Is Your Website Blacklisted?

A blacklist, as the name implies, is a list of people or companies who have met with the disapproval of others. In the online world a blacklist refers to those people who have been marked as responsible for generating spam in a very big way. Blacklists are also known as blocklists.

Blacklists are used to combat spam in a very specific way. When spam is reported to one of the relevant spam fighting organizations the IP address the spam originated from is added to a banned or blacklisted IP addresslist. An IP address is the unique location of you or your website on the Internet - think of it as your "home address" online. To put it simply every www.domain.com Internet address has a matching IP address. Any email coming from your website domain also has a corresponding IP address. If your IP address is present on a blacklist then you're potentially wasting your time sending email to customers.

Why are you wasting your time? Modern spam blockers come with the most common blacklists installed and/or allow you to import updated blacklists into your spam blocker. This allows to you block a huge amount of spam but you may also, potentially, block legitimate email. Blacklists are not foolproof.

There are two types of IP address:

Dynamic - changes every time you connect to the Internet. Most commonly used for dialup Internet access. Spammers love these because they're very hard to track and 100% disposable.

Fixed/Static - All websites, most large companies and some individuals use fixed IP addresses. This can cause huge problems if they're reported for spamming.

When an IP address (dynamic or fixed ) is reported for sending spam it's added to a blacklist. There are three different types of blacklists:

Temporary An IP address placed on a temporary blacklist will have email coming from that IP address blocked for several hours. After a few hours the offending IP address is removed from the blacklist.

Permanent When an IP address is added to a permanent blacklist any email server configured to block email from this list will never receive email from that range of IP addresses again.

Comprehensive This is the most damaging of blacklists. Not only does it block a single IP address it also blocks the IP addresses next to it. For example if the IP address 192.156.66.67 was added to a comprehensive blacklist then all IP addresses close to 192.156.66.67 will also be blocked. This can be a huge problem for those website owners using virtual hosting because if your host has ever appeared on a blacklist then you're also on the same blacklist, by default, because of the shared hosting from the same IP range. It's important for all website owners to check whether or not they're on a blacklist. You'll need your IP address (available from your webhost) and you can check your blacklist status at: www.mail-abuse.org/cgi-bin/lookup

Blacklists are a necessary evil due to the volume of spam being sent each day but are not an exact science. Take a few moments from your day and ensure that your website or email address is not being blocked

About the Author:
Niall Roche
Posted: 20-09-2005
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

It Is Important For You To Choose the Right Anti-Spam Program

Tips on how to protect yourself from spam.

When it comes to anti spam programs and the general war against spam, there are many different programs types to choose from. When it comes to the safety of your computer, one of the best ways to ensure that you don't get one is to avoid getting and opening spam emails. Spam emails often contain viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware that can potentially damage your computer to no ends or simply make using your computer extremely frustrating. There are however many different ways that you can combat spam and that is what this article is about.

If you are interested in stopping spam from ripping your computer to shreds, you can start by getting some general information on spam in the first place. You should also realize that there is more than one way that you can get trapped by spam. You can get much information about spam on the internet. This makes sense since it is through the internet that spam attacks you.

You can use just about any anti spam program when it comes to your home personal computer. However, if you are running a business you may need a bit more protection. Spam filters alone will not help you as you will likely be getting hundreds of emails a day. It helps to post your email as a direct link on your website rather than posting it because that is how spammer's software will find you. You can also use various anti spam software programs that will sift through them for you so that you don't have to.

You can also use various different email exchange programs or disposable email programs. What makes these disposable email addresses so useful in fighting spam is that once they receive a certain number of spams, these email addresses simply self destruct. This may sound silly since you are probably wondering how this will benefit you since you have to likely change your email address all of the time. This is where disposable emails and email exchanges get interesting. When you sign up for a disposable email address you are given one email address in specific to work with and a user name. Your email address is based on your user name. It's that simple.

You are then required to enter keywords that will allow your email service provider to latch on to these keywords so that you can receive emails from trusted friends etc. these keywords can be their names or anything else that you come up with. When you give out your email address, it is only those that contain your keywords in the subject line or return address that are able to get through to your inbox. Your other emails are then sent to another email address that constantly changes for your perusal. If they are not picked up after a certain period of time, the email address simply deletes itself.

About the Author:
By Abbas Abedi-To make all aspect of life easier you might take a look at my blog http://self---help.blogspot.com title="Self Help">Self Help
Submitted on 2006-11-30
Article Source: http://www.articlesarea.com/

How to Avoid Spam Complaints in your Emails

Spam filters are responsible for deleting a high percentage of legitimate business emails from people who have no wish to spam. Here are some tips to avoid spam complaints in your emails or ezine.

Avoid the following triggers in your emails.

1. Excessive use of ALL CAPITALS in the subject line and body of your email.

2. The use of words like "free"(used alone or in combination with words like "trial","money", "quote", "sample", "membership", "access" etc.) Other more obvious word to avoid include "sex", "XXX","spam", "$$$", "checks", "money", "extra income", "as seen on TV". Even seemingly harmless word such as "search engine listings", "cable converter", and "reverses aging" will get you in trouble.

3. Excessive use of exclamation marks "!!!"

Tips for Staying on the Right Side of Spam Filters

1. Use words like "news", "newsletter", "list" in your subject line.

2. Say how often your ezine is published in the subject line - weekly, monthly.

3. Put date of newsletter in subject line.

4. Put issue number in the subject line.

5. Ensure your newsletter is a proper ezine with some substance in the text.

To help identify spam in your emails/ezines use the following spam checker always before you send anything out.

http://www.merchant-account-service.com/stop_spam_mail.html

Above all, use your common sense. We know what spam looks like, so avoid anything that resembles it in your ezine.

(C) John Lynch

About the Author:
John Lynch
Learn how to Make Money Online by subscribing to Free 6-part 'Internet Marketing Explained' mini course. Get 6 free Internet Marketing E-books; free autoresponder; and free trial top-notch website. http://www.merchant-account-service.com/internet_marketing_explained.html
This article was posted on November 05, 2005
Article Source: articlecity

The Cybermagic of Whitelists

Before we start getting deep into the meat of this article it's important to explain some standard terminology to make sure the rest of this article makes sense.

*An IP address is a number which identifies your location on the Internet.

*A blacklist is a list of IP addresses which your antispam software uses to block incoming spam.

*A whitelist is the exact opposite of a blacklist.

A whitelist is a predefined list of IP addresses that are allowed to send email to and receive email from each other. Blacklists exclude known and suspected spammers. Whitelists can be used to exclude everyone except known IP addresses. Think of it like this. A whitelist is a like having a phonebook which is owned by a small group of people who only wish to speak directly to each other. They don't want just anybody ringing them. Not only that but the entire group need to approve new phone numbers before they appear in this exclusive phonebook.

To send email to a whitelist you must be approved by the owner of the whitelist. This is a lot like the double optin systems used by legimiate ezines and mailing list owners. Whitelists are the nightclub bouncers of the virtual world - if you ain't on the list you ain't getting in. Simple but very effective.

A real world example of a whitelist would be if two companies wanted to exchange email only with each other. These companies could implement a whitelist that contained the IP address for just the two email servers that want to send email to each other. That would mean that any email coming from an IP address not on the whitelist would be returned to sender. For companies they can ensure that employees are only dealing with work related email and not chatting with their friends.

The benefits of whitelists are many but proper management of the whitelists is equally important. Misuse of whitelists will only lead to more headaches for everyone involved with missing email, irate customers and IT departments doing overtime just being the tip of the iceberg.

If you'd like to learn more about spam then drop by http://www.spam-site.com today.

About the author:
Niall Roche
This article was submitted courtesy of Spam-Site.com which reviews spam filters and also offers advice on stopping spam for free.
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Stop Spam With Disposable Email Addresses

Spam is an unnecessary evil that bugs anyone with a computer. Yet there are many ways available today by which you can avoid being “bugged” by spam, which has the potential to completely destroy your data and your computer. The oft-used methods are filters, blockers and other programs which almost all e mail service provider can offer. You may now go for another very innovative way to avoid spam. It is called “disposable e mails”.

The basic methodology by which these disposable e mail addresses work, is that after it receives a certain amount of spam messages, it automatically destructs itself. It might set you wondering whether this means that you have to keep on changing your e mail addresses all the time. This is where the disposable e mail address add value. After you opt for a disposable e mail address, you are given one with a specific user name. your address depends on the user name.

You will then give your e mail service provider some keywords, which enables the provider to send you mails only from those sources you approve of. These keywords are based on their names or whatever you choose. So when you give your e mail address to someone from whom you like to receive mails, it will contain those keywords in the address, so as to allow them to enter your inbox. All other mails reach your other e mail address which goes through constant change for you to view them. If you ignore them for some time, they get automatically deleted.

This unique e mail , though keeps on changing, you can access it through your user name and password. By using this tool, you can always ignore the spams and not worry about them again. Of all the methods available, which wages a war against spam, this happens to be my favorite. This service of course dos not come free but it costs the same amount of money s you would be spending for your paid e mail services from the ISP. Since it saves you the worry of constantly worrying whether your computer is gong to crash because of spam, and you don’t have to spend endless hours sifting through the junk mail, I feel this is a cost worth incurring.

About the Author:
Jeff Clark is a staff writer at Technology Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Games Enthusiast.
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Affiliate Marketing: Know The Can-Spam Act

The amount of false information available about e-mail marketing on the net is staggering. If you are advertising your affiliate program through e-mail campaigns, make sure you know what your responsibilities are.

The lawless days of spam e-mail are over, at least for U.S.A. based advertisers. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) sets forth specific requirements for advertising via e-mail. The law has been tested numerous times since being passed and fines have been levied, property seized, people have even been sentenced to prison.

As an affiliate marketer obviously you don't want to be on the wrong side of this law. Luckily, complying with the provisions in the law is fairly simple. Here is what it requires:

No misleading or fake header information. This includes the "From:" and "To" fields.

No deceptive subject lines. You want your customer to know what you're selling anyway, so this should be no problem.

Messages must be labeled as advertising. Again, the moral is: no sneaky stuff.

An "internet-based" opt-out method must be provided. You have 10 days to stop e-mailing a person once you have received their remove request.

Messages must include your business (or home) physical address. This provides accountability and a way for the customer to verify that your business is real.

Breaking any of these rules could lead to a fine of up to $11,000 per violation! Honesty is now truly the best policy. You may be thinking: if this is such a big deal, why is my inbox flooded with spam every day?

It's not a perfect world, and the short answer is that many of those advertisers are breaking the law. Commonly they are outside the United States in areas where prosecution may be unrealistic. You, on the other hand, would probably be quite easy to catch.

Be sure to read the detailed requirements for yourself. You can find more information at the Federal Trade Commission's website, http://www.ftc.gov/spam

About the Author:
Daniel Detlaf is a lifelong student and one-time Day Trader with a few things to say about internet marketing. Visit the home of his ebook "Make An Honest Living" at: http://www.makeanhonestliving.com
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Free Anti Spamming

Do you feel alone when it comes to battling cyber spam? If so, then you might want to try free anti spam software and programs. That’s right now you can start eliminating irritating spam with one- of- a- kind tools such as these. These will prove perfect in solving your cyber problems in absolutely no time. What’s more, this will help you rejuvenate your currently lagging cyber experiences without having to shell out as much as a penny.

The only risk when it comes to free anti spam programs and software will be the trickery involved behind these things. Since they are obtained for free, it’s always hard to track responsibility once the free anti spam software or antispam programs you obtained fizzles and backfires on your computer. However, there are worse scenarios than this. These scenarios are more than what you have bargained for. This is the very reason why you must read on all these at once!

First, a free anti spam software or anti spam program might just be a virus in disguise. Most virus agents know how much of suckers people are when it comes to freebies. As such, they embellish these viruses as anti spam programs or software, which can be yours for free. A user can only find out too soon that he or she has been had when the virus takes effect on the computer. Cleverly enough, the free anti spam provider will sell updates o the distressed user. Unethical as it is, it works.

Secondly, free software may come with over the top updating needs. Although the free anti spam software or antispam program may be legitimate, a user must always be keen on the updating clauses. Most free software come with charged updates. This makes up for the free program. However, you will soon find out that the amount you could have spent on buying an anti spam program or software with free updates, could have been less. This is in comparison with the amount you spend on your free one’s paid updates.

Thirdly, free software never helps anyone take legal action against such cyber assaults. Since it’s free, no one is deemed liable for the damage such disguised viruses inflict on anyone’s computer system. You will be lost in the dark when you discover the harmful effects such software has on your computer system.

Last, most of the free software are just trial versions. You can use them for too long and then they expire. What’s worse is the reliance level they sometimes build inside your computer. Some cleverly unethical free software providers actually trigger spam if you do not buy their product right away. Now this is something you would want to avoid all the time.

These are the very reasons why everyone must be clever enough when it comes to distinguishing whether certain freebies are worth taking or not. When it comes to battling spam, it is sometimes better to be alone and sure, than to go with the free and experience and awful lot of uncertainty.

About the Author:
Judge Paul
Want to know more about Free Anti Spamming
Article Submitted On: October 10, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Next-gen BitDefender solution adds heuristic spam filters

BitDefender 8 SpamDeny, the new antispam solution for Windows workstations launched today is an advanced email protection tool which features updated, as well as new filters. "I'm very satisfied with how this version has turned out, because internal testing has shown an improvement of over 35% in detection rates, over the previous version. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our users and testers, as we wouldn't have had such a great product without their hard work, input and feedback," said Nicolae Simon, BitDefender Product Marketing Manager.

The new rules of the updated Heuristic filter will dutifully trash some new scam spam types, such as Nigerian scams, online casino scams, lottery scams and fake university diploma offers, while further reducing the number of false positives.

Additionally, new filters have been included, such as the Image filter, which is able to recognize and tag images frequently used in spam e-mail, the URL filter which blocks mail containing "sneaky" links, and the Charset filter, which will block any e-mail written in "strange" characters.

Various bells and whistles, such as configuration wizards, better ways to manage your friends list, and a handy fix that will disable incoming mail notifications for spam e-mail, so that Outlook will only signal when legitimate e-mail arrives, complete the package.

The product is available for evaluation and purchasing as of today, and is priced at USD 19.95 for a single user license. BitDefender AntiSpam 7.2 users can, obviously, upgrade to BitDefender 8 SpamDeny free of charge.

About the Author:
Roxana Danaila
Posted: 20-09-2005
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

Top 7 Ways to STOP Junk Email

Nothing makes me angrier than opening my email in-box to find over 150 messages, wading through them all, and discovering that 135 of the messages rate as nothing more than junk.

The problem with junk email or "spam" (the popular slang for unsolicited commercial email) only seems to get worse with each passing day.

Luckily, we can fight back in ways that will actually cut down significantly on the amount of spam we receive on a daily basis.

Try these tips and see if they can't cut the spam you receive down by at least half.

** Don't Respond

Much of the spam you receive contains an "unsubscribe" link saying something like "To unsubscribe, click here." Do NOT click that link.

Clicking it lets spammers know they've got a live email address!

** Use Mailwahser

Get a program like "Mailwasher" from Mailwasher.net that allows you to view the email you receive before you download it.

The program makes it simple to delete dozens of emails, including viruses, before they reach your computer.

** Use Your Filters

Your email program most likely contains filters you can use to weed out emails containing the usual spam words like "opportunity, $$$, sex, viagra" and a host of others.

You can set the filters to delete messages containing these words before ever downloading them to your computer.

** Use An "Assassin"

Spam "killer" services offer users high-powered filtering, often requiring a sender to prove their identity before an email gets sent to the recipient.

One such service, SpamArrest.com, forces email senders to go to a website and type in a random word before their email gets delivered. This service has gained a lot of popularity lately and seems reasonably effective.

** Use a Temporary Email

Maintain a public and private email address and never give your private email to anyone other than family and friends.

Go sign up for a free email account with Hotmail.com or mail.yahoo.com to use whenever you subscribe to a newsletter or request a free report. That way, if the spam ever gets too bad, you can simply abandon the free account and open another.

Your private email address should remain safe because nobody will know it except the people you trust.

** Never Post Your Email

Never post your private email address in forums, guest books, news groups or on a website. Spammers use little robots that comb the Internet looking for email addresses they can collect and sell to others.

Always use a free account or set it up so you can shut off the exposed email address once the spam gets too bad.

** Abandon Ship

Shut down your current account and just start over! This may seem a drastic move, but it may represent the best course of action if your sanity or your email box can't handle another offer for sexual enhancements, a great business opportunity, or a free cruise.

Notify everyone you want to know your new email address and get on with life.

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

About the author:
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use free articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...
Simple "Traffic Machine" brings Thousands of NEW visitors to your website for weeks, even months... without spending a dime on advertising! ==> http://www.turnwordsintotraffic.com
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How My Silly Mistake Reveals Part Of Google's Spam Filter For Auto-Generated Sites - And How You Can

If you use content generation software like Traffic Equalizer, Traffic Ranking or Traffic Hurricane I've got some essential and urgent news for you.

You see, with the latest Google shake-up it highly likely that either many of your auto-generated pages "vanished" from Google's index, or else you haven't been able to get your new sites listed at all (except perhaps for your homepage).

My silly mistake will show you exactly *why* this seems to be, and what you can do to get all your pages listed successfully.

-------- The Site --------

In January 2005 I launched a brand new site based on the winning formula of plenty of original content plus a solid linking structure - a formula I've been tweaking for years that has got some excellent results - and exactly the sort of site that Google loves.

I built numerous incoming links from quality sites and waited for the spiders - with both MSN and Google showing up within 48 hours of launch and Yahoo arriving a few days later.

----------- The Problem -----------

Whilst Yahoo and MSN soon started sending my site solid traffic, Google simply didn't want to know. Ah, "the sandbox" I thought and simply continued to build quality incoming links.

All this time Google had been spidering regularly, when finally in August they clocked up an impressive 199,026 hits to my site.

Finally I'm going in!

Or so I thought.

When it got to October and there was still no sign of my new site in the listings I set out on a detective hunt to try and figure out why...

------------ The Solution ------------

With a 10 month-old site that was being regularly spidered and possessed a Page Rank of 5 it was suggested to me by a professional search engine optimization expert that it looked like I was tripping a "spam filter" that was preventing my pages getting listed but he couldn't figure out why.

So if it *was* a spam filter, what was triggering it?

An exhaustive search of both the visible pages plus the HTML code itself revealed one major error - which may or may not be the cause of the problem...

Whilst each of my META descriptions was different, there were similarities between them.

They were all based on a standard sentence with the keywords inserted.

As an example a similar sentence could read "Contains free articles and resources on the topic of [keyword] together with a free newsletter".

Then I would just modify it slightly for each page, but using this general format.

Could this be triggering the filter?

Only one way to find out.

So I sat down and rewrote every META description on my site making them as variable - in both content and length - as possible whilst still ensuring my keywords were present in each.

Then I sat back and waited...

---------- The Result ----------

Google visited again within a few days a within a week of the changes being made - my site started to show up all over Google with them sending 91 visitors in the first few days of diplaying my results.

Please be aware that this was the *only* change I made to the site - and it resulted in rapid inclusion in the index.

--------- The Moral ---------

No matter how good your site is, and no matter how much original content your site contains, use the same - even moderately similar - META descriptions and whilst MSN and Yahoo won't complain (yet) Google will refuse to play with you.

This would make sense as content generation software typically use these "template" descriptions to create the pages and so this is an easy thing for Google to catch, even if it excludes a few original, content-rich sites in the process.

The solution therefore to getting your pages listed is to rewrite your descriptions as I did to create as much variety in their content as possible.

-------------- Final Thoughts --------------

Lastly it's worth noting that Neil Shearing's Auto Income Secrets (http://www.scamfreezone.com/autoincomesecrets/) suggests a way to use content generation sites with varied META descriptions; information that should become even more valuable now that Google is actively avoiding sites that break this golden rule.

--[[[Note to editors - you are welcome to either omit this last "Final Thoughts" section or modify it to include your own affiliate link to the book in question if you desire]]]—

Copyright 2005 Richard Adams

About the Author:
Richard Adams is the founder of Merchant Account Forum, one of the net's most popular merchant account advice sites. Click Here Now => http://www.merchantaccountforum.com.
This article was posted on December 16, 2005
Article Source: articlecity

Antispam Organization Out There That's Fighting For You

There's an antispam organization out there that's fighting for you and could use your help.

CAUCE, the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, is an all-volunteer global entity that began as SPAM-LAW, a group brought together for discussion only. They put all their efforts into getting legislation passed that would help stop and penalize spam.

CAUCE has no treasury and no offices. Completely virtual, the organization exists on the Internet, in newsgroups, and online discussion lists. Donations are not accepted because the CAUCE founders and members believe that would necessitate having to respond to numerous lobbying regulations.

CAUCE is now soliciting members, however. While the grassroots of the organization began in the United States - in San Francisco - there are chapters in other parts of the world as well, such as CAUCE Canada, CAUCE India, CAUBE.Au, which covers New Zealand, Australia and all Pacific Rim countries; and Europe's EuroCAUCE. CAUCE can boast more than 20,000 members in the U.S. alone, with all states represented. Even American Samoa and Guam have antispam proponents who have jumped on the CAUCE bandwagon.

CAUCE makes use of their membership list and each member's individual information in one way only. They give that list to the relevant legislators to further the cause of antispam legislation. The purpose of this is to let these legislators know how many voters in their area are concerned about spam and the need for antispam legislation.

To join CAUCE you simple provide them with your full name and e-mail address, your mailing address, your congressional district, and choose a password.

If you don't know which congressional district you are in you can determine that by visiting http://www.house.gov/writerrep. Here you will be asked for your state and zip code. Not only will this tell you your district but it will also give you your legislator's name as well as a feedback form to write to her or him should you so desire.

CAUCE has been gaining national and international recognition as they battle for legislation to stop, curtail and punish spammers. As long ago as 1998, CAUCE went to congress to spur on antispam legislation, which did make it to the floor but was never passed. The latest attempt, again quashed, was a bill requiring spam tagging.

This bill would have forced convicted spammers to note on their messages some clue in the subject line that would tell folks that the message they received is from a convicted spammer. The law didn't pass, nor was it supported by CAUCE. CAUSE and legislators both agree that the law would have been spineless, lacking enforceability. They agreed that those who were already breaking the law by spamming were not likely to comply with some new law that said they had to notify people they were spammers.

The CAUCE web site, http://www.cauce.org, lists its hall of shame. Here you will find sites that have been known to send or support, or at least fail to block spammers. At this writing there are only six sites listed.

About the Author:
Robert Michael is a writer for www.libantispam.com which is an excellent place to find antispam links, resources and articles. For more information go to: www.libantispam.com
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Anti-Phishing Bill Introduced To Congress

Sen. Partick J. Leahy has introduced the Anti-Phishing Act of 2005 to Congress for consideration. The Act would allow federal prosecutors to seek fines of up to $250,000 and prison sentences of up to five years against individuals convicted for promoting phishing scams. Online parody and political speech sites would be excluded from prosecution.

"Phishing" is an online scam used to deceive computer users into giving up personal information such as social security numbers and passwords. Phishing scams usually involve email messages requesting the verification of personal information from a familiar business. Readers are provided a link that sends them to what appears to be the site of the company in question. The reader is then asked to verify their account information by providing their name, address, social security number, account number, etc.

In truth, the site is an illegal copy of the business in question and the reader's information is collected for later fraudulent use including identity theft. Consumers are estimated to lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year to phishing scams. Undoubtedly, you have received more than a few of these emails.

Phishing emails are most likely to use the sites of banks, credit card companies, and large retailers. Online companies such as Ebay, PayPal and Earthlink have had similar problems. One particularly aggressive group even scammed the site of the IRS.

In April 2004, the IRS warned consumers that scam artists were sending emails purportedly from the IRS. Consumers received emails claiming they were under investigation for tax fraud and subject to prosecution. The emails contained language telling recipients they could "help" the investigation by providing "real" information and directed them to a website that was derivative of the IRS site. Consumers were then asked to provide detailed personal information to dispute the charge. Since most people fear the IRS, one can assume that a large number of people took the phishing bait.

Commentary

The Anti-Phishing Act of 2005 is a nice start to combating scam artists that use phishing to pilfer money from consumers. The Act, however, will not put an end to deceptive phishing practices if it is passed. There reason involves jurisdictional issues.

A large percentage of the individuals promoting phishing scams reside outside of the United States. While they may take notice of the law, it will have no discernible effect on their fraudulent scams. Until there is an international response, phishing scams will continue to be a problem. Nonetheless, Senator Leahy should be commended for initiating efforts to deal with this growing problem.

About the Author:
Richard A. Chapo
Posted: 20-09-2005
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

Keep Your Work From Home Newsletter From Being A Spam Filter Casualty

It’s hard to get your email through to clients, friends and family with all the Spam Filtering going on these days. If you are a Home Based Business owner that sends out a newsletter regularly you’ll want to keep the following tips in mind to make certain your Work At Home Newsletter is getting through all the Spam Filters.

Spam is defiantly a problem. At one time I was receiving almost 300 per day, spending a good part an hour sifting through the mass of junk was more than I could tolerate. So I too enlisted the help of a Spam Filter – Spam Arrest.

I do worry about losing out on emails that are important and interesting, but this is the price we all have to pay for those Spammers that have abused and are abusing the Internet.

Most Spam Filters use a Blacklist – these are clusters of email addresses and domain names that are known for sending out a lot of Spam. Recipients of Spam generate most Blacklists’. So your newsletter could fall victim to a click happy Spam identifier that clicks your email into the dreaded Blacklist vault.

Spam Assassin, Cloudmark’s SpamNet and Spam Arrest all use different methods of blocking spam. Spam Assassin uses a point system to conclude whether or not an email is Spam. If your Newsletter scores high it will surely be treated as spam and blocked. SpamNet blocks Spam two ways; the first, filters email based on keywords like “Free”, and the second allows users to mark email and submit identified Spam to be blocked to other users of SpamNet.

My personal favorite is Spam Arrest, because it offers you total control over your inbox. You can decide who is allowed to send you email by importing your personal address book, or entering your known and approved contact addresses directly into the system.

Emails from unknown senders will receive an auto-reply message containing a "challenge" -- if or when the sender completes the challenge (the response), their email is forwarded to your inbox, and they are then added to your authorized sender list.

The challenge is easy for people, but impossible for automated systems (i.e. spambots) to complete.

The Spam Arrest challenge/response system effectively blocks all the spam while still allowing friends, family and trusted contacts to email you without the risk of being filtered out by imprecise software systems.

So How Do You Keep Your Newsletter From Being Blocked?

Here are some tips to help your Newsletter reach your subscribers:

DO NOT send your newsletter unsolicited. Be sure your customers have requested to be on your subscriber distribution list – using an auto responder, like Aweber, that requires your subscribers to opt-in and confirm that then have requested your Newsletter will help keep you off the blacklists.

Use your Newsletter’s name in the subject line. Your subscribers should recognize your Newsletters name. Using subject lines that are full of hype and so called trigger words may get your Newsletter blocked by the Spam filters.

NEVER TYPE IN ALL CAPS. This will surely get the Spam filter red flags raised and your email forwarded to the dreaded blacklists.

Words like “Free”, “Limited Offer”, “Money” even “home business” will engage most Spam filters.

The simplest words like “remove” should be avoided as well. Use “unsubscribe” in your directions to subscribers that want to stop receiving your Newsletter.

Spammers most often use free email addresses – so you should avoid using them at all costs. Send your Newsletter from a reputable domain name – one that matches your own website would be best.

Never send attachments with your Newsletter. Attachments put a fear in most email recipients and will tag your email as Spam.

Your Newsletter will most likely have words within the text that trigger Spam filters – these words like “Free” and “Home Business” can be easily disguised by adding a period or hyphen between two letters – do not over do it though. It will not be long before this tactic will be a trigger for the top Spam filters, so keep up with all aspects of the best Spam filters so your Newsletter will reach your subscribers.

Copyright 2005 – Tim Somers, 3G Enterprises, LLC

About the Author:
Tim Somers "The Home Biz Honcho". Changing Your Life, Helping You Make Money While You Work From Home. Get Tim’s Top Ten Home Biz Opportunities – Free Report at: http://www.Home-Based-Business-Opportunity-Honcho.com If you are ready to start building a Residual Income – Tim will build you your very own Money Generating Website for FREE! http://www.Free-Make-Money-Site.com
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

People accusing you of sending spam? FIVE 'Email Marketer must know' tips.

People tend to forget their subscriptions. Sometimes they don't even know why they subscribed to your newsletter. Especially if the person is seeking for information, he/she will subscribe to every ezine or ecourse that will come across their search. They don't remember it after a while. If you send email to them after few months, they simply accuse you of sending spam.

So how to safegaurd yourself from this type of accusations?

Follow up and Mailing list management software: You can manage your ecourses, broadcasts, follow ups with this single software- http://www.scripts4webmasters.com/follow-up-autoresponder-pro/index.shtml

1. Provide their personal details in every email:

On top of each email, put their email address, their ip number with which they subscribed, URL of the form where they subscribed, list name they subscribed. This way your subscribers are aware of that you have their details with their permission.

You only gets the subscriber ips when he/she subscribes using a form. If they subscribed using email addresses, the ip will not be grabbed by your autoresponder software.

2. Use Double opt-in:

Some of the marketers say that 'You have to make it easy for the subscriber to receive your emails'. So people tend to neglect to implement double opt-in. They think that it will be a hassle for subscriber to click on the confirmation link in the email. Remember one thing... if they are really interested they will click, not one... more than that to receive information from you. This type of list is best to target your information and to get some profits from it.

3. 'Unsubscribe' link:

Put 'Unsubscribe' link in every email in the footer area. Sometimes subscribers subscribe using subscriberATdomain.com, redirects his email to subscriberATdomain2.com. Then he tries to unsubscribe using second email, which obviously not in your database and he can't be removed by your software. Then he/she will get upset that you are sending spam. So tell them that use the same email address that they used to subscribe, to unsubscribe. You can put this information under your unsubscribe link.

4. Privacy statement:

Create a tag in your autoresponder like [privacy_statement], if your software allows it. Then put this tag in all email below 'Unsubscribe' link. Let this privacy statement should be similar that you put on the subscription form web page. If your autoresponder software don't allow tags, then put url to your privacy satement on your web page.

5. Authentication Seals:

Recently I came across this site where they provide email marketers a special code that goes with headers of your email(s), making them legitimate.
http://www.habeas.com/servicesHowSWEWorks.php
There is another one: http://www.truste.org/businesses/email_services.php

Radhika Venkata (c).

About the author:
Radhika Venkata
Subscribe to 'iNet Marketing Ezine' which is completely focused on Internet Marketing. Receive FREE Ebooks with Resale rights!
http://www.webmasters-central.com/subscribe.shtml
FREE Ecourse :: 30 days Solid work out to increase your online profits!
http://www.ebooks-world.com/ecourse/index.shtml
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How to Reduce Spam in Your Inbox and Enhance Your Email Security

Spam is the internet’s equivalent of junk mail. Spam is defined as an e-mail message sent to people without their consent or permission. Addresses of recipients are often harvested from Usenet postings or web pages, obtained from databases, or simply guessed by using common names and domains.

Spam is sent to promote practically any product or service ranging from “Adult” products to logo design for websites. It is also used by hackers to spread viruses or links to dangerous websites used to gather your personal information like credit card details or passwords for sites like Ebay or PayPal. To the average user these messages appear genuine. Even the link has a genuine looking domain name. This technique is known as “Phishing.”

Here are some smart strategies and tips you can employ now to start reducing Spam and boost your email security.

- Configure your anti virus software to automatically scan your incoming email for viruses. Email is still widely used to distribute malicious software. Make sure you keep your anti virus software definitions up to date.

- If you are someone that frequently signs up for “freebies” or other stuff on the internet start using a separate e-mail account just for this purpose. Accounts from providers like Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Google’s Gmail all come with generous storage as standard.

- If sites don’t accept free e-mail address from the services listed above then use a free disposable email service like Sneakemail - http://www.sneakemail.com.

- If you are posting your email to a blog or your website then submit it in a way that is only recognizable to a human. For example if your email is johndoe@hotmail.com then post it as “johndoe at hotmail.com”.

- Never open a message from an address you do not recognize – always delete it straight away. This is especially so if there is an attachment. Never reply to a message as this only confirms the email address is “live” to the spammers.

- If you get an official looking message from your bank or Ebay or another site you are not sure is genuine here is what you do. Instead of clicking on the link embedded in the mail log on to the site normally via your browser. If there are any genuine serious problems you should get a message when you log on. Alternatively contact the site’s customer service via the phone if possible.

- Consider using standalone spam filtering software. This software analyses your email for common characteristics of spam email including words like “click” or “teens.” It also compares senders’ emails against a “Friends List.” Try Mailwasher for free here - http://www.mailwasher.net.

About the Author:
Richard Rogers is a owner of a number of computer related sites. One of his sites offers Free Computer Help for Windows XP Users and has just launched his new Registry Cleaner Blog.
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Where To Buy The Best Spam Blocker And Spyware Removal Programs

There are a lot of spyware removal programs on the market. The most obvious place to buy them is the store where you bought your computer. They will sell the best know brands in a boxed CD package. They are usually very good quality systems, but they can be expensive. If you buy them when you get your computer then you may be able to get a good discount, but do not tell them that you are going to buy the computer until you have asked for it.

You might even be able to get it free with you computer if they think that it will help them to make the sale. But even if you have to buy it at full cost it might still be worth it. The main reason for doing this is that they are usually good and you will not have to do any research. If you do not know anything about spyware removal and do not want to do the research then this might be the best thing to buy.

Some of the best systems are available as downloads, but you need to do some research to make sure that you get the best one. There are a lot of good review sites around that have some good reviews that are written by computer writers, that can let you know which are the best value for money and which are the best for getting rid of the spyware on your computer. They can be very good value and they can also be very good at spyware removal. But it is a good idea to make sure that you are getting the best one by reading the reviews.

If you want something cheaper, then there are some free spyware removal systems. Not all if the ones that are advertised being free are actually free. Sometimes they are just free to scan you computer to see what spyware is on it, but you have to pay to remove it. But there are also a few spyware removal systems that are free. You have to be sure that it is a free system and not just free to scan, but there are some very good program around. there are different ways to get spyware removed from you computer and if you do some research then you should get a good one.

About the Author:
Tim Gorman
For more spyware removal programs please visit PC-Security-Guide.info where you will find a wealth of free and helpful information on computer viruses, email security, virus removal tips and the latest spam scams.
Article Submitted On: October 17, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

How to Share Important Documents in a Spam-Free Environment

An extranet is a web-based tool that provides a secure environment for the organization and exchange of documents and information among a defined group of users.

Extranets are often used to support team collaboration in circumstances where the team members are geographically dispersed or are drawn from variety external organizations. Examples include a group of departments within a company that collaborate on a common project, or service companies that collaborate with a variety of outside clients, customers and partners.

Access to the extranet requires a valid password with username. The permissions given to your unique username by the network administrator determines which part of the extranet you can have access to. Thus, an extranet allows you to share important documents, exchange information and conduct online collaborations in a secure environment, free from spam and un-authorized access.

Spam-Free Environment

An extranet has the same look and feel of an ordinary web site hosted on the World Wide Web. The only distinguishing feature is that an extranet has a security protection base where access is restricted only to those who can view information on the network. This secure environment of an extranet prevents unwelcome access.

The prime use of an extranet is for document sharing, facilitating collaboration among personnel who have access to the network. Extranets can be accessed from remote locations wherever Internet can be accessed. This convenience makes extranets very popular as against those network technologies that use proprietary protocols. They are an excellent means for information exchange.

Document Sharing

The standard feature of every network is the feature of document sharing. Extranets are no exception to this. They facilitate document sharing between people within an organization, with customers having authorized access and with business partners like suppliers, distributors, channel partners etc.

Better than email

When communicating with a group, sharing of information through an extranet is superior to using regular email messages. In addition to eliminating spam, an extranet permits storage of much larger file sizes than that allowed by email service providers. Thus longer messages can be sent over extranets. In addition, extranets have facility for sharing of graphics and web pages that are useful.

Facility for Collaboration

Another important feature of an extranet is that it facilitates collaborations. Many enterprise processes and projects require collaboration from multiple people across organizations for them to be successful and or efficient. An extranet provides an excellent platform for different people concerned with a particular enterprise process or a new business project to share information, documents and collaborate on one to one, many to one, and/or many-to-many basis to bring things to fruition efficiently and successfully. For example, consider the setting of a new manufacturing facility being built. Many people from different organizations are involved in the project. In an extranet, all people who are concerned with the project will have access to the network. The work’s progress can be visible over the network and different people will have the facility of collaborating together and draw out future necessary plans to keep the project on course.

Conclusion

Extranets are very secure due to their access being restricted. They provide a spam-free platform and environment for exchange of information in a secure and reliable way. Using Internet technologies and protocols make these networks accessible from remote locations. As such, they are increasingly becoming very popular among corporations and other organizations.

About the Author:
Laura Schweiker writes extensively on the use of technology by businesspeople and is an evangelist for document sharing (http://www.trichys.com/document-sharing/document-sharing.vm) and extranet (http://www.trichys.com) solutions.
This article was posted on August 28, 2006
Article Source: articlecity