email from anywhere in the world (untethered to your computer), get online prices while shopping, get driving directions (while pulled over to the side of the road), get movie times and find good restaurants – wherever you are. The class is taught every 1-2 months, with the next class happening November 13, 14, and 16th. The great thing about this class is that you can repeat the class as many times as you wish following the 12 months you take the class.
What are you waiting for? Sign up now – www.TreoCourse.com – enrollment is limited.
Best of ClydesBlog.net
Some amazing Tree Houses, Real Time Satellites – see when you’re being spied on, find Doggie Ice Cream (search for Doggie hotels, too!)
The new Treo phones coming out next month – first one rumored to be below $200 - $199 for a Treo 680!
Dessa Rose – great musical in downtown Mountain View, only runs through the end of October. Original music and score. A must-see!
Join ClydesBlog.net
The way to join my blog, so you can see updates on a regular basis:
Go to www.itmcomputing.com – put your email address in on the right column where it says “Subscribe to Clyde’s Blog”
Hope you enjoyed the ride....
Clyde Lerner, In The Moment Computing
Phone: 408.732.8500
E-mail comments/feedback to: http://www.itmcomputing.com/contact_computer.php
Use the power of the Internet to create a paper greeting card and send it in the mail without leaving the comfort of your desk! Request a gift account and I'll show you how to use this remarkable relationship-building tool. www.sendcardswithease.com
This newsletter is a service of In The Moment Computing and is Copyright 2006 Clyde Lerner. All worldwide rights reserved. If forwarding, please forward all of e-mail, not any portion therein. To see past issues of This and That Computer Tips newsletter, please visit the web at: http://www.itmcomputing.com/newsletter.php and click on "Archives."
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