Spam Killing Advice

2005-11-16T17:40:00.000-08:00

SPAM Laws of 2001 by A.T.Rendon

For a law to take effect on the U.S. federal level, both the House
and the Senate must pass the bill and then the President of
the United States must sign the bill into law.

Last year we almost got a SPAM law on the books when House
legislators approved their version of the SPAM bill, H. R. 3113,
the "The Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2000",
with a vote of 427-1.

However, it never came close to becoming law because the
Senate never even voted on it.

This year, there are already several attempts being made to
place SPAM under the law.

The most recognized is known as bill HR 95, which is a
re-introduction of H. R. 3113 from last year and is named:
"To protect individuals, families, and Internet service
providers from unsolicited and unwanted electronic mail."
http:/ homas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.00095:

A SUMMARY AS OF:
1/3/2001--Introduced.

"Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 -
Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal
penalties for intentionally initiating the transmission
of any unsolicited commercial electronic mail message
(message) to a protected computer in the United States
with the knowledge that any domain name or other
initiator identifying information contained in or
accompanying such message is false or inaccurate.

Prohibits any person from sending such a message
unless the message contains a valid e-mail address,
conspicuously displayed, to which a recipient may
send notice of a desire not to receive further messages.

Makes it unlawful for a person to initiate the transmission
of such a message in violation of a policy regarding unsolicited
commercial e-mail messages that complies with specified
requirements, including requirements for notice and public
availability of such policy and for an opportunity for
subscribers to opt not receive such messages.

Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to notify violators
under this Act, to prohibit further initiation of such messages,
and to require the initiator to delete the names and e-mail
addresses of the recipients and providers from all mailing lists.

Provides a right of action by a recipient or provider against
e-mail initiators who violate the above requirements. "

As bill HR 95 stands right now, it is not expected to
pass vote in the House for two reasons, even though the
language of the bill is exactly the same as that passed
last year in a vote of 427-1:

First, because of the language that allows for a one-time
email to be sent so long as a valid return email address
is provided by the sender and the sender removes anyone
the so requests to be removed from that mailing list.

Although this is the same exact language that was included
in the bill that passed the House last year, many SPAM
fanatics are raising objections to its' inclusion in the
bill this year.

Second, is the language in the last paragraph that would allow
a "right of action by a recipient or provider", the problem being
that the law would allow Internet Service Providers, ISP's, to
file for monetary damages against spammers to the tune of
$500 per email sent or $50,000 per mailing incident.

Opponents argue that ISP's would be filing against anyone that
might be accused of SPAM, guilty or not, in hopes of reaping
big financial gains.

Considering how SPAM compalints are often handled these
days with innocent people having their services terminated
or web site shut down without even having allegations of
SPAM investigated, perhaps there is reason for such fears
of abuse.

A search of both the Senate, http://www.senate.gov/ and the
House, http:/ homas.loc.gov/ found only the following under
The keyword "Spam":

Two other bills introduced in the House are:

1. Wireless Telephone Spam Protection Act - H.R.113 :
http:/ homas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1:. emp/~c107WLOF59::

2. Anti-Spamming Act of 2001 - H.R. 1017:
This Act may be cited as the `Anti-Spamming Act of 2001'
http:/ homas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:2:. emp/~c107WLOF59::

Rep. Gene Green, from the 29th District in Texas and
is the sponsor of HR 95, so if you wish to make any
suggestions or comments on the proposed Spam Law,
he can be reached by any of the following:

HON. GENE GREEN
2335 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-1688
Fax: (202) 225-9903

HON. GENE GREEN
256 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 29
Houston, TX 77060
(281) 999-5879
Fax: (281) 999-5716

If you would like to send him an email, you may do so
by visiting his official web site at: http://www.house.gov/green/
and filling out the supplied form.
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
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2005-11-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

Caught In the Cross-Fire of the Spam War by Bill Platt

LET THERE BE LIGHT: To understand this story, we must return
to the beginning --- September 5th, 2001. One of my associates
had placed a free ad in a newsletter that she had just
subscribed to. For that effort, she was accused of spam! Mind
you the person filing the complaint was not the editor of the
newsletter, but rather a subscriber of the newsletter.

The man was frustrated because he was having difficulty getting
unsubscribed from the newsletter, so he filed a complaint
against everyone who was listed in the body of the message,
rather than just the list owner. It was his frustration,
anger and ignorance that fueled this nasty little affair.

My friend lives in a very small town in Canada that has only one
ISP. The Upline Provider for the local ISP was demanding her
account to be turned off permanently because of this accusation
which was later dropped. The local ISP stood their ground on
behalf of their customer --- my friend --- though this action
could have seriously hampered their ability to provide their
customers with Internet access.

Even in dropping his claim against my friend, the person who
filed the complaint insisted that my friend was somehow still
responsible for his inability to unsubscribe from the newsletter
in question!

The person who filed this complaint was using a system designed
by programmer Julian Haight to combat spam email called
SpamCops.net.

INTO THE PIT: In my original copy written September 10th, I had
compared the tactics of the few diehard SpamCop anti-spammers
to the tactics of a terrorist.

In the wake of September 11th, it did not seem appropriate to
refer to the SpamCop fanatics as terrorists. However closely
the tactics used by the SpamCop fanatics coincides with the
tactics used by the al-Qaida terrorist network led by Osama
bin Laden, SpamCop does not resort to murder.

Due to SpamCop.net's unwillingness to provide a real person
contact for the resolution of complaints, I was forced to turn
to their discussion board to find the resolution I was seeking
--- a resolution, which by the way, was never found.

My major complaint was that for someone to file against another
simply because their email address or website appeared in
someone else's ezine was improper.

Many members had knee jerk reactions to my questioning their
system from within their inner sanctum. Many resorted to name
calling and angry retort until a list administrator called them
down. After the list administrator directly addressed their
inappropriate comments, I received three open apologies from
members of the group.

PUBLISHERS BEWARE. Over the course of the next few days, I
watched their discussions. I was appalled to learn that many
of them put email addresses in circulation just so that they
can torment others with spam accusations.

As an owner of several discussion lists and newsletters, I now
make it a standard policy to bar participation in my groups by
someone sporting a SpamCop.net email address.

I had tried to observe their group with an open mind, as I too
find spam mail to be annoying. I receive nearly 50 pieces a
day from four to five people, who send me the same ads day
after day. What is really annoying is they send the spam to
my autoresponders with a fake address, so I get another 50
messages a day telling me that I used an invalid email address
in my autoresponder message. All have spidered my website to
get the email addresses.

A SPAMCOP SPEAKS. In all fairness, I was leaning towards a
semi-favorable opinion of the SpamCop program until "Jerry"
lashed out.

In his message, Jerry told me things which will just make you
want to explode in frustration.

He said of the innocent who get caught in the cross-fire of the
spam wars: "They should stay home."

He went on to say, "it is far better for thousands of innocents
to burn in Hell than one spammer prevail."

And, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way - or lack thereof -
is irrelevant. Spammers must believe there are no loopholes, no
gray areas, that the righteous will be sacrificed (in vast
numbers if need be) in order to expunge the evildoers."

In conclusion, it was stated, "Spam, like the one true faith,
is in the eye of the beholder. Again, if it looks like a bird,
it might be a duck. Better the condor dies than risk a quack."

These of course are just excerpts. If you would care to read
his entire message to me, you may do so at the bottom of this
page:

http://shopmystate.com/niba/BillP.html

NO SAFE HAVEN: On two occasions, I have found myself squarely
in the cross-hairs of the radicals or the angry that wear the
shield of SpamCop. I publish articles for free-reprint on the
web --- much as this article has come to you today.

The SpamCop's suggested that I was hiding behind the free-
reprint rights connected to my articles. They suggested that
I was encouraging spam by making my work available to be
published by anyone. In response to their suggestions that I
am the enemy, I have added one term to my Terms of Reprint:

* You may not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial
Email). Email distribution of this article must be opt-in
email only.

Despite this step, I have been accused of spam twice because my
article appeared in a newsletter that a complaint was lodged
against. In both cases, the SpamCop member did not file a
complaint against the person who was responsible for the
newsletter --- they filed against everyone who was in the body
of the email.

Their complaint was received by the editor of the newsletter,
the article writers, the advertisers, and anyone who was
fortunate enough to be mentioned in the resources section or
the Letters to the Editor. We each had our ISP and Upline
Providers contacted if our email address appeared in the
body of the newsletter and our webhosts contacted if our
domain appeared within the body of the newsletter.

The only way I can completely avoid spam complaints against my
domains is to stop writing altogether. I am a writer. That is
what writers do, we write. To please the SpamCop's, I must quit
being a writer or just "stay home."

POLICING THE POLICE. This is silly. If we cannot trust the cops
to make sure they nab the right person, who can we trust?

There is in fact a movement afoot to bring SpamCop down called
"Arresting SpamCop":

http://www.niba.shopmystate.com/

While some of the SpamCop members are simply tired of the
same kinds of spam that irritates us, there are others within
the movement who have an axe to grind with everyone who crosses
their path.

To suggest to a SpamCop member that folks should be trained in
the nuances of who to complain against in a complaint, you can
expect a reply like this. "Jerry" answered my suggestion
precisely this way:

"SpamCop users are literate, intelligent, virtually all college
educated, well-versed in spam, and are more computer-savvy than
99% of the world's population. It is presumptuous and arrogant
in the extreme to imply they need a Learning Annex class to
detect spam."

The question I have is to whom the term "arrogant" should be
applied?

This is what my webhost said about my last SpamCop spam
complaint, "As far as I know spam is generally considered to be
high volume unsolicited email. So, as long as you are not doing
that then I am not sure why it would be called spam."

CONCLUSION: While the anti-spammers rail on the ugliness of
spam, it seems they are perfectly willing and likely prefer
that the only people permitted to send email should be those
they directly give permission to.

Personally, I find the practices of the radicals of SpamCop to
be more offensive than the activities of the spammers. It is a
terrible thing to say, I know, but the spammers simply irritate
me and the SpamCop fanatics try to oppress my activities.

Osama bin Laden brought external terrorism to the United States
on September 11th, 2001. But the truth is that terrorists have
long existed in our country on our own soil, and great numbers
of them proudly were the shield of SpamCop.

We all must make a choice, do we "stay home" or do we fight the
oppressors who seek to diminish our freedom.
About the Author
Bill Platt is the owner of http://ThePhantomWriters.com .
Consider employing our team of professional wordsmiths to weave
articles developed to reach your target market. We can help put
your business on the road to Internet success, with custom,
ghosted articles that will drive targeted and motivated buyers
to your domain for years to come.

2005-11-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

WANT TO HIT A SPAMCOP HARD? by Bob McElwain

In the film, "Cool Hand Luke," the vicious, sadistic prison
warden was fond of saying, "What we have here is a failure to
communicate." In the end, prisoner Paul Newman came to
"understand" the true meaning of this comment.

A while back, a friend of mine copied a message to me that
had been sent to a list of SpamCops and others. I was the
object of the exercise to come. The subject line was, "We have
another list owner here that [sic] needs to be educated."

Not much difference in the two statements, actually, for
"educated" in this context means "business destroyed."

The Source Of This "Complaint"

I had distributed a brief article advising against requiring
confirmation of subscription requests. In it, I described the
results of two attempts at using them. In the first trial, 40%
of new subscribers did not confirm. In the second, a longer
trial, 37% failed to confirm.

I can't be certain this article triggered action, for I was
never informed. But it was appended to the message received as
mentioned above. It appears I was added to the "get-him" list
because I recommend against requesting confirmation.

Radicalism Is Rising In Popularity

Sure, we've had some bad times in this country. When
Senator Joe McCarthy got you up to the stand, you were guilty
before you sat down. Since the early 80s, there has been an
awesome increase in small, organized, targeted extremist groups
which cram their views right down your throat.

Never mind they ignore your rights in doing so. Never mind
you may be seriously hurt, even destroyed, by their unilateral
actions. Never mind they make the judgement of your guilt in
a manner you can not contest. You are guilty. Period.

In "True Believer," Eric Hoffer years back clearly pointed
out the dangers of such groups to democracy as we know it. His
concerns have proved to be justified, as have his predictions
about such groups significantly reducing individual freedom
over time.

SpamCops In Perspective

To put SpamCops into this category is absurd. They are
trivial. They hide behind false names, as others have done for
centuries behind masks and robes. They violate the very rules
they claim to espouse. Compared to other forces at work in this
country, SpamCops and like minded people offer only a gnat sized
threat in a hawk-filled sky.

With one real exception. On a single unjustified and
unsupported claim, a webmaster can find his ISP and website shut
down without prior notice. And without recourse. For a small
business just making it, this can amount to the "straw" that
brings total collapse.

Small business people are the target. And SpamCops have
been effective at doing vicious damage to many. The nature
of the vicarious thrill they get in doing so escapes me.

This is real power. And it appears to be used for its
own sake. In all else, SpamCops are utter failures.

Impotent Phonies

They are powerless to prevent real spam. The junk overflows
our mailboxes, and we stand helpless before it. So do SpamCops.
They can't shut down an ISP or a host owned by spammers. Or
those they sell their lists and services to.

So they've taken a giant step and essentially redefined spam
as anything received you did not request. A target-rich
environment. Requests made, then forgotten, bring messages
called spam.

I was pounded by SpamCops regards an article sent with my
name on it. I pointed out the only way to get that article was
to send an email to an autoresponder address. I was ignored,
of course. Their continuing innuendos and implied threats were
disturbing.

Two Giant Leaps

They took a giant step by taking advantage of specialized
software now available. It scans any document and automatically
sends their "spam" to every URL and email address found.
Fascinating. I'm now a spammer because my work appears in an
ezine they have defined as spam. Nuts. This usually amounts
to someone forgetting they subscribed.

Their latest step is even more absurd. You are now
"spamming"
with a 100% opt-in list if no confirmation is required. What
in the world does confirmation have to do with unsolicited
bulk email?

My thanks-for-subscribing message includes URLs to the
goodies. And a URL that can be clicked to automatically
unsubscribe.

When you open your front door to a knock, do you close
it and require another?

Facts About Subscriber Counts.

You're bound to lose a few list members along the way.
Some choose to unsubscribe. More make a change in their email
address and do not think to subscribe again. Thus you will
inevitably lose membership each month. Possibly 2% of your
list.

So long as the number of new subscribers exceeds the number
lost each month, your list will continue to grow. But try a
confirmation request, and you may find the number of new members
does not replace those lost.

Now explain to me how I'm going to grow a business in such
fashion. And further, explain how SpamCops can decide that a
list that doesn't require confirmation is sending spam. Then
go on and make it clear just what SpamCops intends to accomplish
with this demand. I don't think they know. They simply delight
in hurting people.

So What's Next On The Agenda

Right. You guessed it. Content. If SpamCops can make
confirmation indirectly the "law," what's to prevent them from
judging the content of a given newsletter as unsuitable, and
thus spam? Maybe a piece such as this one directed at the evil
done by such a rag-tag bunch of low-lifes.

A scary thought to me. This would open a whole new world
of opportunity to destroy helpless individuals.

Fighting Back

Don't even think about it. If you are attacked by SpamCops,
respond minimally and politely as required, and get on with your
business.

These people absolutely thrive on conflict. They glow with
inner "strength" in the heat of battle. They can amass an array
of other right-thinkers against you.

Forget it, for it's a battle you can not win. It is
impossible to reason with irrationality.

Hitting Where It Hurts

However, you can now hit back. And in the right place.
Their pocket book.

In a recent issue of her ezine, "The iCop Whistle Blower,"
jl scott offered a neat piece about the
absurdities of SpamCops. She wrapped with a positive and
powerful suggestion. I want to do the same here.

Serious minded people are joining in a class action suit
against these people. You can contribute information or choose
to participate. Here are some key links.

Victim Form - Explain How You've Been Hurt

Notes about how this all got started

Keep up on what is happening

In Closing ...

Here's a comment from jl scott. "I salute the people who
are determined to organize this class action suit. Clearly, if
we don't do it ourselves, these wild-eyed lunatics will continue
to hurt decent and ethical businesses."

I applaud her stand. Come join in; the water's fine.
About the Author
Bob McElwain, author of "Your Path To Success."
How to build ANY business you want, just the
way you want it, with only pocket money.

2005-11-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

What Happens To The Spammer? by Richard Lowe

Sometimes it's difficult to understand why spamming is considered
one of the most vile sins on the internet. After all, what harm
does an extra email or two cause? And even if the spammer is
reported or caught, who cares? I mean, what happens to a spammer
anyway?

We've all heard people say, "well, why not just hit the delete
key?" I used to take the time to try and explain the problem to
these people, but I've since realized that there is a brand of
ignorance which cannot be penetrated by reason or logic. Now I
just nod and smile, and change the subject.

Spam would not be so bad if it was just one or two emails now and
then. Unfortunately, it's not just one person sending an
unsolicited advertisement once a month - it's hundreds or even
thousands. And the emails are virtually always regarding some
scam, a useless product or, very often, some pornographic or
money making scheme. I've received tens of thousands of spam
emails over the years, and not once has any of them ever been of
value.

I don't understand why spammers don't get the message that their
emails are unwanted. Why do they keep sending out their useless
advertisements? Do people actually purchase anything from them?
Do these people really make money?

Okay, so what happens to spammers anyway?

Your amateur spammer must feel very much like a criminal does.
You see, they must hide their identities in any number of devious
ways to prevent their ISP and web hosts from shutting them down.
New laws are being passed which make these people into real
criminals, making it even more important that they remain hidden.

1) When an ISP or web host begins receiving dozens of spam reports
on someone using their services, they will typically cancel first
and ask questions later. Thus, your average spammer is constantly
losing his hosting services and always searching for another ISP.
He has to - he keeps getting kicked out when his misdeeds is
discovered.

2) Spammers, if they can be identified, can be sued. This is
fairly rare, as it is difficult to prove actual damage, but you
can sue them and win. And if you are an ISP or host, you can
definitely get them to dig into their pockets for the resources
they wasted.

3) If a spammer annoys the wrong person, he could find himself
harassed. For example, people have been known to send back email
bombs, perform denial of service attacks or simply get phone
lines canceled.

4) If a spammer gets his domain added to any of the various
"black holes", then he may find that he cannot send email at all.

5) Depending upon how vile the material, the law can come down
upon a spammer. This is especially true with scams and
pornography of the most degraded kind.

6) Most spammers do not realize there is always a way to find out
where the email came from. It does not matter how well they
attempt to cover their tracks - they do need to make it possible
to order something and thus they can be tracked - even if it
means physically visiting their business with a search warrant.

I hope that helps clarify what happens to the spammer in the
short or long run. Spam does cause damage, and spammers,
especially the largest and worst offenders, should be prosecuted
to the fullest extent of the law.

About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets
at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to
read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

2005-11-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

"Can The Spam!" by A.T.Rendon

Many of you were very concerned at the enormous increase
in junk email, estimated to have grown about 42% during 2001,
and the seemingly non-stop invasion of X-rated email.

Analysts predict that the volume of email on the Internet,
most of it junk, will grow another 50 percent in 2002.

That is a lot of email!

With estimates that the number of Internet users is nearing
the 1 billion mark, the amount of email floating around the
Internet is only going to get worse.

Many of you have asked if there is any sure-fire cure for all this
junk email that we receive right now and any more that may
appear this year.

The short answer - Yes.

Make good use of your delete button! :-)

The long answer is - No.

No, there is no 100 percent cure for the spam that plagues us
all, X-rated or not. But there are several ways to try and alleviate
this problem.

Most email programs, including Microsoft's Outlook Express, have
custom filtering features that are built into the program but which
are, more often than not, very much unused.

The big problem in using ANY email filter system is that
they may cause blocking of legitimate email.

Basically, you can set up filters to remove email that comes
from a specific email address or set it up to block email
which contains certain key words in either the Subject section
or in the Body of the message.

Netscape Communicator 4.0 or later also have filtering ability
but Netscape Navigator does not have filtering ability. And
Eudora 3.0 and above can also filter your email.

Filtering will not eliminate all spam email but it can make your
life on the Internet just a bit easier.

Just keep in mind that filters are a constant, ongoing process.
Spammers are always changing strategy to keep ahead of the
Filters or other Spam Blocking software.

Here are a few of the most popular email management tools:

SpamKiller by Novasoft
http://www.spamkiller.com/
Free 30 day trial. $29.95 w/free upgrades.

Spam Buster by Contact Plus Corporation
http://www.contactplus.com/products/spam/spam.htm
Free download for evaluation. $19.95 for registered version.

Brightmail
http://www.brightmail.com/
Considered one of the best, if not the top filtering program.

Elron Software
http://www.elronsw.com/
Internet filtering software. Free trial downloads.

Mailshell
http://www.mailshell.com/
Free 30-day trial. $29.95 per year. Use unlimited email addresses.

Once you decide how you want to approach this problem, then
it is just a matter of keeping tabs on your email and making
adjustments to block future changes that spammers might make.

Keeping on top of this will allow you to can the majority of
the SPAM that is now finding it's way into your in-box.
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
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2005-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Shortcuts To Control Terroristic Email! by A. T. Rendon

Everyone agrees that SPAM is a growing problem
on the Internet. And with estimates that we will
soon have over 1 billion people worldwide surfing
the net, this problem will only continue to grow worse.

The worst part of this situation is that spammers
are very clever people and they are using all of
their knowledge to get their message onto our
desktops whether we want it or not.

For example, this week hidden among all of my
usual get-rich quick schemes and penis enlargement
information was an email from a porn site that
literally took control of my desktop.

As soon as the email message was highlighted in
my Outlook Express window, it launched a web page
that took up the entire screen of my computer.

There it was on my 21" monitor, for the whole world
to see it if they were looking over my shoulder, a
lusty, busty women crouched on her knees with
her arms pressing together her breasts to overly
exaggerate the obvious and her legs spread so far
apart you could see her most intimate body parts
in all of their powder pink glory.

I am a man with a healthy love for women but I
do not appreciate having this sort of thing forced
on me because someone wants me to give them
my money in exchange for pornographic pictures.

As far as I am concerned, these are "Terroristic Tactics".

My computer and I were held hostage by the use of
HTML source code that includes script language
that launches a window to view their web page.

Worse still, the window is one that takes up the entire
computer screen and does not have the usual buttons
on the upper right hand corner to minimize or close
the window.

And, it might even include the command to keep
popping open even more windows on your desktop
at set intervals that can literally freeze up your computer!

What can you do to fight back?

Whether this problem occurs via reading your email
or if you are trapped into it while visiting a web site,
there are a few things you can do short of ripping the
power cord out of the wall.

First of all, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC,
http://www.ftc.gov/, takes a very dim view of anyone
that tries to force you to view any material you do
not wish to view, be it advertising or pornography.

In a recent action by the Federal Trade Commission, they

"asked a U.S. District Court Judge to halt a Internet scam
that clones everyday Web sites and uses the copycat sites
to barrage unsuspecting consumers with pornography.
According to the agency, the scammers copy existing Web
sites and insert coded instructions in the copycat sites
which automatically redirects unwitting consumers to
adult sites operated by the defendants. Then the scammers
disable the browser's "back" and "exit" commands so that
Internet surfers trying desperately to escape the pornographic
images face screen after screen of similar material and
advertisements for other adult sites."

"These operators high-jacked Web sites, 'kidnapped' consumers
and held them captive," said Jodie Bernstein, Director of the
FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "They exposed surfers,
including children, to the seamiest sort of material and
incapacitated their computers so they couldn't escape.
They copied as many as 25 million Web pages from sites
as diverse as the Harvard Law Review and the Japanese
Friendship Garden. When consumers used search engines
to find subjects as innocent as 'kids on the net,' 'news
about Kosovo,' or 'wedding services,' they risked being
exposed to a torrent of tawdry images. This scam is
outrageous and we want it off the Internet. We're confident
the court will help us arrange that."

The Federal Trade Commission is a powerful regulatory agency
and they will accept complaints from consumers on both SPAM
and also a Web Page or Web Sites that are using deceptive or
terroristic tactics.

You may forward unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam) to the
Commission, by sending it directly to them at:
mailto:UCE@FTC.GOV

I would suggest you not bother them with ordinary run of the
mill SPAM but rather limit your complaints to email like the one
I described above that literally takes control of your computer.

You may also file a complaint with the Commission online by
visiting their web site at: http://www.ftc.gov/

Scroll to the bottom of their web site where you will see the
link to "File A Complaint Online".

On a more immediate basis, it is important to know at least a
few of the handy Windows "Shortcut" commands that
will allow you to regain control of your computer without
the need to shut it down all together.

For a more extensive list of Window's Shortcuts delivered
to you FREE via Auto-Responder, send a blank email to:
mailto:shortcuts@emailexchange.org

Perhaps one of the best commands to know by heart is:
ALT + F4 = Quitting the open program

That command comes in very handy when you have a
window open that takes up your entire screen area and
does not show the customary Minimize/Restore/Close
boxes that are found in the upper right hand corner of all
Window's programs.

Another good one to keep in mind is:
ALT + SPACE = Display of the System Menu that allows
you to Restore-Move-Resize-Minimize-Maximize or Close
a window.

And as a last resort, if nothing else seems to be working,
you can always try:
CTRL + ESC = Opens the Start Menu from which you can
properly shut down your computer.

Until the powers that be take direct action to stop SPAM
at every possible opportunity, we will all have to put
up with the nuisance of deleting junk email from our
inbox. But at least we do not have to tolerate the invasion
of our computer with code meant to make us a hos
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
Subscribe to FREE Business Classifieds Newsletter
& receive FREE online access to our Password
Protected "FREE Submit To Over 2.7 MILLION FREE
Ad Sites!" mailto:subscribe_fbcn9@emailexchange.org
Visit us at: http://emailexchange.org/?Articles

2005-11-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

Theft of Services by Bob Osgoodby

Spammers will use many tricks in their effort to "ply their
wares". One of the most common is to use someone else's email
address as their return address. Another is to link to images
contained in their email, which are on your web site, illegally
using your bandwidth.

Using a stolen email address as their return address, is becoming
quite common, as some Internet Service Providers are checking to
ensure that the sending address is valid before relaying the
message. They have started doing this due to the "raft of
complaints" received about mail going out with a phony return
address.

The consequences of this can be quite far reaching for the person
whose address has been stolen. This happened to me late last
year. It was a porno ad that was sent out bearing my return
address. I got over 7,000 requests to remove their name from my
mailing list in a 3 day period. Many were quite nasty,
threatening all sorts of things. I called "At Home", who provides
my cable service, to see if there was anything I could do about
it. Their advice was to use a different email address.

Fortunately it was an address that I don't use for business, and
if it was, it would have been far more serious. The real problem
here is not that your ISP will shut you down for spamming, as it
is fairly simple to find out that you didn't send it, regardless
of the return address.

There are three potential problems however, that you may have to
deal with.

The first is the number of "bounces" (bad email addresses that
cannot be delivered). Many ISP's program their servers to shut
down an email account that is getting a large number of bounces,
as it is one of the symptoms of a denial of service attack. If
your bounces exceed a certain number - usually around 500, your
web server may automatically go into a "self protect" mode and
shut down your email address.

If you start receiving many bounce notifications, immediately
notify your ISP of the problem, telling them that someone has
illegally used your return address. If it was an email address
that you use for business, the bad press that you get can be
devastating. You should write a short email explaining what had
happened, and send it to everyone who sends you a complaint.
While this sounds like a Herculean Task if you are getting
thousands, you can use an email package such as Eudora to do this
automatically. You can down load this software from our web site
at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/freebie.htm

Another problem is that you can be quite sure that someone will
report you to "Spam Cop", who in turn places a complaint with
your ISP. Spam Cop may not check the validity of a complaint
prior to notifying your ISP, which I feel is unconscionable on
their part. Unfortunately, if they do forward the complaint to
your ISP, you will have to defend yourself. That is why you
should immediately notify your ISP if this happens. If you have a
copy of the spam, be sure to send it along with your
notification, and also save a copy in case it is needed later.

The second major problem a spammer can cause, is to steal an
image from your web site that they use in their email. If they
send their email in HTML format, and many do, they can actually
link to an image on your web site. They are in effect stealing
your bandwidth. Many web servers have bandwidth limits, which
limit the amount of information you can send and receive each
month. If you exceed that limit, you could be liable for
additional charges from your web space provider.

If they do this to you, your only recourse is to change the name
of the image, displayed on your web site that they are stealing.
Another effective step is to replace the original image that they
are using. Replace it with a notification that the sender of the
email has stolen the image from you, and advise anyone who
receives it not to do business with them. Once you do this,
anyone who receives their spam will receive your warning.

When you get down to the bottom line, even people who send out
emails with forged addresses are stealing. If you receive
hundreds of spam emails a day with no way to have your name
removed from their list, they are using your resources without
your permission. You then have to sort through all this "junk
mail" to find your legitimate email.

Theft of services is a serious problem. Unfortunately, it appears
that the only solution will be through legislation making it
illegal, and provide severe punishments for the guilty parties.

About the Author
Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the
"Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his
Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday.
Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

2005-11-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Don't Get Mad by Bob Osgoodby

Get Even! In a 24 hour period starting at 10: A.M. this past
Tuesday, and ending at the same time on Wednesday, I received
1,734 pieces of spam email. Now these were all unique addresses,
and some had 4 or 5 copies.

I have had it with this nonsense. Looking at the email
addresses, it was obvious that mine were being harvested from the
web.

There is software, similar to the protocol used by the search
engines, that allows someone to enter keywords, and it will
search the web for any web site that matches the keywords
entered. It will then capture any email addresses it finds. An
example of such software is "Atomic Harvester".

I downloaded this software, which is fully functional in its
search capabilities, and is free if that is all you want. You
cannot however, save the addresses it finds unless you pay for
it. Not wishing to harvest any addresses from the web, I chose
the free version, as step one of my devious plan, so I could see
what the spamsters would find when they harvest my site.

Step two was a bit more work. Instead of simply deleting the
spam, I created a filter with my email reader that automatically
sends all spam identified to my trash bin. I use Eudora, which
makes this a rather easy task, but was still time consuming.
While this won't provide a "spam free" inbox, it will cut down on
the junk one has to wade through. The rest I simply delete, which
also goes to the trash bin.

Now, I have all this spam in once place - my trash bin. But wait,
I said get even. A good friend of mine is proficient in the
"Perl" programming language. He wrote a program that goes into my
trash bin, and extracts all of the "From" email addresses it
finds. Now I have a file of all the return addresses of anyone
who sends me spam.

The majority of the professional spammers use a forged address,
which if you respond to it, is returned as undeliverable. Some
of the nave newbies use a legitimate address.

I then put all of the addresses in a file on a web page with an
invisible link to it - let's call it the "Trash Page". If you
visit my site, you will never see it. But, a spammer using
harvesting software will hit that page. They will harvest each
and every address that I loaded onto that page.

Thinking they hit a bonanza, all those unduplicated addresses
will be captured by them. Now, two things will happen. First,
all the forged addresses on the list that they send to, will be
returned to them as undeliverable, causing them extra work to
clean their lists.

Second, all the spam received from a legitimate address, will be
on the lists of all the spamsters, and they will get their "just
deserts".

Eventually, the pros will figure out what I have done, and will
block the web page that houses them. But that is not my goal. I
started putting those invisible links to that "Trash Page", on a
number of my web pages. Now, they can't just block a particular
page, but will have to block my entire domain. Great - now I
won't have all the addresses on my site being harvested by these
miscreants.

If this idea snowballs, and I hope it does, a major percentage of
all the email addresses being sold by "email list providers" will
be worthless. You might think about this if you are ever tempted
to purchase their "thousands of email addresses" for $49.95.

The spam problem is not going to go away in the foreseeable
future. If webmasters took the steps I have taken, it just might
go away sooner. Anyone who sends me an unsolicited email,
advertising their "latest and greatest, will wind up on this
list.

If you want to participate in this project, send an email to
mailto:scambusters@adv-marketing.com - please include the URL for
your web site. (I want to make sure you are legitimate, and not
a spamster on a "fishing expedition")

Note - to participate, you must be able to upload web pages to
your site.
About the Author
Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the
"Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his
Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday.
Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: mailto:tipofday-subscribe@topica.com

2005-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Spamming The Internet ...Are YOU the next Vicitim? by Debbie Solomon

When you hear the word SPAM, what comes to your mind?
Is the term worse then the meaning?
This word SPAM has been blown out of proportion. It is
causing unbelievable hysteria on the internet.

Many businesses are spending more and more time each day
getting frustrated, yelling at the spammers, and reporting
the spammers.
-Is it really worth it?
-Is there a way OUT?

Unfortunately we will never get rid of spam. It is like
getting rid of the junk mail in your mailbox. It is always
there. You can bank on it almost everyday. It is the same way
with SPAM. As long as you have any kind of existence online,
your email box will be littered with SPAM.

There is a way to cut a lot of it out though. Ever since
I got my new email server, I have had very little spam
in my email box. Sure I get one or two a day, but it is not
like it used to be.

So, HOW do we get rid of SO MUCH spam mail?

The BIGGEST CULPRIT of Spam is FFA LINK pages.
Now, I know many people feel that since they agreed
to receive this junk mail in exchange for placing their
link that it is not spam. Well, SPAM is basically unwanted
EMAIL. Do you WANT to receive all these emails?

Many business who host an FFA LINK page do it for one reason
and one reason only - FOR YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! I am not
saying ALL FFA Link pages do this, but MOST of them do.
If you submit to FFA LINK pages, you can be guaranteed at
least 100 emails a day. And then all the follow-up emails
after that, so it is never-ending. You will be automatically
subscribed to ezines and newsletters, which you never
personally subscribed to. But somewhere on the FFA page in
real small writing is your agreement.
In fact, a lot of these newsletters
even put on top of their publication that you have agreed to
receive this newsletter by subscribing, corresponding with them,
or placing your LINK on their FFA page.

Of course the owners of FFA Pages will not agree with me. But,
if you want complete honesty-
-you will not increase traffic to your site.
-you will not reach thousands and millions of people to view your ad.
-you will not even be able to keep your link there for more than one day.
(and that is good for FFA pages. Normally you are off within hours).

-So WHY post to FFA sites when you are off of them in hours or a day?
-So WHY post to FFA sites when your email box is flooded with Emails?
-So WHY post to FFA sites to gain exposure when all you get is hundreds
of emails selling their product?

-Don't you want people to read about YOUR product?
-Don't you want people to see YOUR link?
-Don't you want people emailing you about YOUR product?

FFA LINK pages do you more harm than good.
The time and energy you spend at posting to these links,
could be time and energy spent on doing
something productive for your business.
These pages are there only to get your email address.
Many of these pages have members who pay
to get your email address and spam you. These are called,
"Opt-In email Lists for SALE, or for RENT". That is where
many of these companies get their addresses. Don't get me wrong,
I am sure there are legit ones out there, but they are few and
far between.

People who do post to FFA LINKS will never read all
the junk mail in their in-box, they just delete it.
So what is the point?
It is like a cat and mouse game that will never end. So,
is that what you really want? Because it does not
stop there. Your email address is added to spam databases, and posted
to opt-in mailing lists (real "opt-in", huh?). NOW, your
email address is a pawn for spammers. Every piece of software
for harvesting email addresses will grab yours, and now your email
address is for sale everywhere.

Do yourself a favor....
There are so many ways to do productive advertising. Stay away
from FFA LINKS. You will make NO money, and you will be a
VICTIM of constant SPAM. You will NEVER see a successful business
entrepreneur posting to FFA Sites. Ask them where to advertise,
they will tell you.

When I was a newbie, I submitted to every FFA link I could find.
Gee, submitting your link to hundreds of thousands of possible clients?
And for FREE? How could you go wrong? It was SO easy!

I would wake up the next morning with hundreds of emails in my box.
In my opinion, YES< it is SPAM! Because I DO NOT WANT THEM!
I posted to an FFA LINK page, that is all.
I HAD to agree to receive some emails, but not HUNDREDS!!!
That was the only way to get my link on the page!
I was in for a rude awakening.
Not one thread of business came through
and I could not decipher what was JUNK MAIL,
and what was business.

I literally had to get another email account.
I do not touch FFA Pages, and I get an average of a few
spam mails a day.
Everything else is business. I love it!
I will never totally get rid of spam. In fact,
now it is a pleasure, because I just reply with my AD.
Anyone who does business online is guaranteed
to receive some. But if you want to get rid of
the hundreds of emails in your box,
then STOP POSTING TO FFA Pages!
They are, in fact, the biggest culprit of SPAM.

Most successful businesses have learned to stay away
from FFA Pages. These practices
are not part of a successful business. They are part of a
desperate ploy to make money without spending any.

Now, not everyone will agree with what I am saying, however,
the facts are in front of you. You decide whether you want
to deal with all the junk mail. I, for one, can say that
it is a pleasure doing business online, now that I do not have
to wake up to hundreds of spammers.

You can save yourself a lot of headaches by NOT falling VICTIM
to SPAMMERS!

About the Author
Debbie is the Creator of The HomeSource Arena,
which is The Leading Source in Certified Home Employment,
and owner of The Online Exchange Ezine, a Top Rated,
world renowned Ezine.
Please visit her site at:
http://www.marketingtrendz.com
editor@marketingtrendz.com

2005-11-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

Un-Due Process - Part 2 by Elena Fawkner

DUMB HOST

OK, now let's turn to the real bad guy in all of this. The webhost
who shuts down a website on the grounds of nothing more than
the say-so of an unverified spam complaint. In my case, it's
DumbHost but I know there are many other webhosts and ISPs
out there who are just as irresponsible.

Here's the email I received from DumbHost informing me my site
had been shut down:

"To whom it may concern,

"We recieved [sic] the following spam complaint regarding
ahbbo.com. Your domain will be temporarily disabled for 3 days.
You can have your domain re-enabled at the end of this 3 day
period by requesting so at enable@unsupportteam.net. If we
continue to recieve [sic] complaints, action may be taken to
disable your domain.

"Regards,
Abuse Response Team"

Regards!

The email that followed was the one from WeStopSpam.net.

Note that my site was shut down because "[w]e recieved [sic]
the following spam complaint regarding ahbbo.com". Not
because I had SPAMMED, mind you, but because DumbHost
had received a spam COMPLAINT. The notification that my
site had been disabled was the FIRST communication from
DumbHost on the matter.

An appropriate response would have been: "We've received a
complaint of spamming against you. We take all complaints
of spamming very seriously. Please let us have your response
to this complaint so we may take appropriate action". But I
guess that would have been too much like due process for
DumbHost to want to bother with.

Here's what followed:

From me to DumbHost:

"If you even bothered to read the "offending email" you will
see that it came from so-and-so.com, NOT ahbbo.com.
The publisher of the email in question reprinted one of my articles
in his newsletter. That article contained a resource box which
contained a link to my domain.

"If my site is shut down for ANY length of time as a result of this
complaint, expect a lawsuit without further notice."

Their reply (from "Level II Customer Care Representative" -
ha!):

"Was this bulk mail authorized by you? This is considered an
offense of our terms of service no matter where it originates as
long as the email is sent or authorized by you. The email
advertises your website, that is why your domain has been
disabled for 3 days.

Regards,
Abuse Response Team"

Me again:

"No! I've never heard of these people before. It is common
practice for newsletter publishers to publish articles written by
other people. The author's resource box is always included
at the end of the article. If this person's newsletter went to
someone who wasn't subscribed, then it's the newsletter
publisher who should be reported for spamming, not the
innocent author who is unfortunate enough to have their work
reprinted.

"Did anyone even read the email concerned before shutting
my site down? It's obvious what happened. If my site is not
reinstated today, I will be issuing legal proceedings tomorrow.
"By the way, don't you think your question should have been
asked BEFORE shutting me down, not after?"

Them again:

"Okay, I was asked to take a look at your account, I will forward
this information to abuse and they should get back to you
shortly...

"Best regards,

Jordan M.
Level II Customer Care"

(They apparently don't use full names at Level II Customer
Care. Can't imagine why.)

Finally, this one from the "Abuse Response Team" at DumbHost:

"In light of this new information, I have gone ahead and re-enabled
your domain. Be advised that any mass emails such as this will
be considered a violation of our terms of service. You may want to
take steps to ensure that services such as this are not sending
out this kind of advertisement for your site.

Regards,
Abuse Response Team"

Me:

"They did not send an advertisement for my site. My articles
are publicly available for reprint, as are thousands of other
authors'. It is usual practice for authors to give permission
for reprinting provided the newsletter publisher publishes the
author's resource box at the end of the article. It's a way of
generating traffic to the author's website.

"The author has no control over who uses the article in this
way. Is a paying advertiser in an ezine shut down if the
publisher of the ezine sends a spam email (assuming that
it was spam in the first place)? ... That policy makes no
sense whatsoever."

Them:

Nothing. Zip. Nada. No apology, no nothing.

Nice going DumbHost. You must be proud.

PLAN OF ACTION

My experience was pretty trivial in the scheme of things. I
was able to get my site restored in just a couple of hours.
Consider the damage that could be done to your business if
that didn't happen though. What would be the impact on
YOUR bottom line if your site was shut down for 3 days?
Or a week? Or for good?

So, what's the innocent party to do in a situation like this?

Here's one plan of action:

1. SUE irresponsible complainer for defamation.
2. SUE irresponsible spam police for defamation.
3. FIRE webhost.
4. SUE fired webhost for lost profits.

THE SOLUTION

I for one am not generally in favor of government regulation
when it comes to the Internet. This is one area, however,
in which I must say some form of governmental control should
be taken. Where else but online can you have a situation
where it's commonplace for someone to take punitive action
against an innocent bystander BEFORE giving them a fair
hearing? Where else but online can ignorant and/or malicious
individuals be allowed to cause such injury to someone else's
livelihood without being called to account? Try that in the
real world and you'll be answering a charge of vandalism,
defamation and trespass to goods just to start.

It's high time someone took a balanced approach to the
issue of spam and recognized that, although spam is an
undeniable problem, so too are anti-spam zealots and plain
malicious types who think it's sport to trash some innocent
person's business and reputation. They should be held to
account for the damage they cause.

In addition, in recognition of this unfortunate fact of online
life, a fact, I might add, of which webhosts are only too well
aware, webhosts should also be held accountable for shutting
down livelihoods based only on the prosecution's case in chief.
The defense is entitled to be heard and any conviction that
results from a one-sided hearing is nothing short of an abject
denial of due process. The legal profession can't get away
with that. Why the hell should webhosts?

------

* Fictionalized names.
About the Author
Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online ....
practical home business ideas, resources and strategies
for the work-from-home entrepreneur.
http://www.ahbbo.com

2005-11-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Un-Due Process - Part 1 by Elena Fawkner

"Automatic complaints are sent when a filter whose action is
set to Kill after complaining is triggered. For each filter, you
can configure who the complaint should be sent to. ... The
message body is also scanned for e-mail and website
addresses. If any addresses are found, they're added to the
lists mentioned above."
Source: http://www.spamkiller.com/Features.html

SpamKiller is spam filtering software. Its purpose is to
scan incoming email for spam and take appropriate action
in response to those messages that are identified as spam,
such as automatic deletion. Another handy function is that
the software allows the user to generate automatic and
manual complaint emails which the user then sends to the
webmaster of the offending domain as well as any number of
other recipients such as spam-reporting "authorities" and
the webhost and/or ISP of the person sending the offending
mail.

Good idea, you say? Fair enough, you say? Well ... maybe.
Note the quote above: "... The message body is also scanned
for e-mail and website addresses ... [and] added to the lists
mentioned above", i.e. the list of recipients of the complaint.

Now, imagine this. Let's say you're a paying advertiser
in my ezine. Your ad contains your URL and email
address. I spam mail my ezine or send it to someone
who forgets they subscribed and they think it's spam.

Imagine further that the recipient of my so-called spam uses
SpamKiller software (or some similar program). The software
scans the message header and extracts the relevant
information about the person who sent the email (me). Fair
enough. Assuming that it IS spam, of course.

But the capability of the software doesn't stop there. As
mentioned in the above quote, it also scans the message
BODY, which contains your ad, and adds your URL and
email address to the list of recipients of the complaint. The
ever-diligent big-spam-hunter also makes sure that one or
more spam-reporting "authorities" is copied on the
complaint.

WeStopSpam.net*, diligent, professional organization that
it is, immediately and automatically forwards the complaint
to abuse@yourdomain.com and your webhost, an equally
diligent, professional organization shuts your site down
for three days for spamming.

You, of course, learn about all of this AFTER the event.

Think it can't happen to you? Think again. It happened to
me. This week. Except I wasn't a paying advertiser in the
offending ezine. The publisher of the ezine reprinted one
of my articles. The article contained my resource box.
The resource box contained my website URL. SpamKiller
added my URL to the list of recipients of the email
complaining of the "spam", copied WeStopSpam.net and
WeStopSpam.net forwarded the email to abuse@ahbbo.com
with the result that my webhost, DumbHost*, shut down my
site for what was to be three days.

The actual downtime was two hours. By that time I had
threatened to sue and they finally got around to actually
READING the offending email and realizing that I, in fact,
was just an innocent bystander.

There is so much that is wrong in this whole scenario that
it's hard to know where to begin.

THE PERSON WHO GENERATED THE COMPLAINT

Let's start with the individual who generated the complaint
in the first place. This is the person using the SpamKiller
software. His email to me (which was auto-generated by
SpamKiller) contained the following subject line:

"UCE Complaint (So-and-So Newsletter*)"

The body started out:

"I have received the attached unsolicited e-mail from
someone at your domain. [He had not.]

"I do not wish to receive such messages in the future, so
please take the appropriate measures to ensure that this
unsolicited e-mail is not repeated.

"--- This message was intercepted by SpamKiller
(www.spamkiller.com) ---"

The full text of the intercepted message followed.

The header of the offending email clearly showed that the
sender of the email was someone from so-and-so.com*.
Unfortunately, the newsletter concerned contained virtually
nothing but my article interrupted by what I assume were
paid ads.

I'm sure that the paid advertisers in this particular ezine
also received a complaint and that WeStopSpam.net received
a copy and automatically forwarded it to the advertiser's
ISP and/or webhost who may or may not have shut them
down, at least temporarily. (Hopefully not all webhosts
are of the calibre of DumbHost when it comes to this sort of
thing.)

So, this individual, in his zealousness to rid the Internet
of spam, blithely dragged the names and reputations of at
least half a dozen perfectly innocent bystanders through the
mud.

The moral of the story? If you use spam-filtering software
and the complaint-generating function that comes with it,
have the common decency and responsibility to stop and
think about who you're adding to your hitlist. If you don't,
and you get it wrong, don't be surprised to find a process-
server on your doorstep.

SPAM FILTERING SOFTWARE

To give SpamKiller its due, it appears to be an excellent
product. There's a free 30 day download available at
http://www.spamkiller.com . I downloaded it myself to
see what, if any, cautions are given to users about the
need to make sure that the recipient of the complaint is,
in fact, responsible for the email concerned.

Well, there is such a caution but it took me a good 45
minutes to find it. The software comes with an excellent,
comprehensive built-in help facility. Tucked away at the
end of the page on "Sending manual complaints" is the
caution:

"Note: SpamKiller does not check that the loaded
addresses are appropriate for the selected message. Don't
use a ... complaint unless you are certain that its recipients
are responsible for the spam that you are complaining
about."

I would respectfully suggest that this warning be displayed
in a more prominent position, coupled with warnings about
what can happen to those who use the software in an
irresponsible manner so as to ensnare innocent parties.

WESTOPSPAM.NET

Now, let's take a look at WeStopSpam.net's role in all of
this. In my case, "all" they did was forward a complaint
they had received from our friend in the previous section
to my webhost. Here's what they sent:

"From: 17846286@reports.westopspam.net
To: abuse@dumbhost.com
X-Loop: one
Subject: [WeStopSpam (http://www.ahbbo.com) id:17846286]
So-and-So Newsletter
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 23:14:50 -0700 (MST)
X-Mailer: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows 98)
via http://westopspam.net/ v1.3.1
- WeStopSpam V1.3.1 -
This message is brief for your comfort. ...
Spamvertised website: http://www.ahbbo.com
> http://www.ahbbo.com is 63.249.189.106; Tue, 27 Feb 2001
02:56:58 GMT
Offending message: ..."

So, my website was reported for spamming because it was
"spamvertised" - lovely butchering of the English language, I
must say. This appears to be a coined term for a website that
is advertised by means of spam. This means that any paying
advertiser in the ezine itself is treated as a spammer, merely
because spam was used to send the ezine.

I checked out the website of the ezine concerned. It proclaimed
that its 85,000 subscribers were all "opt-in" i.e. that the
subscribers each took some positive step to have their email
address added to the ezine's mailing list.

Any reputable advertiser is going to be concerned that the
recipients of the ezine are opt-in, so this would have been of
comfort to the advertisers concerned in this instance.

Mind you, when I sent an email to the address displayed at
the publisher's site, it bounced. Maybe this person IS a
spammer. I don't know. And that's the point. How are you
supposed to know that if you're just the advertiser or article
author?

But, as far as WeStopSpam.net is concerned, that doesn't
matter. The mere fact that the advertiser's opportunity was
advertised in the allegedly spam email is sufficient to make
the advertiser a legitimate target. In my case, I didn't even
advertise! The publisher of the ezine ran my article. How
many of you out there make your articles freely available for
reprint?

WeStopSpam.net would presumably have you restrict the
reprint rights to your articles to only those publishers who you
know for a FACT are sending to a 100% guaranteed opt-in list.
How do you do that? Quite simply, you can't. To expect any
such thing is just unreal and smacks of an appalling lack of
understanding about how the online world works.

A reasonable compromise would be if reprint rights were
granted to publishers who send their ezine to an opt-in list. I
would have no objection to that. Of course, that wouldn't help
you with WeStopSpam.org because their policy is to shoot
first and ask questions later ... but wait, on second thought,
they don't even ask questions later. They just shoot.

You don't get a "please explain" or anything else. You're
convicted first and then it's up to you to prove that you're
innocent. Of course, by then, the damage is done. But
WeStopSpam.org doesn't care. I'm sure they see it as just a
casualty of war.

About the Author
Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online ....
practical home business ideas, resources and strategies
for the work-from-home entrepreneur.
http://www.ahbbo.com

2005-11-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Spam Not by Mari Peckham

"Spam not, lest ye be spammed." ~Mari Peckham

Just yesterday, I received over 40,000 emails from a person
who had harvested a contact email address from one of my
websites. The person may or may not have personally secured
my email address, but since I use it only to receive email
feedback from my website and never to send mail, I know that
it was a harvested address. Because of the nature of my use
of this email address, I also have a "Thank you for
contacting us." autoresponder message in place there.

My server was mad at me. My entire system was mad at me. I
couldn't conduct my normal business and send out email that
needed to be sent out, because my computer was hard at work
downloading email upon email.

How can something like this happen?

Simple enough, really. My email was picked up off of my
website and added to an autoresponder. If it had been a
regular email account, I would have received an unsolicited
message that I would have easily deleted, no big deal. But
since my email address was attached to an autoresponder, it
started a vicious cycle of email autoresponse.

The person who had sent me the email - well, they ended up
with 40,000 "Thank you for contacting us." emails in their
box from me.

I'm sure that that wasn't very pleasant for them, either.
And the fact of the matter is that they may have not even
realized that they had done anything wrong.

Spam is bad. Not all spammers are bad people, though. Some
of them are just misinformed or inexperienced Internet
marketers.

I'm the first to admit that marketing can be frustrating.
Just when you've hit the wall and can't think of another
fresh marketing idea to get new people to your site, along
comes a company that offers you a list of 100,000 email
addresses for just $24.95 or some other unbelievable deal.
Wow! What an opportunity! Affordable, even! It's hard not
to jump all over an offer like that.

But beware! It's hard to say where those email addresses
are coming from.

Many unscrupulous companies use "harvesting" software that
spiders the Internet and lifts email address off of
websites. They then compile lists of these email addresses
and sell them as "opt-in safelists" for profit.

As a marketer, using these lists can get you in tons of
trouble. Once labeled as a Spammer, it is hard to rid
yourself of that reputation, whether you were spamming on
purpose, or you were a victim of a bad "list". You can be
dropped from your hosting service or ISP. Companies that
you are promoting using Spam will cancel your accounts.

Bottom line: If you are not sure that it is NOT Spam, then
don't do it. Develop your own list of opt-in subscribers by
offering a newsletter, free information, or something else
that will get people to take notice of you. Both
YahooGroups (http://groups.yahoo.com/) and Topica
(http://www.topica.com) offer free, easy-to-use service that
will manage your subscribers for you. You can find other
similar services on the Internet. This is one of the most
responsive forms of advertising, because you have the
opportunity to develop a relationship with your list
members.

You can also use a mailing list building service, such as
Free Mailer 2000 (http://www.freemailer2000.com), although
you will need to advertise your mailing list builder site in
order to build your mailing list.

Safelists can be another safe way to get the word out about
your business, but vary in responsiveness. I recommend the
services of SafeListBoys (http://www.safelistboys.com) to
help you find lists and easily manage your safelist activity
for a small monthly fee. You can also find new safelists by
entering "safelists" in any search engine, but watch out for
those "BULK" mailing list services that may fall in the
unscrupulous SPAM category. Rule of thumb, if you aren't a
member yourself and know for a fact that the list is opt-in,
don't use it!

If you are choosing to spam, stop immediately. It may be
getting you a handful of responses right now, but the
painful consequences of your actions can cancel out any
benefits that you may find.

If we, as an Internet marketing community, would all agree
to market responsibly, the Internet would soon be a better
place to work and live. What comes around goes around.
Spam not, lest ye be spammed.
About the Author
Mari is the author of MarketingPitbull, a truly step-by-step
guide to creating exponential traffic flow and a residual
income online, with or without your own product. Find out
more about MarketingPitbull at:
http://www.marketingpitbull.com

2005-11-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

"Where is My Spam" by Wonder Wyant

Boy, I must be really new to the Internet! Everyone keeps
talking about all the canned meat they're getting and I'm
hardly getting fed over here.

I do get some, but I'm sure not getting fat on it. I
receive a couple of hundred or so emails a day so I'm not
surprised that I get a few offers for credit cards I don't
need and junk I'm not going to buy.

Although I probably average only a dozen or so letters a day
in the big metal box at the end of the drive,some days more
that half of that mail is junkmail.

While I find basically none of this junkmail useful to me,
the electronic spam is much easier to deal with. I'm
brand new to email and I still know at least three ways to
hit delete! And, if need be, I can let my ISP gobble it up.

Since I live in the country and I no longer have to pay the
garbage man to haul away the paper junkmail, I don't even
resent that as I once did. In fact, I hear that I have a
neighbor who actually solicits the stuff as he heats his
house with it. An idea, I suppose?

I can almost hear you saying "Wait a minute! You said you
get hundreds of emails a day." Yes, indeed I do. I would
say that 96% of them are from ezines that I've subcribed to,
offers I asked for more information about or email courses I
wanted.

In my 3 months on the Internet, I've subscribed to over 400
ezines. Am I nuts, as an ezine editor friend of mine
implied? No, I'm out here to get information. The only way
to do that is to go to where the source is. Many ezines are
wonderful sources of a wide variety of information.

Unfortunately, I've found that not all ezines are
entertaining or informative. Do I read them all?
Yes, I do, to a point. I use an automatic 'shelving' system
in Outlook Express for my ezines.

I have a folder named 'Ezines' and inside that I have many
subfolders.

When I read my first issue of an ezine, if I am instantly
totally impressed, I set up a subfolder for that ezine and
a message rule that puts every issue in that folder. I
generally eagerly read them as soon as I see I have unopened
mail in that folder. If I find later that I am not enjoying
that ezine as much, I move the whole folder to another
catagory or I unsubscribe and delete the folder.

I also have a subfolder called 'Checking Out'. If I am not
totally enamored with the ezine, it goes into a subfolder in
that file. I have these labeled: 'Daily's", 'Weekly's' and
'Monthly's. I add the from address to the appropriate
message rule and those ezines go to their folders.

I read the 'Checking Out' ezines as time allows. Very often,
by the second or third issue, the ezine has graduated it its
own folder. I sort by name and read the 'Daily's' more
often that the others but I do at least scan them all.

If I have received 5 or 6 issues of an ezine and it still
remains in my just looking folder, I am not very interested
in that ezine. I unsubscribe. Ezine editors might want to
note that, when they send me 4 or more 'solos' in a day, I
am probably only seeing one real issue of their ezine when
I'm trying to decide if I want to remain subscribed.

I have to admit that I've recently added a new subfolder
called 'Free Ad Subs'. Yep, you guessed it, stuff I don't
read unless have extra time or I need an ad code. I will
stay subscribed though until I figure out a better way to
market.

I don't know, maybe I'm just too new out here to know what
canned meat is.

If you'd like some helpful hints on how to manage 400+
ezines in your mailbox, send for my free helpful article
"Manage Your E-mail" mailto:wonderclass1@GetResponse.com.
About the Author
Wonder Wyant is a retired carny and the editor of "Geeks,
Freaks and Bamboozles" a new ezine about both the carnival
she retired from and the one she retired to. To get in
prelaunch, mailto:wonderwyant@hotmail.com. You can check out
her newest 'teddybear' at http://100PercentProfit.cjb.net.

2005-10-31T17:40:00.000-08:00

Good Spam or Bad Spam - What's the Difference? by Sara Hardy

"Are you good spam or bad spam?"
This is the question I find echoing in my head sometimes when
I am going through my email, as if it is part of some electronic
Wizard of Oz. Have you ever given any thought to the fact that
there really is a difference in spam? Not that I am defending
anyone, but let me make my point and then you can decide for
yourself.

Spam is such a hot issue and no one knows the "right" view of
spam that fits everyone. You either:
- will take all measures to prevent people from sending it to you
- don't mind it at all and happily delete, delete, delete every day
- OR hate it sometimes and ignore it other times.

I think I fall in the last category, which is what started me thinking
about good and bad spam. My point of view has now developed
into this:

BAD Spam-
-It is bad spam when you reply to it to be removed and it is
returned to you because the address is made up.
-It is bad spam when the removal link does not open a real url.
-It is bad spam when you paste the message source into Spam
Cop and the info you get back before clicking the "Send spam
report" shows tons of dead ends and made up domains, etc.

This means that this "Cowardly Lion" harvested your address,
and went to great lengths to cover their tracks in order not to
get caught sending spam.

GOOD Spam-
-It is good spam when there is an actual person on the other
end, apologizing for inconveniencing you.

What made it good spam? Because here is spam that you
most likely will not get again, because it is more legit then the
bad spam. These people are not out to break any rules, upset
anyone, or ruin your day. 9 times out of 10 they really don't
know any better and will learn, very quickly I might add.

Also, keep in mind that the Scarecrow in us does not ALWAYS
remember every email we sign up for. It is possible to have
signed up for something and a week later be flipping out
because you are getting email from some unknown. If we only
had a brain sometimes (Speaking for myself, of course).

It is also highly possible that someone is having fun
subscribing you to things. Never count that one out, it happens
all of the time.

GOOD vs BAD
Personally, I would much rather get NO spam, however if I had
to choose, I would have to go with good spam. Bad spam
demonstrates that the sender KNOWS what is NOT acceptable
and went to all of this trouble and expense to hide behind this
long trail of fake addresses. These are malicious acts, and
down right dirty. Do they really think that what they are trying to
sell in this manner is actually worth it? These are the people we
should be upset with. These are the people that we need to be
telling, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little server too!"

So, whether you agree or disagree, just try to keep in mind that
-1. The whole world is not out to get you.
-2. Not every piece of spam is sent with the same intent. And...
-3. As the world around us continues to change,
we will be seeing more and more companies resorting to
sending their junk mail through email rather then the post office.
(I think this is becoming a more desirable thing to us all, as it
would be much safer, take less effort to get rid of, & is better
for the environment.)

Now is the time to try to adjust our view and approach the issue
with a level head. If we don't we will drive ourselves mad, and
for what purpose? The changes in our world cause the internet
to change. Soon you probably will find yourself saying, "I don't
think we're in Kansas anymore".
About the Author
Sara Hardy
Publisher of The OnLine Exchange Ezine.
We have been in circulation for over 3 years,
with over 28,000 faithful subscribers. Go here to subscribe:
http://marketingtrendz.com and start your FREE Membership
to our Profit Zone, giving you unlimited access to FREE
marketing tools, ebooks, resources and more!

2005-10-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

Buried Under a Mountain of Spam by Michael Southon

For years I didn't worry much about spam.

But lately it's got out of control. Over half of my email
is now spam, and it's growing by the week.

Spam is now such a problem that I know people who have
had to close down their domain name. This article offers
some tips on how to avoid being buried under a mountain
of spam.

---------------------------------------------
How Do They Get Your Address?
---------------------------------------------

In the old days, spammers got their addresses mainly from
Newsgroups - if you didn't post to Newsgroups, you were
reasonably safe. But they're now using a much more
efficient method to build their lists - email harvesters.

Email harvesters are robots that roam the Internet
collecting email addresses from web pages. Examples are
EmailSiphon, Cherry Picker, Web Weasel, Web Bandit and
Email Wolf, to name just a few.

How can you protect yourself from email harvesters?

By 'munging' (mung = 'mash until no good') or cloaking your
email address.

There are many ways of munging your address - the easiest
technique is to use HTML code for the punctuation in your
email address (instead of symbols).

For the colon after mailto use : and for the @ symbol
use @ and for the period use .

With this method, my email address would become:
mailto:msouthon@freezineweb.com

Your email address will appear exactly as it did before,
and it will still be 'clickable', but email harvesters will
ignore it and move on.

There are also JavaScript's that you can insert into your
web page that will make your email address visible to
humans but invisible to harvesting programs. Here's one
that works very well:
http://pointlessprocess.com/JavaScripts/anti-spam.htm

----------------------------
How To Fight Spam
----------------------------

The most important thing is never, ever, reply to spam.

Most spam contains an innocent-looking 'remove me' email
address. Do not use it. Here's why:

Spammers typically buy a CD containing a million or so
email addresses, but they have no idea how many of those
addresses are active. So before beginning their marketing
campaign in earnest, they send out a 'test message' to the
entire list.

The test message contains an email address for removing
yourself. When you reply to that address, it confirms to
the spammer that your address is active and therefore worth
spamming.

Worse still, the spammer may be distilling from that CD a
list of confirmed active addresses that he will then sell
to another spammer.

The key to dealing with spam is to report it to a 3rd
party: (1) the affiliate program that the spammer is
advertising, (2) the spammer's web host, or (3) the ISP the
spammer used to connect to the Internet.

When you report spam to a 3rd party, remember to be polite
- they didn't send the spam and they're probably just as
anti-spam as you are.

(1) Reporting to Affiliate Programs

Many spammers are affiliates advertising someone else's
products or services. So look for a website address that
contains an affiliate link, something like this:
www.affiliateprogramdomain/841526

Then just send an email to the affiliate program
(abuse@affiliateprogramdomain.com), informing them that
you are receiving spam from one of their affiliates.

Most affiliate programs have zero tolerance for spamming
and will remove an affiliate spammer without warning.

Now, affiliate spammers don't want you to see their
affiliate link, so many of them send their email as HTML.
All you see in the message are the words 'Click Here and
Order Now'.

But in your browser just click on 'View Source Code' and
search for the letters 'http'. That will take you to the
spammer's affiliate link.

(2) Reporting to Web Hosts

If the spam doesn't contain an affiliate link, its likely
that it is coming from the owner of the domain name. In
that case you'll have to report it to the spammer's web
host or their ISP.

To make a report to the spammer's web host just go to
Whois, the directory of registered domain names:
http://www.netsol.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois

Type in the spammer's domain (the website address that
appears in the spam) together with the extension (.com,
.org, .net etc).

The host for that domain will usually be listed as the
Technical Contact in the Whois record and there will be an
email address for contacting them.

(3) Reporting to ISPs

To report a spammer to his Internet Service Provider,
you'll have to look at the spam's 'extended headers'.

Extended headers show the servers that the message passed
through in order to get to you. The instructions for
viewing extended headers will vary depending on what email
client you are using.

=> In Pegasus Mail, open the offending message and then
right-click and choose 'Show raw message data'.

=> In Eudora Light, click on 'Tools' in the top menu bar,
and then 'Options', and then select the checkbox option
that says 'Show all headers (even the ugly ones)' and
click OK.

=> In Outlook Express, open the offending message, select
'Properties' from the File menu and then click the
'Details' tab.

Reading and understanding extended headers is quite a
detailed subject. Here's an excellent free tutorial on how
to decipher extended headers:
http://www.doughnut.demon.co.uk/SpamTracking101.html

As an alternative to these reporting techniques, you could
use a web-based spam reporting service such as SpamCop
(www.spamcop.net). SpamCop deciphers the spam's message
headers and traces the mail back to its source.

However, SpamCop is known to generate complaints about
innocent third parties, and as a result, many system
administrators ignore complaints received from SpamCop.

There is one kind of spam that the techniques in this
article probably won't help you with: spam from China.

This is the most peculiar spam you're ever likely to
receive. For example I regularly get messages from a
certain ChenHua of the China-Lutong mechanical company
asking me if I would like to order hydraulic heads for
the VE distributor pump.

Spam is not an issue in China so it's unlikely you would
stop the spammer by reporting him to a 3rd party. However,
while doing the research for this article I came across a
web page that offers a very ingenious (though rather
severe) solution to Chinese spam.

The Chinese government recently ordered all ISPs in China
to start monitoring email for subversive phrases. This
anti-spammer replies to Chinese spam with a message that
includes subversive phrases, such as "weapons and
ammunition", "Falung Gong" and "Free Tibet".

But I don't recommend you do this - the Chinese spammer
could end up spending years in a forced labor camp. Even
the worst spammer in the world doesn't deserve that.

Good luck in your fight against spam!
About the Author
Michael Southon is the author of the popular new eBook
'Ezine Writer!' Discover how to dramatically increase your
Traffic and Sales, starting today: http://www.ezine-writer.com/
Join his twice-monthly 'e-Profit Tips Newsletter':
mailto:ept-subscribe@freezineweb.com

2005-10-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Not Guilty by Bob Osgoodby

We receive such a tremendous amount of unsolicited commercial
email (spam) in our In-Box every day, we can certainly understand
why some people become "Anti-Spam" crusaders. Since the majority
is sent with phony return addresses, it is virtually impossible
to track them down. While there are ways to find out where it
originated, it is usually an exercise in futility, as most come
from professional spam houses who own their own servers, and
aren't about to shut themselves down.

Most people simply delete the clutter, or create filters with
their email package to automatically get rid of a lot of it.
There are some however, whose primary mission in life is to get
rid of all the spam on the Internet.

Frustrated by their inability to get rid of most of it, they
might find a valid email address, and like a hawk seeking its
prey, pounce upon the offender. They relentlessly pursue
their intended victim, and file a complaint with every email
address provider they can identify.

Some fanatics seem to take great pleasure in getting someone's
domain blocked, or being shutdown by their ISP or email provider.
But wait - what if the complaint is not valid. We all know how
easy it is to forge someone's valid email address, and many
spammers do just this. If a complaint is filed against that
stolen address, the true owner is being unjustly accused. At the
very least they will have to defend themselves, and worse case
they are shut down. This is wrong.

Others obtain software that parses their email, and automatically
sends a complaint to every provider found. Now, having a spastic
moment, they might do this with a newsletter they subscribe to,
and asked to receive. That means that the provider of every email
address found in the newsletter will receive a complaint. This
includes the authors of articles in the newsletter, all
advertisers who list an email address, as well as the publisher.
This action will cause people who are not guilty of spamming
significant problems. This is unconscionable.

The typical scenario is that someone subscribes to a newsletter
with a free email address, and forwards their email to their
permanent email address. They receive the publication, decide
they don't want it, and try to be removed from the distribution
list. They are told that they are not subscribed under that
address, which is true. Forgetting about the fact that it is
actually being sent to their free account and being forwarded,
their level of frustration increases with every copy received,
and they fire off their complaints.

People who make unfounded complaints, like terrorists, are guilty
of a crime. No, they don't kill anyone, but they could put
legitimate people, who are not spamming, out of business due to
their complaints. They are, in point of fact, depriving someone
of the right to earn a living, and should be legally liable for
any damage they cause.

Don't get me wrong - I am as sick of receiving this garbage in my
mailbox every day as everyone else. I don't like to receive
unsolicited commercial email. I can't stop it however, and I
don't think anyone can. I don't like receiving ads for porn
sites, for legal representation, viagra, cellular phones, printer
cartridges or anything else that winds up uninvited in my email.

I don't have a surefire solution to this problem, but do know
that it is wrong to persecute the innocent on the outside chance
of getting a spammer, who will simply spring up someplace else.

The anti-spam fanatics who pursue tactics like this are more of a
problem than the spammers they are trying to get rid of. While I
can take steps to eliminate the spam I receive, I can't prevent
the fanatics from making false accusations, which could be
detrimental to my reputation and business.

Face it - the number of spams received from misdirected
individuals is miniscule in comparison with those received from
the untouchable pros. Rather than persecuting legitimate people
who are not guilty, why not take some steps to provide a workable
solution.

Spam is theft, Spammers are thieves, and should be treated as
such. They are stealing your available resources, not to mention
your time to sort through it. Legislative solutions have become
mired, and remove lists don't work. Filtering email is only a
partial solution, as much spam is an HTML document that you can't
eliminate on a keyword in the body of the note, and since they
use a different address every time it is sent, it is virtually
impossible to block.

In my judgement, the most effective way to keep unsolicited mail
from getting in your email box, is to enact legislation that
requires the letters "ADV" to precede the subject of the
unsolicited email. That would identify it as an ad, and allow you
the option to easily filter the email to where you wish.

Something must be done, and a reasonable first step would be to
send a copy of this article to your elected representatives, and
demand action on their part.

The least effective way is to make complaints to ISP's found in
an email, as the majority of the time, you won't be getting the
real offenders. You could however, wind up hurting someone who
is not guilty.

About the Author
Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine,
"The Tip of the Day", get a Free Ad for their Business at his
Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday.
Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

2005-10-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

8 Ways To Defend Yourself From False Spam Complaints by John Colanzi

No matter how careful you are, you are always open to
false spam complaints.

You can get upset or you can take more proactive measures
to prepare yourself.

Don't rely on the fact that you are innocent.

Your innocence or guilt usually has no bearing on the
outcome.

It's no comfort knowing you are innocent, if your site is
shut down or you lose your mailing list.

There are some simple steps you can take to protect your
business.

1. Find out your ISP's spam policy.

Some providers will close your account on the first
complaint proven or unproven. If this is your providers
policy, look for one that will take the time to investigate.

It's too late once your account has been closed.

2. Use a marketer friendly list service to host your opt in
list.

Fellow marketers usually know how rampant false complaints
are and won't shut down your list without hearing your side
of the issue.

3. Back up your list daily.

It takes time and effort to build a solid list. Don't let
it disappear overnight.

4. Make sure your web sites are hosted by services that
will let you explain your side of the story, before they
shut you down.

Marketers have lost sites getting 1,000 or more visitors
a day, because their host reacted without warning.

5. Set up email accounts and links to be used in the
resource boxes of your articles.

Some spam software will go after every link in a
newsletter. It's better to lose a throwaway account than
have your main accounts shut down.

6. Set up email accounts and web pages to use in ezine ads.

7. Keep back up copies of your follow up auto responder
messages.

8. Never send email to someone you don't know.

Avoid those cd's offering thousands of safe addresses. They
aren't safe.

You can take these simple steps and protect you business,
or you can protest your innocence while your scrambling to
salvage your business.

Don't be a victim. Take the bull by the horns and protect
your business.

No on will do it for you.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi
http://www.internet-profits4u.com

About the Author
John publishes the "Street Smart Marketing"
newsletter. To subscribe
mailto:streetsmart@rapidreply.net
Don't forget to get your free email course. "7 Days To
Turbo Charged Mind!" mailto:johncolanzi@freeautobot.com

2005-10-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

"Fighting SPAM!" by A.T.Rendon

Junk email is estimated to have grown about 42% during 2001,
with the seemingly non-stop invasion of X-rated email, scam
offers from Nigeria, drugs and other such unwanted intrusions.

Analysts predict that the volume of email on the Internet,
most of it junk, will grow another 50 percent in 2002.

That is a lot of email!

With estimates that the number of Internet users is nearing
the 1 billion mark, the amount of email floating around the
Internet will only continue to increase.

The question many people want to ask is, "Are there any
sure-fire cures for all this junk email that we receive right
now and any more that may appear in the coming years?"

The short answer - Yes.

Make good use of your delete button! :-)

The long answer is - No.

No, there is no 100 percent cure for the spam that plagues us
all, X-rated or not. Not even pending federal legislation will
make a significant dent on all that junk. But there are several
ways to try and alleviate this problem.

Most email programs, including Microsoft's Outlook Express, have
custom filtering features that are built into the program but which
are, more often than not, very much unused.

The big problem in using ANY email filter system is that
they may cause blocking of legitimate email.

Basically, you can set up filters to remove email that comes
from a specific email address or set it up to block email
which contains certain key words in either the Subject
section or in the Body of the message.

Netscape Communicator 4.0 or later also has filtering ability
but Netscape Navigator does not. And Eudora 3.0 and above
can also filter your email.

Filtering will not eliminate all spam email but it can make your
life on the Internet just a bit easier.

Just keep in mind that filters are a constant, ongoing process.
Spammers are always changing strategy to keep ahead of the
filters or other Spam Blocking software.

There are many popular email management tools to help you
combat the problem of SPAM which are free, available for free
trial or cost a modest fee.

For a FREE List of SPAM Resources via Auto-Responder,
send us a blank email to:
mailto:spamtools@emailexchange.org

Once you decide how you want to approach this problem, then
it is just a matter of keeping tabs on your email and making
adjustments to block future changes that spammers might make.

Keeping on top of this will allow you to eliminate the majority
of the SPAM that is now finding it's way into your in-box.
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
Subscribe to FREE Business Classifieds Newsletter
& receive FREE online access to our Password
Protected "FREE Submit To Over 2.7 MILLION FREE
Ad Sites!" mailto:subscribe_fbcn9@emailexchange.org
Visit us at: http://emailexchange.org/?Articles

2005-10-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

Trapped Between Abusers and Accusers. It's a Spam Sandwich! by Mike Banks Valentine

This week was dominated by SPAM issues for me. I alternate
between stunned and complacent over SPAM I receive each day.
One day my delete-key-trigger-finger works in rapid bursts to
clear the inbox. The next day brings a new barrage and I fume
as the HTML SPAM emails launch web browser windows automatically
that can't be closed without opening more windows.

Each time Java is launched while I'm reviewing my mail, I almost
explode in anger as there is literally nothing I can do to stop
it until it loads the email, pops up a browser window and I can
finally begin to close the rapid fire group of popup windows
attempting to show hardcore porn or the latest body enhancing
pills.

A news headline caught my eye the same day about a Scottsdale,
Arizona based company that was closed down by the state attorney
general for fraud, using spam to gain customers. C.P. Direct, a
company selling penis, breast and even HEIGHT enhancing pills
was shuttered and assets seized. Apparently there are way too
many men without common sense who purchased those "Longitude"
pills and then convinced their significant-others to buy the
pills offering fuller breasts. It saddens me especially those
who fell for the pills to make you taller. But it seems to pay
well to sell snake oil.

"Among the items seized were luxury cars, including a
Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Ferrari and Bentley, $20
million in bank accounts, $3 million in cash and a
bounty of luxury jewelry, according to a list of the
items. Company officials could not be reached for
comment. The initial cost of the pills was $59.99, plus
shipping and handling for a month's supply and $39.99
a month thereafter. Records showed the pills cost $2.50
per bottle to manufacture. The company also allegedly
sold pills that supposedly guaranteed height increases
and bigger breasts, officials said."

http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1030199

As a list moderator for multiple lists and a host of several
newsletters, I have plenty of email to deal with on a routine
basis. The time lost to SPAM is just too valuable to give up
any more. I see this as a privacy issue as well. Those email
addresses harvested from my site by spammers (about a dozen
different special purpose addresses) are then resold to
so-called legitimate marketers that actually remove me from
their lists when I ask, but the spammers sell the harvested
addresses over and over again. I even get spam sent to my
I-Privacy list address that were harvested by spambots.

I encoded many of the email links on my site with UNICODE
symbols in an attempt to foil the harvesting software and then
immediately got a note from someone doing spamming in an attempt
to end spam (!!!) who offered a tool to encode my emails with
UNICODE! It must be a joke site because their links don't work
and the spam sent encouraging me to go encode my emails actually
showed my address in UNICODE BEFORE their enocoding! For those
of you that haven't used this little trick it's detailed in an
article (along with a dozen other articles on spam issues) at:

http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spambot_unicode.html

I also recommend two others, one that details a list of
anti-spam techniques and a second that lists resources to fight
spam.

http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spam_fighting.html
http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamfilter.html

I finally decided I'd had enough of it and signed up for a paid
service that cleans my emailbox every twenty minutes and removes
the latest load of stupid promotions -- before I retrieve my
mail. It is such a valuable service and worked so well for me
that I've begun reselling that service from my site. A free
trial is available.

OK, well, now I can rest easy, right? NO! Now I'VE been ACCUSED
of spamming and complaints have been registered with SpamCop! I
host a daily horoscope list with about 4500 subscribers that is
very popular. I get notes (to the astrologer, Brandi Jasmine)
regularly raving about how much they enjoy the daily list.
Someone was apparently subscribed by a friend or relative
without their permission and they sent nasty notes (anonymously
through SpamCop) screeching at me to stop spamming them! Details
and full story are available at the following address:

http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcop_vigilanties.html

I think SPAM will be the death of me. I'm so tired of fighting
it, writing about it and being accused of it myself! I've done
all I can to require double opt-in to all my lists. But I'm a
list publisher of sorts online and either must learn to live
with the issue or quit. I won't quit -- but sometimes it sure
is tempting. Less tolerant souls could end up "going Postal."
The problem is that the only thing I can damage in my rage would
be my own computer.

Spammers drive Ferrari's while driving us all nuts. Go figure.
About the Author
Mike Banks Valentine
I-Privacy Discussion List
Protecting Privacy is Good for Business
http://www.adventive.com/lists/iprivacy/summary.html
SUBSCRIBE: mailto:i-privacy-join-request@list.adventive.com

2005-10-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

SpamCop Vigilantism by Mike Banks Valentine

The following is a note I received from an advertiser after he got a
SPAM warning from a Spam Vigilante. Note that his service is a SPAM
Filtering Service!

Mike,

Do you know what this means, and how it happened?

Joe

----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 7:18 PM
Subject: [SpamCop (http://spamfilter.website101.com) id:82451690]
[Astrology.ca] May 25 Horoscope
> - SpamCop V1.3.3 -

> This message is brief for your comfort. Please follow links for
details.

The following note come from the VIGILANTE via SpamCop

> > I never signed up for this! Send CONFIRMATION emails BEFORE
mindlessly signing people up to prevent unauthorized signups!
>

My response to my list advertiser is next

Joe,

You have just become the latest victim of spam vigilantism by a
SpamCop member. It is a hate crime practiced by folks with little
else to do but chase phantom criminals because they are so annoyed
by REAL spammers. I guess you can't blame them since that is what
obviates the SpamFilter Service you provide. I have written previous
articles on the absolute stupidity of this vicious circle. You provide
a valuable service with SpamFilter which is intended to stop spam
directly. SpamCop thrives, in part, because your very worthwhile
SpamFilter service is so necessary. I only wish more people would
use SpamFilter and fewer used SpamCop.

Here is the usual course of events, Joe.

I host a daily horoscope list that goes to 4500 people. Many times
enthusiastic astrology list subscribers sign up friends and relatives
without their permission, to share a particular horoscope with them.
It's the biggest drawback to hosting that list.

But I keep all subscription requests and can prove them. I've had
run-ins with SpamCop before and they know about my list and that
there are occasional complaints due to those unrequested sign-ups to
the list by over enthusiastic friends and relatives. As you can see, I
am advertising SpamFilter in that daily horoscope and when a
complaint goes to spamcop, their mindless automated system sends
to every domain listed in the email.

I've had trouble with it before and have a section in the SpamFilter
folder discussing it. Note the links to SpamCops Abuses and the
multiple articles from other victims of the so-called service. Most
of us are list hosts or have our own newsletters. Read the articles I
have posted.

http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcop.net.html
http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcops.html
http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spammer_spamming.html

All that is required is to notify everyone involved of the likely
cause, that is friends signing up others without permission. I even
directly ask people NOT to sign up others to avoid this trouble. But
when it does happen, I always notify my web host, the list host and
any advertisers in the list and it's becoming routine, unfortunately,
because of how SpamCop works -- or I should say, doesn't work. That
is the reason I like your SpamFilter service so much. It removes the
crap to allow me more time to deal with real issues.

SpamCop is a real issue and I tire of the vigilantes involved with
them. Unfortunately, it seems not to go away, no matter how many
list owners are attacked this way. I'm sending a copy of this to my
Web Host, my List Host, to SpamCop, to you and to other advertisers,
so that everyone is aware of the stupidity involved and doesn't take
the matter too far. I'll be posting a copy of this in the SpamFilter
article file as well to further illustrate the vigilante nature of
SpamCop members.

Makes me think of lynchings and other hate crimes when people do
this. Talk about knee-jerk reactions. Notice that the complainer is
masked by SpamCop? They complain anonymously and it's not possible
to respond to them, even when you would like to explain it to them.
Neither can you unsubscribe the complainer. Usually they just continue
to complain and you must continue to defend yourself so your host
doesn't take action against you, your list or your site.

In this case I can prove the person is subscribed, and if they did the
complaining directly to me, I could show them the subscription and
the IP address of the person that subscribed them. But they string up
the noose and attempt to hang the object of their wrath, even if they
ought to be stringing up the friend or relative that subscribed them
to the list without their permission. Note also that there is a
plainly visible and always available UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom
of the list.

They don't unsubscribe, they would rather complain than to take direct
action. It's all really very absurd.

Mike Banks Valentine

Joe wrote:

Mike,
Do you know what this means, and how it happened.
Joe

----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 7:18 PM
Subject: [SpamCop (http://spamfilter.website101.com) id:82451690]
[Astrology.ca] May 25 Horoscope
> - SpamCop V1.3.3 -

> This message is brief for your comfort. Please follow links for
> >details.

> >I never signed up for this! Send CONFIRMATION emails BEFORE
> >mindlessly signing people up to prevent unauthorized signups!
>
> http://spamcop.net/w3m?i=z82451690z7ace8a3499a4c
47e3d2714d14424bca0z
> Spamvertised website: http://spamfilter.website101.com
> > http://spamfilter.website101.com is 66.216.72.170; Sat, 25 May
2002
03:34:38 GMT

The following is a copy of the daily horoscope list that I host that
was falsely accused of spamming by someone that was signed up by
a usually well-meaning friend who simply wants to share a horoscope
they think has particular meaning for their friend or relative. I
don't condone this, and I wish that subscribers wouldn't do it, but
it is rather harmless, isn't it? Notice the advertisers (who also get
spam notices from SpamCops.)
>
> AstrologySender.com presents Horoscopes Daily
> Brandi Jasmine, Editor
>
>
>
> AstrologySender.com powered by Astrology.ca
>
> You are receiving this issue because you subscribed
> Unsubscribe by using the address at the bottom of page.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ==> Sponsor Ad: SpamFilter!
> ==> Today's Horoscopes
> ==> UniqueSender.com Themed Portals in YOUR Interests!
> ==> Classified ads: Healing Oat Bath Mix
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Fed UP with SPAM? Finally, there's a Solution!
>
> SpamFilter Cleans your inbox Before you check email!
> If you are spending too much time deleting unwanted
> commercial email and stopping pornographic images
> from filling your inbox. Check out SpamFilter!
>
> 7 Day Free Trial if you sign up this week!
>
> http://spamfilter.website101.com
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> To have your ad appear above send for our ad rate card
> mailto:ads@AstrologySender.com
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> 25-05-2002
>
> Aries
>
> Don't try to push your values or priorities on a friend today. Even
> if you are in the right, the effort could backfire, leaving a lot
> of negative feelings instead of the positive effect you had hoped
> to generate. You won't be at your most patient or tolerant today.
>

Most Horoscopes have been removed, come sign up if you want yours!
I'm willing to bet the complainer was an Aries. ;-) The end is
included here to show the UNSUBSCRIBE notice and the additional
advertiser that was an unwitting victim of this Spam Vigilante.

> Pisces
>
> You are likely to make spontaneous trips or excursions today, but
> they are not likely to turn out like you hoped. It's okay if this
> takes place relatively close to home, but a spur of the moment
> cross-country trip is definitely not a good idea.
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Healing Oat Bath Mix for Sunburn Damaged Skin
>
> Soothes and heals sunburn damaged sensitive skin
> Use as a poultice to relieve when sunscreen failed
>
> http://www.pennyisland.com
>
> AOL Members Click Here
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>

The plainly visible directions for unsubscribing included in every
email.

> Visit the following address to subscribe and unsubscribe.
>
> http://guidelists.com:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/Astrology_CA
>
> click link above, enter your email address
> click "unsubscribe" click the "submit" button
>
>
--

The following info comes directly from the SpamCop.net web site
and the links will take you to their FAQ pages.

SpamCop FAQ
http://spamcop.net/fom-serve/cache/1.html

SpamCop ISP and mailing list admin FAQs :
http://spamcop.net/fom-serve/cache/75.html

I have been falsely and/or maliciously accused of spamming, what can
I do?

http://spamcop.net/fom-serve/cache/167.html

The following is text directly from the SpamCop from that last link.
Save it for the inevitable day that YOU are persued by Vigilantes.

"False spam reports are not tolerated. Users who file false reports
will be banned from the SpamCop service and/or fined. However, in
order to take action, we must see proof of wrongdoing. If you would
like to take action against a user who has erroneously accused you
of spamming, please forward to deputies@admin.spamcop.net:

The entire SpamCop report, including full headers and the entire
spam.

Proof that the user in question did subscribe for your list.

(Proof can be a log excerpt or a copy of the returned, e-mailed
confirmation. There must be proof of a two-way, secure
confirmation. This must include IPs and datestamps for two stages
- both a signup and a confirmation.)

If you would like to pursue action with the user's internet provider
SpamCop reports include all the information you need to do so. IP
address and datestamp of the complainant are included in the report.
You can even feed a SpamCop report to SpamCop to determine the
originating point."
About the Author
Mike Banks Valentine hosts the valuable SpamFilter service at
http://spamfilter.website101.com
if you want to get real about SPAM and do more than complain.
Come join the I-Privacy Discussion List Moderated by Mike at
http://www.adventive.com/lists/iprivacy/summary.html
SUBSCRIBE: mailto:i-privacy-join-request@list.adventive.com

2005-10-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Talking About the Big S: Don't let The Young Folk Read. by Cheryl A. Crossan

6/18/02
Talking about the big S. Dont let the young folk read.

Yup, Thats what Im going to talk about. SPAM. Ive seen from my inbox this is a subject that cant be covered enough. Im not going to cover the legal issues, such as getting you Internet service turned off. Im not going to discuss the moral, or ethical or any other philosophical issues. Im going to tell you exactly how its killing your chances at making money.

I run ads every week for NetSteals News in the ezines I get, just as you run ads in this. What, you didnt think I got ezines? Sure, tons of them and read em too. In order to advertise NN, I have to give my email address so people can subscribe. Every time one of my ads run, I get at least one UCE or unsolicited email from someone trying to sell me something. They see my email address and decide to send me an offer.
Stop and think about this from a business point of view. If this person was offering to give me free money, do you think Id trust them when they had just spammed me? However, if they took the time to subscribe to NN and find out what were about; and run free ads, I would of course be reading their ads as I do yours. However, that takes time. But, having a huge email list in which you sell nothing is not as effective as having a list of five people who want to read your offers. I cant stress that enough.

People who spam are merely giving themselves the illusion they are doing business. Sure, they may send a lot of emails every day but no one is going to buy things from them. Actually, people are prone to complain about them and cause them to lose their means of conducting business, i.e. Internet access. I had a bounced email from one of our members. I was chilled when I saw what it said. See below.

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at hookworm.frognet.net.

I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.

This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

:

64.157.4.82 does not like recipient.

Remote host said: 553 VS10-RT Possible forgery or deactivated due to abuse - see http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/spam/spam-18.html (#5.1.1)

Giving up on 64.157.4.82.

This is when I decided to write this article. I dont want to lose another member like this. I dont want any other members on my list like this. Im worried and discouraged that this person may have been contacting you with scams.

I am going to say it again. Dont spam people. Taking a short-cut will only lose you business. You have absolutely nothing to gain by this. There are no short cuts to good business practices. What we do today will follow us, good or bad, tomorrow. Sincerely, Cheryl.

Cheryl A. Crossan is the Publisher of NetSteals News which focuses on helping people design, host, find marketing partners and advertising for little or no cost. mailto: pooka@frognet.net
About the Author
Cheryl A Crossan is a fiction writer, network marketer and publisher of NetSteals News focusing on helping people design, host, find marketing partners and advertising for little or no cost.

2005-10-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

Good Spam or Bad Spam...What is the Difference? by Sara Hardy

Are you Good Spam or Bad Spam?
This is the question I find echoing in my head sometimes when I am going through my email, as if it is part of some electronic Wizard of Oz. Have you ever given any thought to the fact that there really is a difference in spam? Not that I am defending anyone, but let me make my point and then you can decide for yourself.

Spam is such a hot issue and no one knows the "right" view of spam that fits everyone.
You either:
- will take all measures to prevent people from sending it to you
- don't mind it at all and happily delete, delete, delete every day
- OR hate it sometimes and ignore it other times.

I think I fall in the last category, which is what started me thinking about good and bad spam. My point of view has now developed into this:

BAD Spam-
It is bad spam when you reply to it to be removed and it is returned to you because the address is made up. It is bad spam when the removal link does not open a real url. It is bad spam when you paste the message source into Spam Cop and the info you get back before clicking the "Send spam report" shows tons of dead ends and made up domains, etc.

This means that this "Cowardly Lion" harvested your address, and went to great lengths to cover their tracks in order not to get caught sending spam.

GOOD Spam-
It is good spam when there is an actual person on the other end, apologizing for inconveniencing you. What made it good spam? Because here is spam that you most likely will not get again, because it is more legit then the bad spam. These people are not out to break any rules, upset anyone, or ruin your day. 9 times out of 10 they really don't know any better and will learn, very quickly I might add.

Also, keep in mind that the Scarecrow in us does not ALWAYS remember every email we sign up for. It is possible to have signed up for something and a week later be flipping out because you are getting email from some unknown. If we only had a brain sometimes (Speaking for myself, of course).

It is also highly possible that someone is having fun subscribing you to things. Never count that one out, it happens all of the time.

GOOD vs BAD
Personally, I would much rather get good spam. Bad spam demonstrates that the sender KNOWS what is not acceptable and went to all of this trouble and expense to hide behind this long trail of fake addresses. That they took the time to do that is malicious, in my way of thinking. Do they really think that what they are trying to sell in this manner is actually worth it? These are the people we should be upset with. These are the people that we need to be telling, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little server too!"

So, whether you agree or disagree, just try to keep in mind that
1. The whole world is not out to get you.
2. Not every piece of spam is sent with the same intent. And...
3. As the world around us continues to change, we will be seeing more and more companies resorting to sending their junk mail through email rather then the post office. (I think this is becoming a more desirable thing to us all, as it would be much safer.)

Now is the time to try to adjust our view and approach the issue with a level head. If we don't we will drive ourselves mad, and for what purpose?
The changes in our world cause the internet to change. Soon you probably will find yourself saying, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore".
About the Author
Written by Sara Hardy
Owner of MarketingTrendz, and Publisher of
The OnLine Exchange Ezine.
To subscribe to her ezine goto:
http://marketingtrendz.com/subscribe.htm
This will automatically make you a member of The Profit Zone,
a FREE Members Only Club that gives you unlimited access
to FREE marketing tools, ebooks, resources and more!

2005-10-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Don't Be A Spam Artist! by Terri Seymour

One of the hottest discussion topics going around the web these
days is Spam. Spam is different things to different people, but
basically it is sending email advertisements to anyone who did
not request them or give permission to send them.

I do not consider an email from an acquaintance telling me
something they think might interest me- spam. I do not consider
people telling me about their business and asking for
advice-spam. I do not consider advertisements from companies I
have asked about-spam. I do not consider an invitation from a
publisher to join their opt-in list-spam. However, these
invitations should not be sent out in mass mailings.

There are, however, many things that I do consider to be spam.
Unfortunately, when I first started on the Internet, I was
guilty of spam once or twice. It does not necessarily make me a
bad person, just an uninformed one. Now that I know what is
considered to be spam and what is not, I would never in any way,
shape or form become a Spam Artist!

These are some things to avoid doing:

* Sending your ad to any email you come across - SPAM! Do NOT
send your ad to anyone unless they have asked for information,
or if they have joined your opt-in list.

* Joining every discussion and announcement list you can find
and sending your ad every few hours - SPAM! When you join these
email lists, they will send you an email with their guidelines
for posting. Please read and follow these guidelines carefully.

* Subscribing to an ezine and then replying to the ezine with
your ad - SPAM! This is one way to get yourself removed from a
lot of good lists. If you receive an ezine, do not reply with
one of your ads.

* Buying email address lists and blasting your ad-SPAM! Most of
the people on these lists probably do not even know they are on
them. Therefore, you do not have their permission to send your
ads.

* Adding people to your opt-in list without their permission -
SPAM! Inviting people to join your list is one thing, but adding
them without permission is a definite NO-NO.

* Visit every board you can, leave an ad and never come back -
SPAM! Message boards have specific rules for posting and are
usually for people to discuss and learn from each other, not for
posting ads.

If you are unsure as to whether something is spam or not, visit
some boards and ask other more experienced netpreneurs. It is
better to be sure than to be accused of spam. Join some
discussion lists also, to learn more about spam and what you
should or should not do.

Message Boards:

http://www.free-publicity.com/cgi-bin alk.cgi
http://www.bizweb2000.com/wwwboard/
http://start-smartz.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi#post

Discussion Groups:

mailto:pubsonly-subscribe@topica.com
mailto:Newbies911-subscribe@topica.com
mailto:epub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Visit these sites for more information on what spam is, what to
do about it and how to avoid it:

http://w3.one.net/~banks/spam.htm
http://www.arachnoid.com/lutusp/antispam.html
http://www.spamfree.org/ http://stopspam.sparklist.com/

Be cautious of the way you conduct your business. Some people
are tolerant of spam (if you are not a repeat or offensive
spammer) and will just hit the delete button, but some will
report anything they think is spam.

Do some research on spam and how not to become a Spam Artist!

About the Author
Terri Seymour owns and operates MyOwnEzine.com
MyOwnEzine.com is a website, ezine and service which
provides the resources, tools, guidance and more to help
you start, publish and promote your own ezine. You can
contact Terri at mailto:ter02@newnorth.net Subscribe
at mailto:subscribe@myownezine.com or visit
http://www.myownezine.com for lots more info.

2005-10-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Anti Spam Fanatics ARE RUINING YOUR Business! by Laurie Rogers

Anti Spam Fanatics ARE RUINING YOUR Business!
by Laurie Rogers

Many marketers online are seriously doubting that "Anti-
Spam Fanatics" are ruining thier businesses. I have a
bit of news for you, IF YOU currently hold that "mindset",
it is time for a rude awakening! Not only are they killing
newsletters and ezines with a variety of filtering software
programs, they're also black listing domains, ISP's and
web hosts.

Don't think so you say? Check out a few of these sites:
http://mailwww.cern.ch/spam/SpamDomains.html or
http://www.spamhaus.org or this http://mail-abuse.org/
Better yet, go to a search engine type in "Spam Filters"
you will be amazed at how many listings there are. Now
what exactly do these sites do?

They collect Domain, Hosting and ISP information and
BLACKLIST it. For instance, if a domain, ISP or hosting
company has a lot of "spammers" as clients, they'll then
put that company on a "Blacklist". So that ANY person
(guilty or innocent) using that ISP, Domain or Web Host
can NOT send any email what so ever to certain parties.

Now incase you didn't get that, I'll explain it in a simpler
form. Let's say you own domain @xyz.com and you are
trying to send an email to @abc.com, BUT @abc.com
uses M.A.P.S ( http://mail-abuse.org/ ) to block out any
"spammers" from reaching their clients. Now, let's say
your Web Host had a few "spammers" on their servers
at one point, guess what? You will NOT be able to send
any email to @abc.com!

Did everyone get that? Even if YOU are innocent, YOU
are really GUILTY, because of some MORON'S idiocy!
YOU are NOW going to pay the price for "anyone" who
spammed from your ISP (the bigger they are, the more
chance of that happening). Anyone who spammed from
your Web Host. And if anyone owned @xyz.com before
you did, you also get to "pay the piper" for their actions.

If you use a third party service to mail out your ezine or
newsletter and their company is blacklisted, well guess
what? Some people just won't be receiving it anymore!
I actually found that out, when I used a well known third
party ezine delivery service. And upon consulting them
about this, I ended up cancelling my account due to the
lack of company concern about the situation.

Thinking about registering that domain name? Or are
you going to jump on some fantastic web hosting deal?
Or are you contemplating switching ISP's for a better
rate? Or considering using a Third Party Service for
mailing out your ezine? Better think again and do your
history on them all, because the Anti-Spam Fanatics
ARE making business online a Living NIGHTMARE!

If you have been falsely accused of spamming or are
now being blocked because of it, you CAN fight back!
Go to: http://www.e-crucible.org and file your complaint,
as there is a pending lawsuit against "Anti-Spammers",
ISP's and hosts that utilize these programs.

By Laurie Rogers Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved

About the Author
Laurie Rogers is co-author of the Ezine Resource Guide, you
can check it out at: http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html She
is the owner of Optin Frenzy a list building program for ezine
publishers http://www.optinfrenzy.com You can also obtain
Laurie's articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com

2005-10-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Coping With Spam Accusations by Laurie Rogers

Coping With Spam Accusations
by Laurie Rogers Copyright July 2002

More and more publishers are consistently getting accused
of spamming. Whether there is any truth to some of these
accusations is yet to be seen, however in MOST instances
these accusations are nothing but a complete farce! We
as publishers seem to get picked on MORE so than anyone
else online. I am not certain as to WHY exactly that is, but
we do.

All in all what it boils down to is ABSENT minded people
who go around signing up for "programs, products and
services" and don't bother to pay ATTENTION to what it
is that they are getting themselves into. Is this YOUR fault?
NO it's not but, for some reason these people like to think
that it is. Instead of them taking RESPONSIBILIY for their
OWN actions, they bear the grudge on to us -the publisher.

Almost EVERY single publisher I know (I know hundreds)
has at one point been FALSELY accused of spamming. I
have seen publishers lose their web hosts, their ISP's and
their ENTIRE businesses in a blink of an eye in the past 3
years. All of which took place, because some "MORON"
forgot they subscribed. Today I am going to give a few tips
on HOW to avoid this from happening to you, but in some
instances you MUST realize it's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE
to avoid.

1.) Make copies of EVERY subscription request that you
receive. Get into the routine of saving them to disk, every
day before you close up "shop" for the evening. There is
currently NO system that is absolutely, 100% "fool proof",
always keep that in mind. Every evening, I go directly to
my listserver and copy ALL of my subscription requests
and unsubscription requests. I put them into my text editor
and copy it disc.

2.) As soon as someone cries "SPAM" send them a copy
of their request with FULL headers in tact. And if possible
tell them WHERE it was EXACTLY that they got on your
list. It will save YOU a lot of hassle in dealing with them.

3.) Record their IP Address, you do not have to tell them
that you are doing it, but do it. Although IP Adresses CAN
be forged, if they are not aware that you ARE doing it, the
chances are it will be REAL. If you do NOT know how to
do this, just copy and paste this code into your subscription
form. Copy - input type=hidden name="env_report" value=
"Remote_host,Remote_Addr"

4.) Make all fields on your form REQUIRED and if someone
has a FISHY looking email address, don't add them to your
list. Here is the code necessary for making all of your fields
required. input type=hidden name="required" value="first
name,lastname,email"

5.) If they persist that your ezine is "SPAM", your best bet
is to contact your ISP and web host immediately. Make
them aware of the situation and also forward them a copy
of the persons subscription request (with full headers) and
ALL correspondence with the complainant (full headers).
In most cases your ISP will appreciate your honesty and
nothing will come of it, even if the person DOES complain.

6.) My last bit of advice is, try to maintain a good working
relationship with your ISP and web host. Both my ISP and
web hosts are all well aware of what I do online, they also
know I take ALL of the precautions that I can in respect to
my businesses. Over the past few years I have gotten to
know them on a "personal" level - which is nothing but a
BENEFIT to me in the long run, should a situation such as
this should arise. And I encourage you to do the same ;o)

If you have been falsely accused of spamming or are now
being blocked because of it, you CAN fight back! Go to:
http://www.e-crucible.org and file your complaint, as there
is a pending lawsuit against "Anti-Spammers", ISP's and
hosts that utilize these programs.

Article by Laurie Rogers Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved

About the Author
Laurie Rogers is co-author of the Ezine Resource Guide, you
can check it out at: http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html She
is the owner of Optin Frenzy a list building program for ezine
publishers http://www.optinfrenzy.com You can also obtain
Laurie's articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com

2005-10-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Coping With Spam Filters by Laurie Rogers

Coping With Spam Filters
by Laurie Rogers Copyright July 2002

If you haven't yet heard about the chaos that Spam Filters
are currently causing for publishers, then I am about to tell
you EVERYTHING you'll need to know on this subject. Many
of our fellow publishers disregard the fact that Spam Filters
DO in fact exist. For some reason just do NOT want to face
the fact that, they are DESTROYING their businesses.

I write a column on Spam for DEMC small business ezine, so
I do consider myself to be well educated on this subject. If
you have any questions about what I am about to tell you,
feel free to contact me at: http://www.OptinFrenzy.com

Now let's begin.

Spam Filters are EVERYWHERE online whether we like it or
not they are. And they are becoming more dominant in all
aspects of the internet, through ISP's, webhosts and the
chances are, one person in three is using some type of a
filtering device. They are inexpensive to purchase and so
it makes it fairly EASY for the average "Joe" to buy one.

And chances are that your ISP or web host probably uses
them and you are NOT even aware of it. Personally, I do
advise that you contact them to ask them about it and
ask them to REMOVE them from your account immediately.
Now, here is why I suggest that you do this, Spam Filters
are NOT 100% fool proof, in fact they have a tendency to
block out your LEGITIMATE email. Anyone who tells YOU
otherwise is in some serious DENIAL.

I've personally taken the time to test almost EVERY Spam
Filtering program that there is currently available online.
And what I saw was absolutely mortifying to say the least.
I ran over 100 different types of emails and newsletters all
through each system and 9 times out of ten, it resulted in
being marked as spam. Needless to say, by the end of the
day I was NOT impressed with my discovery.

Most of these programs are designed to target newsletters
specifically, because they have the words "subscribe" and
"unsubscribe" black marked. Meaning, that any peices of
email that contain those two words are "marked" as being
"SPAM". This is especially predominant in Spam Killer which
is now owned by McAfee. They also LURE publishers into
what they refer to as being "Spam Traps" (which they do
openly admit -right on their web site), so they can create
more filters DAILY based on ezine/email content. And YES,
I did say DAILY!

Now that I've probably scared the wits out of you, here
are a few things that you can do and they will require a
bit of added work on your part.

1.) Make your ezine available in 3 different forms, if it at
all possible. Email it directly to your subscribers, put it on
an autoresponder and make it available online. My good
friend jL Scott (owner of iCop) does this and it covers all
of the bases to ENSURE your readers get your ezine. It'll
also give you an idea of HOW many people actually read
your ezine.

2.) Ask your readers, IF they have had ANY problems in
receiving your ezine. If they have, start keeping a log of
these instances, if your ezine has been marked as being
spam through their email client ask them for a copy of it
for your records. You MAY want to TRY contacting their
ISP and try talking to them about it, ensure that YOU
maintain your "professionalism" in doing so, as this could
create problems for your subscriber. Advise ALL of your
subscribers to contact their ISP's and ask them if they
are in fact using filters on their email.

3.) Keep financial loss records that you've encountered
because of Spam Filters. And remember everything is of
a monetary value including your ezine.

Although there is no fool proof method of avoiding Spam
Filters, there is currently a pending law suit against the
creators of these programs. So if you do have a case or
have proof that you have been filtered, falsely accused
etc. I recommend that you go and file a report asap at:
http://www.e-crucible.org

Article by Laurie Rogers Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved
About the Author
Laurie Rogers is co-author of the Ezine Resource Guide,
http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html She is the owner of Optin
Frenzy - a paid list building program for ezine publishers
http://www.optinfrenzy.com You can obtain more of Laurie's
articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com

2005-10-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Misconceptions of Spam Filters by Laurie Rogers

The Misconceptions of Spam Filters
by Laurie Rogers Copyright July 2002

Unfortunately there are a lot of people online that all have
many misconceptions regarding Spam Filters. Today I'm
going to answer some questions that people have asked
me about my "Spam column" for DEMC Small Business
Ezine regarding them. With regards to spam filters, one
can never have enough knowledge, so I do hope that this
article will clear up any misconceptions that you may have.

1. Don't spam filters ONLY apply to those who have NOT
opted in?

This is indeed a very sad misconception, Spam Filters do
affect EVERYONE who sends and receives email in some
way or another. Whether you publish a FREE ezine OR a
PAID ezine, it does not matter, if it is being sent by email
it affects YOU. The biggest problem with filters is that they
have NO way to detect that the email message is in fact
"Optin", they actually base it on your headers.

Should you use a third party list server, your chances of
being filtered are even greater, because of that reason.
And this is how ALL filtering is based: By looking at the
headers in your email message, by using a point system
based on the contents in your subject line as well as the
body.

This can also be done by subscribing to a blacklist service
that will provide them with a list of domains or hosts that
have been identified as being used by spammers -such as
http://www.spamhaus.org or http://mail-abuse.org/ AOL,
Verizon and Accessus are widely known for using services
such as these. It should also be known that spam filtering
programs MAY also subscribe to these services, some do
and some do not.

2. I heard that spam filters don't apply to autoresponders,
is this true?

Actually they do, because if you send email using a third
party list server, and put your FROM email address in the
field rather than a FROM address on the third party's list
server - the spam filter will read it as being a "falsified"
email address or header. Because REAL spammers do
it all of the time.

3. Spam Filters do not target HTML ezines because they
can't read the code properly, is this true?

Yes in fact they do, some more so than text ezines, this is
because HTML ezines are considered to be more virus
prone. And NOT all list servers and email clients "clean"
their email before it is sent. Meaning, even if you do not
have a virus on your computer, your ezine can still pick
one up during the process of sending through your list
server. This has been known to happen on "high traffic"
list servers as well as FREE list servers, such as Yahoo
Groups.

3. Aren't spam filters ONLY used by large ISP's?

Although it is very true that the majority of larger ISP's use
Spam Filters (such as: AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, Mindspring,
Verizon, Accessus, Sympatico etc.) you will find a lot of
smaller ISP's use them as well. For instance, my ISP has
only 900 customers and they do use them, although I've
made it quite clear they are unacceptable on my account.
The most "popular program' that ISP's use is called Spam
Assassin.

I hope this article has cleared up any misconceptions that
you may have had regarding Spam Filters. You can learn
more detailed information about Spam filters by visiting:
http://spamassassin.org ests.html

Article by Laurie Rogers Copyright 2002 All Rights Reserved
About the Author
Laurie Rogers is co-author of the Ezine Resource Guide, you
can check it out at: http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html She
is the owner of Optin Frenzy a list building program for ezine
publishers http://www.optinfrenzy.com You can also obtain
Laurie's articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com

2005-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

The Harvesters Part 2 by Laurie Rogers

The Harvesters - Part 2
by Laurie Rogers Copyright 2001

Remember from part one, we are not talking about those folks
who pick veggies out of the garden in the fall. This is definitely
NOT an episode from Martha Stewart, although I'm curious to
know how get my tomatoes to stop bruising, ooops, sorry got
a little side tracked for a moment! It happens to the best of us,
espicially when you're weeding (pardon the pun) through all that
spam trying to find your "real" email messages.

You know the important stuff, that really does need your FULL
attention. And half the time you can't find it because it's buried
under all that JUNK MAIL, I know how you feel, somedays I'd
like to run to the highest mountain and SCREAM my head off.
Maybe they'd listen, cause I sure as heck don't get a response
when I'm screaming at them through the computer. (You're not
the only one huh?)

Hopefully, someone will invent a system where you can talk to
the email that comes in, the person sending can hear you right
at that moment. That'd be awesome eh? Someone sends you
some spam and you CAN tell them what is on your mind! You
know, HOW you "really" appreciate their message.
Although, I do NOT think we'd get much work done, cause we'd
be too busy cussing them all out.

You have really got to wonder WHY they keep spamming cause
*NOBODY* buys their stuff. And let's be realistic for a moment,
what in the world is the point in sending 1 person 500 copies of
the SAME darn ad? I'm not the one who's the MORON here! I can
read, I simply choose NOT to read spam. And NO matter HOW
many times you send it, it's STILL not going to change my mind.
(You'd really think they'd CLUE in after the first 250 copies.)

Is there some kind of contest out there that we've been missing?
Do they offer awards for this kind of junk? I'm curious because,
nobody buys their stuff, so what EXACTLY is the incentive? If it
is a contest what qualifies you?

*The Most Creative Spammer

*The Spammer - who actually got "A" sale!

*The Spammer - who's ISP never got shut down for a month!

*The Spammer - with most FAKE addresses

*The Most ANNOYING Spammer

What do you win if you qualify? 5 million FAKE email addresses?
Cause you know they're not going to give out a REAL prize! (Once
a con always a con) And do they all compete for Spammer of the
Year? It sure seems like it! The fact is life goes on, and no matter
where you go and what you do, there will always some "STUPID"
moron that just HAS to break the rules!

P.S.
Try not wear out that good old delete key!

Did you miss part 1?
Send a blank email to mailto:harvesterspart1@optinfrenzy.com
About the Author
Laurie Rogers is co-author of the Ezine Resource Guide,
http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html She is the owner of Optin
Frenzy - a paid list building program for ezine publishers
http://www.optinfrenzy.com You can obtain more of Laurie's
articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com

2005-10-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Harvesters Part 1 by Laurie Rogers

The Harvesters - Part 1
by Laurie Rogers Copyright 2001

Before you start reading this article, I need to clear something
up. We're not talking about the people that gather in the fall to
pick all those luscious goodies out of gardens every year! I am
sorry to disappoint you, I am sure that would have made for a
pretty interesting topic, and they probably do not get the credit
they deserve. But I have something a lot MORE exciting to talk
about.

Today, we're going to talk about all of the wonderful folks who
LOVE to go around picking email addresses! You must know
who I am talking about now? They all have nothing better to do,
so they roam around the internet and hit every web site, ezine
and newsletter, opt-in list, safe -list, discussion group or board,
classified and FFA online, to gather as many email addresses
as they possibly can!

You really have to give them credit, because harvesting email
addresses takes talent to do, not to mention brains! I can't for
the life of me imagine how stressful a "business" like that must
be. "Well today was a bad day, I ONLY got 17,369 addresses".
You have to feel sorry for him don't cha? He must be having a
hard time grasping the concept! He'd better start learning from
the Pro's,

Attention Harvesters!

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LESS. Each prized manual is FULL of inside secrets from
TOP Leaders in the INDUSTRY.

*CON ton's of innocent people into buying thousands of email
addresses from you EVERY day!

*Reap the rewards in the FINE art of SPAMMING

*Discover all the benefits of using FAKE email addresses

*Learn HOW to send email from someone elses ISP

*Techniques to cheat publishers out of FREE ads every day
(you'll NEVER pay for ads again!)

You'll learn ALL this and MORE for ONLY $49.95

But WAIT ... there's more, act today and receive this amazing
FREE bonus:

OVER 2,000 excuses to use IF you get caught! Including; "I'm
new online and I do not know much about how this marketing
stuff works." AND the ever so popular .. "Can I add you to my
mailing list and you can add me to yours?"

Order NOW cause we CAN'T offer this deal for much longer!

What on earth are these people thinking? Are they new? Are
they just plain STUPID? I'm not even going to ask where their
morals are. I think what really get's us going is, how nice it is
to have so much time on their hands, and so graciously grant
themselves the right to HARVEST and then, SELL our email
addresses! What do they do wake up and decide, "well I think
I'll start harvesting email addresses"?

What would make anyone stoop to that level? You can't tell me
they're bored, because there are tons of things to do online. I
personally keep asking for an extra 4 or 5 hours added to the
day just so I can get MY work done on time! I guess I just don't
get it. (Oh but I do get their spam and TON'S of it, which is the
reason WHY I need those extra 4 to 5 hours added to MY busy
day!)
About the Author
Laurie Rogers is co-author of the Ezine Resource Guide,
http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html She is the owner of Optin
Frenzy - a paid list building program for ezine publishers
http://www.optinfrenzy.com You can obtain more of Laurie's
articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com

2005-10-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Knock Out Spam With the One-Two Punch by Sharon Fling

Are you sick of spam relentlessly spewing into your
emailbox? So was I, until I learned how to knock it out, or
at least slow it down, with my one-two punch. Do both of
these things, neither of which will cost you a penny, and
enjoy a distinct decrease in the amount of garbage in your
inbox.

Here we go:

#1 Mail Washing

First, hit the spam with Mailwasher, available free at
www.mailwasher.net. This easy to set up little program lets
you preview email before downloading it. You see all the
usual details - sender, subject, size - but with one big
difference: you can decide BEFORE downloading if you want
it.

You get, I'm sure, many emails that you wouldn't have
downloaded if only you'd known what was in them. That's
just one thing Mailwasher can do for you. Its real power is
in its ability to 'bounce' unwanted messages (spam) right
back to the person who sent it, marked 'message
undeliverable.'

To the spammer it looks as if your e-mail address is no
longer active, and hopefully, the next time they 'clean'
their list, your email address will fall off. But even if
it doesn't, Mailwasher adds the spammer's address to a
blacklist. The next time they spam you, it's already marked
for deletion. (You can always unmark it.)

When you're finished 'washing' your mail of spam and
unwanted downloads, click 'process mail' and whatever
messages are left will be downloaded as usual when you log
on through your e- mail program, which you can do directly
from MailWasher.

I have over 20 email addresses, so you can imagine the
flood of spam that poured in my mailbox every day. Now I
run them all through Mailwasher first, and it has made a
huge difference.

To further reduce spam, Mailwasher has another trick that
your regular email program doesn't. It learns. There are
all kinds of settings, filters, sorts and alerts. The more
you use it, the more it learns what you do and don't want
to see. It does lots of stuff that I haven't even tried
yet. But for what I need - quick and dirty spam elimination
- it does great.

Best of all, it's free to try. If you like it, the author
asks that you pay him whatever you think is fair. How much
you pay him is up to you, but the funds go to future
development of the product. Considering how useful this
program is, I think that's a very worthy cause.

#2: Email Encoding

Once you've got Mailwasher going, you're on your way to
getting off the spam lists. To stay off, don't skip this
second step!

One of the ways that spammers get your email address is
through harvesting programs that crawl the net snatching
email addresses off of websites, message boards,
newsgroups. Anywhere they can find something that looks
like an email address, they grab it. And the way that they
know it's an email address is by looking for 'mailto' or
the '@' symbol.

There are programs available - also free - that will encode
your email address for you. This converts your ASCII email
address into its equivalent decimal entity. For example,
the letter "a" equates to: "a" (without the quotes), the
letter "b" equates to: "b", and so forth.

Here's an example of an email address:

"johndoe@
someserv
er.com"

which appears as: johndoe@someserver.com

To make the link clickable, you need to include the HREF
tag, i.e.

"
nospam@my
server.co
m"

which appears as: nospam@myserver.com

Try it. Copy either of those expressions (WITHOUT the
quotes), save it in an HTML file, and open it in your
browser. It looks and acts just like any other email link,
but the spam bots only see numbers and characters.

Here are a few free email encoders:

(JavaScript
utility)

(JavaScript
utility, doesn't include HREF tag)

(emails the results to
you)

Encoded e-mail addresses can be read and translated back
into the original ASCII text by almost any web browser, so
you can use encoding wherever you can use HTML. I've
replaced regular email links with encoded links on all of
my websites.

Unfortunately not all forums will let you use HTML. In
those cases, you'll have to rely on putting the NOSPAM in
your email address, or using only "throwaway" email
addresses such as from Yahoo or hotmail when posting to
public places. Another trick: spell out your email address,
i.e. my email address is "sharon at geolocal.com" or
"sharon at geolocal dot com." Not as good as being encoded
and clickable but better than nothing.

Of course, spammers are a clever bunch. Whatever we come up
with, they'll find a way around. Pretty soon they'll
probably program their nasty spam bots to translate encoded
emails for them.

The only answer for that is to replace email links with an
IMAGE of your email address. Only human eyes can see that
an image is an email address, so it can't be harvested.
But, *don't* link the image to your email address unless
it's encoded - that would defeat the purpose, which is to
make your email address unreadable by the spam bots.

The downside is that human eyes will have to manually type
your address to send you an email. Unfortunately, that
includes people you WANT to hear from. There's no way
around that. Hopefully one day we won't need to go to such
lengths to avoid what has become the scourge of the
internet.

So, to summarize:

1) use Mailwasher to delete and bounce spam, which
hopefully will get you dropped from spam lists, and

2) encode your email address on web pages and other places
where it can be harvested. Try the one-two punch and see if
it works for you. If nothing else, it will give you the
satisfaction of knowing spammers are getting useless
messages in their mailboxes too.

About the Author
Sharon Fling is the author of "How To Promote Your Local
Business On the Internet", and publishes an electronic
newsletter that gives business owners tips, tools and
resources for targeting local customers. For more
information, visit http://www.geolocal.com or send a blank
email to: subscribe@localbizpromo.com?subject=TRAART

2005-10-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

How to get rid of spammers by G.SMALL

What do spammers want from you?
You have submitted your site to several ffa pages with the intention of increasing traffic to your web site and you have invited a swarm of spammers to your email address. What can you do to avoid them from spamming you in the future?
All spammers need from you is your email they do not wish to come and visit your site to purchase anything which you sell at your site their intention is to sell you products or services, beating them is quite simple - just go to any reliable web server that offers free webmail and create an email account specifically for the purpose of ffa submissions or when doing promotional from any source of which you are not sure using your special free web email account which you have created for this purpose.
In that you will not be flooded with spammers via your regular or business email accounts which makes your account spammed free because they will all be directed to the free web mail email address which you have provided.
About the Author
None

2005-09-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

How the War Against S^p^a^m is Killing the Internet by Bill Platt

Hands down, email is the most widely used and loved computer
application brought to life by the Internet.

According to the publication 'Messaging Today' (2000 Electronic
Mailbox Report - Feb. 21, 2001), "Email is the most successful
communications technology since the television, and in a few
years will even surpass that. There are currently more than 891
million email accounts in use Worldwide and 440 million in the
U.S. alone - with an average of more than 4 email accounts per
person."

While more than 200 million of us use and enjoy email, there
are a few thousand people abusing the system and damaging the
communication potential of email for the rest of us.

SP^AMMERS ARE THE ENEMY OF US ALL!

The most common forms of email abuse are as follows:

- Using email harves^ters (software which gathers email
addresses from the Internet for the purpose of sending
sp^am messages).
- Selling the addresses gathered from an actual opt-in email
list to someone who the recipient did not give contact
permission to personally.
- Buying the Mil^lions CD's and then requiring people to
opt-out of email, rather than to opt-in to the email.
- Providing remove addresses that do not work.

Generally, the persons using these sp^am techniques are morons
who are simply too lazy to learn how to develop an honest
online business or too impatient to build a business that will
last a lifetime. Let us not forget that "moron" is the key word
here since a sp^ammers business will not generate enough income
to justify the cost of doing business the outlaw way.

LAZY LIVES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET!

Sp^ammers sp^am because they are too lazy to build an online
business the old-fashioned way --- with honesty and integrity.

As a result of the sp^ammers obnoxious laziness, the public
has been confronted with the growing nuisance of hundreds of
sp^am messages in their email boxes on a daily basis! I have
filtered more than 100 pieces per day to my trash bin, and I
still receive another 200 plus messages per day that I have
not set up filters for yet.

While I will admit that sp^ammers are truly annoying, I must
confess that the general public has created new problems for
all of us! In the war against sp^am, email account holders
constantly suggest that their ISP's must deal with the sp^am
issue for them.

ISP'S RESPOND

By putting the responsibility of controlling sp^am on the
shoulders of ISP's, rather than hitting the delete key
ourselves, we have opened a whole new can of worms.

In truth, ISP's cannot do too much to stem the tide of sp^am.
Yet, with so many angry customers, ISP's felt a strong need
to find some kind of solution to the problem.

ISP's had one of two options:

- RBL (Realtime Blackhole List) http://mail-abuse.org/rbl/
- Installing Email Filters

Neither is a perfect solution to the sp^am problem... In fact,
both are actually very poor solutions to the sp^am problem!

HOW SP^AM FILTERS WORK

To understand the quandary created by the use of filters in the
war against sp^am, we must first understand how sp^am filters
work.

It is important to understand that filters are actually
software applications.

Software is not intuitive!

While a few software applications may seem intuitive, the
illusion exists only because the mind of the programmer was
able to foresee your desires for the use of the software.

Filtering software exists only as a set of rules to determine
the likelihood of a message being sp^am. Here is an outline of
some of the basic rules that sp^am filtering software follows:

1. If the origination email server is different from the email
server of the sender's default email address, then it is
likely sp^am.
2. If the email is delivered to more than 25 people, it is
likely sp^am.
3. If the email originates from a specific server, then it is
likely sp^am. (This is the only rule that the RBL follows.)
4. If the email originates from a specific country TLD
(top-level domain), then it is likely sp^am.
5. If certain words appear in the Subject or Email Body, then
it is likely sp^am. (This is where the real problems begin!)

THE PANDORA'S BOX OF THE SP^AM WARS

ISP's who choose the filter option will either install a filter
on incoming email only, outgoing email only or a combination of
both.

With the fifth basic rule in the sp^am filtering software that
most ISP's use, each ISP has a list of "sp^am words" that the
software scans for.

A few of the simpler, more obvious "sp^am words" follow:

- H^GH
- D^VD
- C^asino
- G^ambling
- P^orn
- M^illion
- B^illion
- V^iagra

The first time I had experienced the ugly filter problem was
with my first ezine. My ezine was a computer support publication
and upon the introduction of a major v^irus, I tried to send
instructions to my list on how to identify the v^irus and to
repair its damage. Unfortunately, my list server had blocked
all messages that mentioned the name of the virus. (Never mind
that the actual payload email never mentioned the given name
for the v^irus!)

My second experience was in trying to send an article to a
friend because I felt the content of the article was important
for my friend to have. After seven attempts, I finally realized
what the blocked "sp^am word" was. If you can believe it, the
blocked word was Ama^zon.com !!!

Within the last 30 days, I had two outgoing emails blocked by
my own ISP.

The first was being delivered to a client of mine to inform
them that I had received their p^ayment. The subject of the
email was "P^ayment R^eceived" (a common subject of sp^am
messages) !!!

The second email hinged on an article I tried to deliver for
another client. The dreaded "sp^am word" was "g^old" !!! We
had to change the name of the article to get the article past
my own ISP's filters.

THE PROBLEM IN A NUTSHELL

Richard Lowe, the owner of http://www.Internet-Tips.net says,
"The Internet is communication. It's as simple as that."

The problem with ISP filtering is that the ISP cannot know
what we want to read and what we do not want to read. A single
ISP has clients who use the Internet for business, health,
family, research or any of a dozen different purposes.

The person who wants to use the Internet for family
communications usually has no interest in business topics.
And the online business person may have no interest in
family tree software or health products.

Yet, the ISP has no choice but to block all kinds of "sp^am
words" for the full range of communication subjects.

As a result, the family person may not see the information
concerning family tree software or other items regarding home
life, and the business person may not be able to receive
information vital to the operation of their business.

THE SCOPE OF THIS PROBLEM

We email junkies tend to subscribe to ezines covering a wide
range of personal preferences. Unfortunately, a large number
of ezines are being blocked by ISP's because ezines tend to
meet at least two of the criteria built into most sp^am
filters (#1, #2 and sometimes #5).

Once again, the fifth basic rule is the dangerous one.

Sp^ammers are using more and more common words in their
mailings that the ISP's are beginning to block.

I can almost guarantee that if your own ISP was to turn off
their sp^am filters for a month, you would get to see for the
first time a large number of ezines that you subscribed to
way back when, but have never seen before.

Sure, you would see a large increase in the sp^am coming into
your email box, but you would also see all of the mail that
you want to receive that you have not been receiving.

WHERE SHOULD WE GO FROM HERE?

If we rely upon our ISP's to do the filtering for us, then we
are committing ourselves to receive only the information that
our ISP's filters are able to let us receive. It is as simple
as that.

It is like the news pundits on television say about the war on
terrorism, "We have a choice between freedom and security. The
more of one we have, the less of the other we will have."

We have two choices:

1. We turn back the tide of ISP controlled communication and
accept the responsibility of setting up our own filters to
eliminate the garbage in our inbox.
2. Or, we continue to rely upon our ISP's to filter the sp^am
by adding new words to their "sp^am word" lists, eliminating
all personal control from our personal communications.

TURNING BACK THE TIDE WILL REQUIRE SOME CONCERTED EFFORTS

Our ISP's have been asked for so long to be our "Big Brother"
to stem the tide of sp^am. ISP's have come to the point of
believing that we are children who need to be protected from
the "morons" who are destroying this incredible communications
tool.

To turn back this tide, we must be ready and willing to
accept the personal responsibility of controlling our own
communications.

First, we must learn to use the tools included in our email
software that permit us to set up our own filters. Once we have
the basic understanding of how to set up our own email filters,
we must progress to step two.

In step two, we must contact our ISP and let them know that we
want to be responsible for ourselves. Our ISP must understand
that we DO NOT want them to run sp^am filters on their email
servers. We must declare that we do not them to baby-sit our
communications for us. We must emphasize that we want to decide
for ourselves what we want to read and what we do not want to
read! We must emphasize that we would rather use our delete
keys, than to rely upon their filters to not block any of our
important communications.

You and I alone will not be able to convince our ISP's to
ditch the policy of acting as our "Online Big Brother". But,
when enough of us have banded together and made our demands
for open communications clear, ISP's will have to take notice
and turn off their filters for fear of losing their customer
base.

If we permit ISP controlled filters to continue to grow
unabated, the filters will eventually eliminate the real
value of email as a communications tool.

We must take a stand to reverse the focus of the War Against
Sp^am! We must take a stand now to reverse the tide, or we risk
the very real death of email communication and the Internet!

For more information about the "War Against Sp^am", visit the
following links:

http://PathTrax.com/x.pl/BP121,spam_war_crossfire
http://PathTrax.com/x.pl/BP121,Will_Email_Kill_Email

About the Author
Bill Platt owns The Phantom Writers, a company committed to
helping people to establish an Internet presence & promote their
businesses through the use of Free-Reprint Articles. All articles
are distributed to 6,500+ publishers & web-masters as part of the
package. Do you write your own articles? Let us distribute them
for you. http://PathTrax.com/x.pl/BP121,60

2005-09-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Spammers - Where do They Come Up With This Stuff? by Laurie Rogers

Lets face it we all get spammed and it drives us nuts!
If it were not for folders, I would probably NEVER find
my "legitmate" email. I probably do NOT get as much
spam as most people do, but when I do get it, boy do
I get it! I especially love it when people come by and
spam my paid list building site, little do they know that
I have several ways of finding out WHO they are ;o)

When it comes right down to it though, sometimes you
really have to laugh at some of the garbage they send.
According to spammers not only do I need viagra, I also
need an enlargement for a body part I don't even have.
I some how also managed to request this information at
one of their sites, not once, but 200 freakin' times.

We all have our incoherent days, but I think I would at
least get the drift after the first 100 times. And really
now, like I am going to send a spammer my credit card
info in an email! Like I said, we all have our incoherent
days, but I am sure as heck NOT that darn incoherent
at ANY time. Even if a web site doesn't use a "secure"
server -I'm NOT buying and there's no two ways about
it, let alone in an email.

Seriously, like how stupid do these people really think
we are? "Laurie how would you like to harvest millions
of email addresses a day?" Whoo-Hoo! I better jump
right on that one, so my web host can shut me down
and I can lose EVERYTHING I've worked so hard for in
the last 3 plus years. Yeah I will get right on that one.

"I saw your site and got your email." Really? So what
did it look like? Because last time I checked there was
NO site for that email address you moron. And if there
was - WHO said you could email me?

What really makes me laugh is in the body of the email
it reads, "Would you like to start a home business?" You
just told me you went to my site, obviously you would
know I ALREADY have a business! In fact, I have four
of them so you may want to head back there that way
you can learn the REAL way to market online.

This last little episode really gave me a good chuckle, I
got spammed by some person claiming I requested the
information (a private email address). So, I reported it
to the program owner and to the autoresponder service
that they were using (which is owned by a good friend
of mine). The program owner allowed the person to state
their "case" and forwarded me a copy of their response.

This was their reply - "I'm not certain where I received
that email address from. I used to buy email addresses,
but I don't do that anymore. I have been marketing now
for over two years and NEVER had a spam complaint, so
I'm really appalled at this acusation. I have had 4 of my
ISP accounts shut down, because maybe the people
were offended by the ad copy. The person who sent you
this complaint MUST be someone I have previously been
in contact with because that is the only way to get on
my list."

Sheesh, I wonder WHO the LIAR is in this case? There's
nothing like a contradictive statement to hang yourself
out to dry. In this case the person should have just came
right out and said, "Yeah, I harvested her email address",
instead of talking in circles and digging themselves into a
DEEPER hole. The great Homer Simpson once said, "DOH"!
(but hey at least he admits to doing something STUPID!)

About the Author
Laurie Rogers - co-author Ezine Resource Guide you can view
at http://www.zineadz.com/erg.html You can also obtain more
of Laurie's articles at: mailto:ezinearticles@optinfrenzy.com
Laurie is also the owner of Optin Frenzy - list building program
for ezine and newsletter publishers. http://www.optinfrenzy.com

2005-09-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Anti-Spam Two Step for Webmasters by Thomas Benton

If your email address is on a website that's been online for
a while you're being blasted with unsolicited email (SPAM).
You can delete it or you can eliminate much of it in two
simple steps.

Step 1: Scramble Your Email Address

It isn't human visitors to your site that are causing the
problem. It's website spidering SPAMBOTS. These spambots
go out on the web and harvest any email address they can
find. These harvested email addresses are then sold by
unscrupulous *spam pushers*.

Your goal is to hide your email address from the spambots,
but still display it for your website visitors to see.
If the spambot doesn't recogize your scrambled code as an
email address it won't harvest it.

Search the web for scripts that will scramble your email
address. You will find many free scripts and some that you
can purchase. Some are simple and easy to install. Others
can be a little more complicated.

The one that I like is called EScrambler. It is a free script
developed by InnerPeace.org. You can visit their site and copy
the source code (permission given on the site). Or, go to
http://www.webdesignwisdom.com/escrambler.shtml.

This simple script generates a javascript that scrambles your
email address. Just copy the script and paste it in your HTML
instead of the normal mailto:me@mydomain.com. Your email
address is displayed properly for visitors to see, and
the HTML looks like anything but an email address.

An example of *me@mydomain.com* in escrambled form:

Step 2: Send Spam to Your Auto-Delete Account

Now, just because you've scrambled your email address, that
doesn't keep all spammers from sending email to you. Some will
just use something like *anything*@yourdomain.com because
they understand that most websites have email forwarding.
Anything that is emailed to your domain will be forwarded to
an email address you specified.

You never have to see this email if you forward it to another
email address that automatically deletes it.

You will need a free email account that offers some simple
anti-spam features to use as your *dump account*.

You must be able to designate email addresses from which you
will not accept any email. You may already have an account
that can handle it. If not, look into Mail.com or Lycos.com.

Then make your free email dump account the default forwarding
address in your website's email handler. Go to your free email
account and set it to reject all mail received from YOUR domain.

Then have email that is sent to your published email addresses
(those you have scrambled on your site) forwarded to your normal
forwarding address. Or, set them up as individual POP accounts
if your hosting service offers this feature.

Now you will receive email from your website visitors who
actually read your email address on your website and all other
email will be deleted.

This is a very effective way to get rid of most spam that is
generated from your domain. It won't eliminate all of it.
The volume of spam that I was receiving decreased by 90-95%
after I made these changes.

This tactic will work for sites that have been online with an
unprotected email address too. Change the email address on your
site to a different scrambled address. Forward all email that
is sent to your old posted address to your dump account.

If you've been using your primary email address on your site,
you'll need to notify everyone that your email address has
changed. This makes it more difficult, but worth the effort
if you're being slammed with spam.
About the Author
Thomas Benton is the owner of WebDesignWisdom.com and the
publisher of Active-eBuilder, The Do-It-Yourself Web Design
and Internet Marketing Ezine. Visit Tom's resource-rich
website: http://www.webdesignwisdom.com

2005-09-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

New Spam Prevention Product that Works! by Lee Traupel

Businesses and consumers are drowning in a never-ending deluge of Spam (junk
mail)according to reports just released by Quris, Inc. Spam has increased
450% from June of 2001 to now. Furthermore, 70% of respondents indicated they
are receiving so much e-mail in the form of Spam that its negating their
acceptance and responsiveness to legitimate opt-in e-mail messages (permission
based). The average business user is forced to spend 20-30 minutes a day wading
through Spam clogged e-mail in-boxes trying to separate legitimate e-mail from
the junk in order to delete the latter.

Many companies have tried to offer Spam solutions that are based primarily on
filtering technology. But, most of these products and services have not worked
well in practicethe ingenious spammers have learned work arounds by
constantly changing their fake e-mail addresses and text to avoid the blocking
filters. Its been a war of attrition to date and the spammers have been wining
so far!

I am pleased to report that one company has developed an elegant but simple
solution that has blocked 100% of the Spam that was sent to me during a test
period of five days. The company is DigiPortal Software, Inc. www.digiportal.com
and their Spam killer application is called ChoiceMail. It works extremely well,
is easy to setup and only costs $29.95 (introductory price) and they even offer
a fourteen-day trial period for no charge to test drive the product. And, the
solution runs on your desktop and does not necessitate your working with a third
party server and doesnt require any service charges. Most importantly, it puts
the burden of proof on the Spammers, forcing them to have your permission to
contact you.

Here is how DigiPortals clever solution and software work: You download or
purchase the software and install it on your PC (sorry PC version only right
now) and setup your approval list by exporting your address book. From that
point forward ChoiceMail automatically assumes all inbound e-mail is Spam and it
blocks any e-mail that is not on an approved list that you have created.

If the e-mail sender is on your approved list it makes it through to your inbox;
if not, then ChoiceMail blocks the mail if the address and adds it to a
rejection list and sends the sender a notification that your on a permission
network and that he/she has to clickthrough to a web site and send you a
message by filling out a form that automatically forwards the persons message
to you, so you can elect to receive or not.

DigiPortal is effectively acting as a trusted middleman in a process that
reminds me of PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) the defacto industry standard e-mail
security application that incorporates a similar process via a key held by a
trusted third party. Your ostensibly guaranteed never to receive any Spam based
e-mail as spammers will never receive your e-mail, let alone reply to itmost
use automated systems that have no human intervention in the process. Its
relatively painless for you to manage new contacts - if your receiving in-bound
e-mails from a new a person (contact) that you have no existing relationship
with its easy to accept his/her request to reach you and the software also
automatically updates your permission list.

ChoiceMail is an elegant solution that works well, is easy to use and solves a
problem very cost effectively. There are a few hiccups with the softwarebut,
these are minor when you consider the significant benefits of the product and
assuming the company will broaden its support for other applications in the near
term. At present DigiPortal only works with standard ISPs such as Earthlink,
ATT, etc. and with specific desktop clients including Outlook Express and Eudora
no web-based e-mail services (HotMail or Yahoo mail) work with the software
yet and there is no support for AOL at present. My biggest complaint is that
they dont support a standard Outlook e-mail - you have to manually import your
contact list from Outlook, which can be painstaking depending on the number of
recipients in your address book. And, their initial focus is on the small
business user or consumer, as they offer no support at present for the corporate
enterprise.
About the Author
Lee Traupel has 20 plus years of business development and marketing experience -
he is the founder of Intelective Communications,Inc. www.intelective.com, a
marketing services company. Lee@intelective.com Reprinted with permission from
Intelective Communications - this article may be reprinted freely, providing
this attribution box remains intact.

2005-09-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

De-Spam Your Inbox: "How to Fight the Spam War and Win!" by Merle

Spam, Spam everywhere... what's a person to do? If you're
an online entrepreneur, odds are your mailbox is filling
up daily with Spam. The longer you've been "working" the
Net and the more visible you've become, the more you're
probably receiving. I've been online about five years now,
and one of my mailboxes alone is over 85% Spam.

First, you need to realize that Spam is part of doing
business online and there's really no escaping it. But
that doesn't mean you can't rid yourself of it by using
the right tools and arming yourself for daily battle.

There are many excellent tools, some even free that will
help you fight the war on Spam and Win! Let's review some
of my personal favorites:

1) SpamNet: http://www.CloudMark.com

This excellent piece of software is a relative newcomer
and free to download. It only works with Outlook and
runs invisibly in the background of your mail program.
The software adds 2 new buttons at the top of Outlook's
interface named "block" and "unblock" and adds a "Spam
folder" where it puts all of the Spam it finds so you
can review it if you want before deletion.

If you get a piece of junk when you download your mail,
just hit the block button. This sends it and whatever
the sender tries to mail you in the future straight to
the Spam folder. It also casts your vote to CloudMark
and when they receive enough complaints on a sender
that mail is automatically labeled as Spam.

If, after reviewing the Spam folder, you find something
that doesn't belong there, just highlight it and click
the "unblock" button to bring the sender back in to your
inbox forever more. Right now this software only works
with Outlook, but there is talk about a version for
Outlook Express coming soon.I've been using this
software for a few months and am very pleased with
the results. Runs on Win 98/NT/2000/XP.

2) MailWasher: http://www.MailWasher.net

Another ad-supported free piece of software that works
beautifully. I've been using this with my Outlook
Express accounts and couldn't be happier. You run
Mailwasher before downloading your mail from your
server. It automatically marks mail it suspects
as Spam - then you can designate the sender as a "friend"
or blacklist him with just a click. You then click
"process mail" and any "bad" email is bounced back to
the sender and the good stuff is sent to your inbox.

You can upgrade Mailwasher to an ad-free version by
sending a donation to its creators. Believe me, you'll
love it so much you'll want to send them money for all
the headaches this software will save you. It can be
configured to check multiple accounts so it's great
if you're managing multiple identities and boxes.It
does not support web based accounts like Hotmail or
Yahoo, but a version is supposedly underway for them.
Runs on Win 95/98/ME/NT4/ 2000/XP

3) SpamBuster:
http://www.Contactplus.com/products/spam/spam.htm

The free version of this software is ad-supported,
which means it displays banners at the top. If you
spend the 19.95 and register it, the ads are removed.
Before using your POP mail account you run SpamBuster,
which looks for junk and comes complete with a list
of over 17,000 known spammers. It checks your email
periodically for new messages and provides stats and
charts of how much Spam you're actually receiving.
Also Works with AOL, Hotmail, or Yahoo! accounts.
Works on Win 95/98/2000/ME/NT/XP

4) MailShell: http://www.MailShell.com

Blocks 99% of all junk mail and works with your
current email address. Free 30 day trial available.
Less then 3.00 a month after that

5) SpamKiller:
http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/msk/default.asp

SpamKiller was recently purchased by Mcafee Software.
who makes the award winning virus software. Works with
POP based email accounts and will run you 39.95. Like
most Spam filtering software, it checks for new email
and possible Spam on your server before downloading it
to your email client. Filters are automatically updated
and you can create your own custom filters. You can
also lodge complaints with spammers and their hosts
from within the interface. Supports Win 95/98/NT/
ME/2000 or XP.

6) JunkMuncher.com: http://www.JunkMuncher.com

Works with POP email accounts and includes its own
email porn filtering utility. Does not support AOL or
Hotmail accounts.

7) SpamWeasel:
http://www.mailgate.com/products/spamweas/sw_feat.asp

Free software that supports multiple email accounts.
Spam Weasel uses powerful rules to identify Spam and
permits a range of user defined actions like blocking
and deleting. Easy to Install and use.

8) Spamex: http://www.Spamex.com

Spamex offers disposable email addresses so you keep
your real address off spammers' lists. Mail sent to
the fake address is then forwarded to your real email
account. As soon as the disposable account starts
picking up Spam and being abused you can delete it
and create a new one. 19.95 a year.

9) ChoiceMail: http://www.digiportal.com/product4.html

A Spam blocking system that's based on the fact that
most incoming mail is Spam unless the sender has
obtained your permission to email you. You may
preapprove senders from your address book. When an
unauthorized email is sent to you, its sender is forced
to fill out a form stating why he should be allowed to
communicate with you. Then it's your choice whether or
not to receive messages from him.

Supports POP accounts and runs on Windows NT, 2000, XP,
98, ME. It does not currently work with web-based
email systems such as HotMail, Juno or Yahoo or with
MSN or AOL's proprietary email. Currently offering a
2-week trial of their service, or buy it for 39.95.

10) Spam Arrest: http://spamarrest.com/

Another service that blocks the junk before it can hit
your inbox. All email goes through their server first,
and if the sender is already a "verified source" their
mail travels to you seamlessly. If they are not, you'll
need to add them to your approval list to make sure
you continue to receive their emails without any
interruption.

Spam Arrest works on Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express,
Netscape, Incredimail, and any other email program
that supports the POP3 protocol. Free 30 day trial is
available and if you like it the price is only 19.95
every 6 months.

For more tips and helpful Spam resources check out:

Elsop's Anti-Spam Page
Excellent links and resources offered here
http://www.elsop.com/wrc/nospam.htm

Info. on More Anti-Spam Software
http://www.spamrecycle.com

JunkBusters
http://www.JunkBusters.com

More Free Anti-Spam Software
http://www.webattack.com/freeware/comm/fwspam.shtml

Let's face it. You can't wage your own personal war
on Spam and win, but you can reclaim your own inbox
by incorporating software that only allows "real"
mail to come through. So choose your weapon and
prepare for battle by protecting what's rightfully
yours -- your Inbox.
About the Author
Merle http://www.EzineAdAuction.com
"Where some of the BEST Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made"
Buy & Sell Ezine Ads in a live auction setting!
Publishers sell off your excess inventory and Buyers
pick up some Fantastic bargains. Free E-book on how to
write "glowing" ezine ads.....Download Now at
http://www.ezineadauction.com/ebooks/greatezineads.pdf

2005-09-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

What is Spam Anyway? by Richard Lowe

I've found when people discuss spam they really have no idea
what they are talking about. There are as many different
definitions of spam as there are people. In point of fact, this
factor alone (not being able to define what spam is and what it
consists of) makes it virtually impossible to control.

In order to control spam, a useful definition is necessary.
Why? Simple. In order to control something, you must know what
you are controlling. When you understand the basic facts, then
you can take whatever course of action is necessary. Until you
achieve that understanding, you will be shooting blindly at an
undefined target. This makes it very difficult to actually do
anything useful.

So on that note, what kind of definitions for spam work and
don't work?

Commonly spam is defined as unsolicited email. Unfortunately,
this definition by itself is NOT spam and means absolutely
nothing. What's wrong with it? This definition does not help
you solve the problem, and thus is incorrect. If this
definition was true, then to prevent spam you would have to
somehow contact a person to ask them if you could send them
an email.

For example, I don't generally call someone on the phone and
ask them for an email message. That would be silly. In fact, by
definition most email is unsolicited; I don't, for example,
expect my wife or a friend to ask me if it's okay to send me a
message.

Sometimes spam is defined as emails that are from unknown
sources. Hmm. This really doesn't work well either. I'll get
emails from my website from people I don't know - these are not
spam. Also, sometimes my friends will pass my email address to
their friends, who send me email. These are also not spam, even
though they were from an unknown source and were unsolicited.

How about just plain annoying emails? That seems to be the
definition that most people have in mind when they mention
spam. If the email is annoying in some manner, and especially
if it was unsolicited, it is spam. This definition probably
gets a little closer to the heart of the matter, but it really
doesn't define spam well.

What about unsolicited bulk email? This definition gets a
little bit closer but it still doesn't really define spam well.
I mean I give my email address to my bank and I really didn't
ask them to send me emails (although I didn't ask them not to
as well). Yet I would not call this spam as I do business with
the bank. Their emails might be annoying, but since I have a
business relationship with the bank I expect them to communicate
with me occasionally.

Okay, so what is spam?

I like to think of spam as "unethical mass email". By this I
mean emails which violate the netiquette standards of the
majority of users of the internet.

Note that by this definition, an individual email sent to a
person is not spam. A commercial email, however, is another
matter. Even a single commercial email might be unethical if it
does not follow the rules below.

Ethical emails are targeted well towards their audience.
Unethical emails are mass mailings sent out blindly to a large
number of people.

These are emails that are sent to thousands, tens of thousands,
even millions of people, hoping against hope that a few dozen
will be stupid or greedy enough to respond. These emails are
untargeted and will not pertain to the majority of the
recipients. Since the majority of the people reading the
message (usually upwards of 99%) will simply delete it
immediately, this makes the mailing unethical.

Ethical email messages include valid email header information.
This information properly identifies the sender of the message.
In addition, all of the other header data in the message is
correct.

Spam messages often have forged or invalid email headers. This
means it is difficult (if not virtually impossible) to trace
the source of the email based upon the header information
within the email message. Since the sender of the message
cannot be identified the message is unethical. In this case,
even a single email message would count as spam.

Ethical mailings include a method for opting out which actually
works.

If you run a newsletter or do any kind of mass mailing, you
must include at least one method of removal in the email
message itself. This removal method (and more than one is
preferable) MUST WORK. Some things which I often see in opt-out
schemes which ARE NOT VALID include the following:

- Any email message which states that the reader must go to a
web site, log in and then modify his email preferences is
UNETHICAL. This requires too much information from the user
and forces him to do too much work.

- If the email message includes an unsubscribe link (or other
means) which does not work, then it is UNETHICAL.

- Messages which validly allow for opt-out but then say "you
will be removed in a week" or some other long period of
time are UNETHICAL. These are computers people, and there is
no reason to include these long delays. Remove the person
immediately.

Ethical mass mailings are double-opt-in. This means after a
person signs up for the mailing list, he receives a
confirmation message. He must either reply to this message or
click a link to activate the mailings to him. Any other form
of opt-in is UNETHICAL as it allows people to be subscribed by
others or by accident.

Ethical mailings do not include webbugs, set cookies or perform
any kind of involuntary tracking.

Email messages are often opened up by the recipient before he
knows anything about the message. This means if you are doing
any kind of tracking, the person has no way to stop it, short
of blocking the receipt of the message entirely. This lack of a
choice on the part of the recipient makes this kind of tracking
UNETHICAL. The only time this would be ethical is if it was
clearly stated when the user signed up for the mailing. In that
instance, this behavior is known and this makes it ethical.
Note that while the web site privacy policy should state this
fact, it must also be stated clearly on the page where the
person actually signs up for the mailing.

Ethical mailers do not use email harvesters. Using special
robots to gather email addresses from web sites is UNETHICAL.
These email addresses are generally included on web sites to
allow individuals to communicate with individuals. Rarely is
the intention to join a mass mailing list distributed on CD.
ALL USES OF EMAIL HARVESTING IS UNETHICAL.

Ethical mailers do not take advantage of open relays or use
other "spammer tricks". If you are legitimate, then there is
no need to attempt to hide your whereabouts or cover your
tracks. Using a relay without permission or sending millions
of emails through an unprotected formmail script is simply
bad manners.

Get the idea? Spamming is NOT sending someone one or more email
messages without their express permission. Spamming is simply
ignoring the rights of others (your audience, system
administrators and even the users of the internet as a whole).
That's all it is.

About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets at
http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to read
over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your internet
profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

2005-09-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Is Your Ezine Being Zapped? by Michael Southon

About a year ago I wrote an article titled 'Winning The War On
Sp^m'. Unfortunately, the war on sp^m is not being won at all.

In fact, the problem is now so serious that sp^am is shaping up
to be the greatest threat to online marketing.

The threat comes not from sp^mmers themselves, but from the
filters that are being used to block them.

These filters are hitting hard at the very core of ecommerce -
Ezine Publishing.

Anti-sp^m filters operate at two levels: (i) client-side
programs that reside on individual computers and (ii)
server-side programs that ISPs are using to block incoming sp^m.

The problem is that the filters are now so sensitive they are
blocking even the most innocent of Newsletters.

For example, if your Newsletter contains the words 'remove',
'unsubscribe' or 'click here' it will trigger anti-sp^m filters
in many of the programs that are now being used by ISPs.

The result?

Your Ezine is zapped, deleted - and a large percentage of your
subscribers will think you have stopped publishing your
Newsletter.

What can you do about it?

Here are some tips to avoid sp^m filters:

(1) Post your Newsletter online and then email your subscribers
to tell them that the latest issue is now available online.

(2) In your Newsletter carefully avoid (both in the subject line
and the body text) all words that are likely to trigger
anti-sp^m filters. Use the free service listed at the end of
this article - it will flag any words in your Newsletter that
trigger anti-sp^m filters.

(3) Instead of saying 'to unsubscribe' (which is a phrase
commonly found in sp^m), say 'If you no longer wish to
receive...' or 'If you wish to leave this mailing list...' or
'To take yourself off this list...'

(4) If there are trigger words that you simply cannot avoid, you
can disguise them using carets (^) or other symbols. The 'F'
word would become fr^e and the 'U' word would become
uns^bscribe.

(5) Include the word 'Newsletter' in the subject line of your
email - this will help the filters identify your email as
non-sp^m.

(6) Avoid whole words in upper case. In many Newsletters the
headers are capitalized - this will trigger the filters.

(7) If your Newsletter contains ads, scrutinize them carefully -
ezine ads, by definition, contain words frequently used by
sp^mmers.

Here is a fr^e service that will help you avoid sp^m filters.
Before you mail out your Newsletter, just send a copy of it to
the email address below with TEST in the subject line:
mailto:spamcheck@sitesell.net

Within a few seconds you'll receive a report that analyses your
Newsletter and gives you a score (0 to 5=no problems 12-16=over
the limit for most ISPs).

If you write articles, it's worth submitting them to this test
as well, together with your Resource Box (I just sent this
article to Sp^mCheck and got a score of 4.6).

Sp^mCheck is operated by Sp^mAssassin, a filter that is widely
used by ISPs - so this is a good test of whether your Newsletter
will get through to your subscribers.
About the Author
Michael Southon has been writing for
the Internet for over 3 years. He has
shown hundreds of web masters how
to use this simple technique to get massive
free publicity and dramatically increase
traffic and sales. To find out more, please
visit: http://www.ezine-writer.com.

2005-09-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Why do we hate spam so much? by Linda Landry

Why do we hate spam so much?
By Linda Landry (c)

Everyone agrees that spam is BAD! We obviously hate
it because we named it SPAM. The garbage lunch meat
packed in a can and made from leftover animal parts; the
next thing to waste! Yes, I agree it is annoying to have
your electronic mail box filled with unsolicited mail. But
isn't that what the delete key is for? Once you eliminate
the unwanted item, it is as if it never existed. So why do
we get so upset? Is it because we get unnecessary mail
telling us how to grow body organs we don't have or how
to get more pleasure from sex? Or is it the pornography
we did not request and we are embarrassed that someone
may think we did? I am sure the large part of our concern
is 'catching' a virus. We can protect ourselves from this
contamination with software just as we can protect ourselves
from germs by taking precautions. We cannot totally eliminate
the possibility of becoming infected. But we have learned to
live with the reality of germs. Will we ever become accustomed
to the reality of a computer virus? We have adjusted to junk mail
in our snail mail boxes and telephone solicitors dialing our number
without permission, so why do we get so upset about spam? It has
become the number one topic and it is being labeled as abuse.
Perhaps we should just learn to use our delete key and appreciate
the availability of this free avenue of communication; before it
becomes regulated.

(Linda Landry is the Editor/Publisher of CYBERSHOPNEWS
which is a weekly free ezine. A copy can be reviewed on
her site at http://www.galleryogifts.com.
Brother site: http://www.galleryodefense.com You may contact her about this
article at cybershopnews@aol.com
Reprint permission is granted if the article is printed in it's
entirety and with this resource box.)
_____________

About the Author
Linda Landry is a new net 'marketeer' with two retail websites an a new ezine, Cybershopnews. She is a publisher dedicated to presenting quality articles and an affordable media
for you to promote your online biz opps.

2005-09-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Junk Email Do's and Don'ts by Esu Matra

Top Ten Junk Email Do's and Don'ts
2003 - Esu Matra

First, a definition (several definitions, actually)...

Spam Email: Refers generally to email communication that you
do not want, from senders that you do not have any existing
business relationship with, sent in large quantities of mostly
identical messages. Also refers to junk email, UCE
(Unsolicited Commerical Email), and sometimes to bulk email.

It seems that email usage has turned from being a window on the
world to being in a cell in a fortress or castle. You are
afraid that you don't have enough defenses. You don't like
being in the fort, because you remember that only a short while
ago this same location was a beautiful open field.

We wrote the preceding paragraph before attending the momentous
U.S. FTC Spam Forum that ended in May 2003. The forum was
attended by people on all of the many sides of the
"anti-junk-email" war. But, at least one of the panel members
echoed the feeling that the junk email problem will be solved
when your email in-box operates like it did when you (for you
internet old-timers) first started. In those days, you just
got email from people and organization you knew, and the "open
field" of email communication really was beautiful - no junk.

The attendees at the FTC conference and other similar forums
about junk email do not always agree on the definition of,
the best solution to, or the scope of the junk email problem.
But for most emailers, there is general agreement that it is
a growing problem that they want stopped - fast!

There are many possible variations to the top ten junk email
DO's and DONT's list below. The items are presented with
some humor to keep a light edge to a serious problem:

1. DON'T use the unsubscribe option or reply to junk mails - this
option at the bottom of a junk email message is a trick that
spammers use to make sure that the address is real. However,
at the FTC forum it was reported that unsubscribing does not
seem to increase spam, so it may not result in too much damage
if you have unsubscribed or replied in the past. Also, if you
remember subscribing to the sender, and believe them to be
reputable, then use the unsubscribe option provided.

2. DO spend time complaining about spam, responsibly and
appropriately. Do realize that the sender of any email can be
faked, along with other information. Your internet service
provider (ISP) can help you in tracking down the real
sender.

3. DON'T view or even pre-view a suspicious message while online.
Why? The pictures used in some messages are only retrieved
from the spammer's computers when you view the message, and
at that time you could be telling the spammers that you
received the message. It has been observed that identical
junk messages may have different codes - possibly to get
past email filters, or possibly to track who opens the
messages. Note that some online webmail providers allow
you to not retrieve images when viewing messages, and this
option is recommended to prevent spamsters from measuring
the effectiveness of their work.

4. DON'T buy anything from a spammer. Search and find a
substitute elsewhere.

5. DO read privacy policies of every site that you give personal
information to. These documents are on every responsible
organization's website, and the pages tell you what they
will do with your personal information.

6. DO realize that you may have okay'd the spam - perhaps you
provided your email address to a company that stated in its
privacy policy that it will provide your information "to
affiliated sites"... this means that if they affiliate with
10,000 sites, then you may get 10,000 or more 'opt-in' junk
emails. More responible or ethical of companies will let
you decide, or inform you of other options. However, as
noted at the FTC forum and elsewhere, this creates a
loophole - claimed by bulk emailers as legal - for using
your address for just about any purpose. Millions of
people have wanted to win contests or prizes, and given
their email addresses, only in many cases to find out that
they won a ride on the "Wheel of Spam Carousel"

7. DO get a disposable or extra email account to give to
"suspicious" sites (even if they have a privacy policy that
you like).

8. DON'T get too crazy or upset about all of the junk - you have
better uses for your energy and talents! Also, calling the
spammer-provided toll-free numbers (in the U.S. at least)
can reveal your telephone number - even if you block the
caller id.

9. DO be prepared to spend money, time, or both in order to
achieve a slimmer email in-box. There are products and
services that can help, some free, but they all take time
to understand and use effectively.

10. DO stay informed - technology, laws, and tricks are evolving.
Locations of online resources are provided in many places,
and there are a continuing stream of articles in the news.

Copyright 2003 Esu Matra

About the Author
For Esu's free ebook excerpt from "Block Junk Email!",
a technical and fun document explaining the junk
e-mail problem with characters such as "Grandpa Spam"
and "Spammi", visit http://www.BlockJunkEmail.com

2005-09-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Here Comes the SPAM... by Irina

-----------------------------------------------------------
TITLE: Here Comes the SPAM...
AUTHOR: Irina
LENGTH: 703 words
FORMAT: 59 characters per line
CONTACT: irbonness@ureach.com
--------------------------CUT HERE-------------------------

Here Comes the SPAM...

By Irina

===========================================================
The author grants permission to publish this article, in
its entirety, electronically or in print, as long as the
bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication
(or, at least, an e-mail notification) sent to
irbonness@ureach.com will be appreciated.
===========================================================

I exercise regularly and follow a healthy diet. My weight
is right on the money. So every invitation "to loose 30
pounds in 20 days" insults more than just my intelligence
and literary taste. Yet until now I managed to treat
Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) or simply SPAM as a
nuisance that wastes my time and resources, but does not
represent a serious problem. Not any more!

The message that changed my attitude looked rather
innocent:
"Hello [fname],
I am so-and-so. You are receiving this message because I
saw your online business site..." The next day I got
another similar message from different so-and-so. Soon, the
number escalated to a dozen a day. Very disturbing was also
the fact that the messages were arriving to my "strictly
business" email addresses reserved exclusively for my
customers and business partners. A little research quickly
revealed the name of my new enemy - Spam Bot.

Spam Bot is much like a search engine spider. Twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week it crawls from page to page
looking for email addresses. Even single Spam Bot is able
to quickly produce huge list of addresses (only addresses -
that's why they called me [fname]!) which are used to send
SPAM. Unfortunately, there are many of them... Another
problem is that being extremely easy to generate and thus
very cheap, these lists are sold and re-sold over and over
again to nave (obtuse?) "netrepreneurs".

Looks like a serious self-perpetuating problem for anyone
with business email address posted on the Internet. Is
there a solution? Well, yes - you can completely eliminate
this type of SPAM by making your email address
unrecognizable for Spam Bots. Here are several possible
approaches:

1. Use the FORM MAIL whenever possible. This not only
conceals your email address, but also makes it easier for
real visitors to contact you. Here is a working example:
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/savemoney/
Anyone can email me a question by typing it in the window
right on my page and hitting the "Submit Query" button. Yet
the address itself is hidden from my human visitors as well
as Spam Bots.

2. Replace your "mailto:" link with an IMAGE of your email
address. To see an example go to
http://www.pcpages.com rafficy/links.html
Feel free to examine the HTML code of the page by right-
clicking anywhere in the window and then scrolling to "View
source" in the drop-down menu. Instead of my email address
you (and Uncle Spam Bot as well!) will only see a link to
"emaddress.gif". In this case additional security brings
about some inconvenience - the address is not "clickable"
and thus one has to memorize it or write it down. This
slight disadvantage is circumvented in the next approach.

3. Replace several REAL characters in your email address
with so-called SPECIAL characters. These special characters
always begin with "&" and end with ";". Whatever is in
between determines how the browser will interpret that
particular special character. For example, typing "&" "#"
"6" "4" ";" (without quotation marks and spaces) is
equivalent to using the real character "@".

If you are skeptical that this replacement alone is enough
to fool the Spam Bot (that, by the way, makes two of us) -
proceed with replacing other characters in your email
address. Here is your cheat-sheet to substitute all
vowels: a=#97, e=#101, i=#105, o=#111 and u=#117. Remember
to start every special character with "&" and end with ";".
You can see how it works by going to
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/savemoney/links.html

My human visitors can see and click on my email address by
using "Click here to get my email address" link. When
viewing the code of the little window, you will not find
the address in an explicit form - just a long string of
special characters with some letters in between. This
(hopefully!) is enough to confuse Spam Bots visiting my
site.

We will never be able to totally eliminate SPAM that seems
to come with the cyberspace "territory". Yet I should feel
just a little better if the above suggestions at least
partially shield your inbox from unwelcome (and often very
badly phrased) offers to consolidate the debts you don't
have or safely enlarge a part of your body that... well,
you do not have either.

Copyright (C) by Irina 2003.

===========================================================
About the Author:
Irina helps people save on healthcare and create steady
stream of residual income working from home
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/savemoney/
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/makemoney/
===========================================================

About the Author
Irina helps people save on healthcare and create steady
stream of residual income working from home
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/savemoney/
http://www.megaone.com/hbb/makemoney/

2005-09-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

How to Stop Spam Mail by Herman Drost

Part 1 of this article (www.isitebuild.com/organizedemail)
discussed how to efficiently organize your email so you can
spend more time on building a profitable business.

One of the most annoying aspects of dealing with incoming email
is spam mail (unsolicited email). It fills up your email box, takes
up your precious time, and seems to only get worse. You may even
delete your personal or business email that was mistaken for
spam mail.

This could result in lost business to you.

In Part 2 of this article you will discover solutions to help
you stop spam mail. This allows you to spend more time
building a profitable business.

Apart from just hitting the delete button each day here are some
timesaving solutions:

1. Use the filters or the message rules of your email client.

a) In outlook express (since it is the most popular email
client) go to tools - message rules - mail - mail rules - new

b) Under "select conditions for your rule", check "where the
subject line contains specific words".

c) Under "select the actions for your rule" check "delete it".

d) Under "rule description" click on "contains specific words"
- enter words or phrases that you never wish to receive again.

e) Under "name of rule" provide an appropriate name for the rule
ie JUNK.

f) Click OK

Creating this JUNK rule will automatically delete emails
containing the specific words or phrases you entered.

There are many other rules you can apply (ie move certain
messages to specific folders automatically), depending on what
you need.

Here are a couple of web sites that list phrases and keywords
frequently used in spam mail:

http://www.sv-cs.com/spam.html
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt8/spamfilter_phrases.htm

2. Use anti-spam software.

You can install software either on your computer (client side)
or on your web host (server side).

a) Client Side - software that resides on your computer.

Mailwasher (www.mailwasher.net) - provides an easy way to check
and manage your emails before you download them.

There are free and paid versions of mailwasher.

Spamkiller (http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/msk/default.asp)

Features:

*Block emails using both lists and preset filters
*Update internal filters automatically
*Filter MSN/Hotmail, POP3 and MAPI email
*Create custom filters
*Quarantine spam mail outside of your inbox
*Import "friends" automatically into your safe list
*Monitor and filter multiple email accounts
*Fight back against spammers

Paid version only.

b) Server Side - software that resides on your server. This
means the spam mail will be deleted before it makes it to your inbox.

Ask your web host what spam mail software they carry and how to
implement it. My web host uses spamassassin.

Spamassassin (www.spamassassin.org) this is a mail filter widely
used by ISPs to identify spam mail before it reaches your inbox.
Check with your web host if it is already installed.

The spam-identification tactics used include:

header analysis - identifies spammers using tricks to mask their
identities in the email header.

text analysis - identifies characteristic styles used by
spammers in the body of the email.

3) Get a free SpamCheck Report

Here is a FREE test you can do to make sure your newsletter gets
through to your subscribers and is not stopped by spam
software. Just send your newsletter to
spamcheck-webselling83@sitesell.net and you'll get back a full
SpamCheck Report in seconds.

Make sure TEST starts the subject line or it will be ignored.

Now your readers can stay out of the "Junk Mail Folder."

Use these techniques and tools to remove spam mail before it gets to
you. You will gain more time and be able to concentrate more
effectively on your business.
About the Author
Herman Drost is the author of the NEW ebook
"101 Highly Effective Strategies to Promote Your Web Site"
a powerful guide for attracting 1000s of visitors to your web site.
http://www.isitebuild.com/web-site-promotion
Subscribe to his Marketing Tips newsletter for more original
articles. mailto:subscribe@isitebuild.com. You can read more
of his in-depth articles at: http://www.isitebuild.com/articles

2005-09-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Anti-Spam Zealots who went to the FTC Spam Forum by John Calder

On the three days from April 30 through Friday, May 2, 2003,
the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) held a "Spam Forum" in
Washington, D.C.

According to the FTC website, the purpose of this forum was
"to address the proliferation of unsolicited commercial e-mail
and to explore the technical, legal, and financial issues
associated with it."

While the FTC and other government entities try to figure out
how they can legally address the Spam issue, they are doing so
without consulting with those of us who run small businesses
online. Of the 97 people who spoke at the forum, the majority
was technicians and lawyers who represent the ISP's and
Anti-Spam companies. A few of the people even represented
large bulk email companies.

Forum participants could not even agree on a proper definition
of "spam" --- yet they propose that they are the best qualified
to help write the laws that will eliminate spam?

My question is this, who represented the small business owner
and the small publishers at the FTC spam forum? No one really.
It was not because the small business segment did not have
representatives willing to speak on their behalf. In fact,
both I-Cop.org and OMPUAC.org --- both of whom represent
small online businesses --- had petitioned to have their
representatives speak at the forum, but both were turned
down.

You can read the list of the people who DID speak at the FTC
"Spam Forum" at:

http://www.theezine.net/ftc_spam_forum.shtml

Should you honestly believe the anti-spam profiteers had your
interests in mind when they had the opportunity to speak to
the FTC?

Here are some of the anti-spam profiteers who found
representation at the FTC "Spam Forum":

Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS)
SpamCon Foundation
SpamCop
The Spamhaus Project
Habeas

Even in the hallowed lists of the anti-spam zealots, the
profiteers aren't taken very seriously sometimes. When
addressing Anne P. Mitchell, Esq., CEO of Habeas, Inc.,
a member of the SPAM-L list suggested:

"What makes you think that 'we' trust Habeas any more than
any other organisation whose business model depends on
spam continuing to exist in order to stay in business."

Good point.

William Waggoner, founder of AAW Marketing LLC in Las Vegas,
Nevada, did actually support my own point of view. He suggested
at the "Spam Forum" that technology techniques like spam
filtering hurts even legitimate email marketers!

You know whom Mr. Waggoner was talking about. He was talking
about those e-mail marketers who have actually acquired
permission from the email recipient to send them commercial
email.

When someone in the forum audience laughed at his comment,
Waggoner fired back, "You think that's funny?"

So why did they laugh? This gets to the heart of why the FTC
Spam Forum was bad news for the legitimate email marketer. Many
anti-spam zealots do not believe that there is such a thing as
"legitimate commercial email!"

TERM: Double Opt-in - Requires a subscriber to request a
subscription and then to verify the intention to subscribe
by following a defined procedure.

Even if publishers who now require "double opt-in"
subscriptions were to ask for and keep records of "quadruple
opt-in" verifications from their subscribers, a lot of
anti-spam zealots would still cry foul!

Why else would the terms *s*u*b*s*c*r*i*b*e* and *u*n*s*u*b-
*s*c*r*i*b*e* be included in many spam filters with the implied
suggestion that email that carries this terminology MUST be
spam?

It does no good to be able to prove double opt-in to the ISP's
and the anti-spam zealots. Most presuppose that any commercial
email is likely to be spam.

The ISP's are honestly concerned with the cost of bandwidth in
association with email. Estimates have put the monthly cost of
spam to be $3 per month per email account. Thus, if ISP's can
reduce or eliminate spam, they can reduce their costs and
improve their profits.

ISP's who oppose all commercial email --- you know, the kind
who laugh at the suggestion that spam filters hurt "legitimate
email marketers" --- think one step further. They believe that
if they can eliminate all commercial email, then they can
significantly reduce their costs and significantly improve
their profits!

At every level of the Internet food-chain, people are concerned
with their own profits. The anti-spam zealots, who had the most
pronounced representation at the FTC spam forum, will profit
handsomely from the loss of commercial email... Or will they?

Without commercial enterprise on the Internet, will people
still be flocking to the web in the numbers they are today?

Recognizing the fact that the filtering industry is destroying
email commerce, people like Anne P. Mitchell of Habeas, Inc. have
come running to the assistance of online commercial businesses.
For a price, Habeas will "whitelist" your publication or email
--- or should I say for a hefty price, Habeas will "whitelist"
your email!

TERM: Whitelist - This is a kind of filter that suggests that
any email that meets the whitelist definitions will be
pre-verified (under the terms of the whitelist company)
as legitimate commercial email.

Habeas purports to offer a "value-added service" that will help
your outgoing email reach its destination unobstructed. Habeas
also purports its fees to be very reasonable --- up to $500 per
mailing list per year. Is $500 really a "reasonable" price? I
don't think so.

As consumers, we always think of the "spam war" as something
that addresses the unsolicited email from the p*o*r*n industry,
the nutritional products industry, and other fly-by-night
scammers.

Yet, when the people who are speaking on our behalf in the
halls of government think of the "spam war", they are thinking
of something else entirely. In fact, they are attempting to
remove the cash from the pockets of not only the spammers, but
also the small business people who employ legitimate email
marketing techniques.

Why do so many anti-spam zealots target all commercial email?
Simple, they want to put the cash where THEY think it belongs
--- into their own pockets!

About the Author
John Calder is the owner/editor of The Ezine Dot Net. Subscribe Today and get real information YOU can use to help build your online business today! http://www.TheEzine.Net

The Ezine DOT Net RSS feeds are available.

(You may reprint this article in full in your newsletter and/or web site)

2005-09-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

The 4 Ws of Junk E-mail by Niall Roche

Junk e-mail or spam has become the scourge of the modern computer world. It eats bandwidth. Spam is like a disease. It doesnt care about age, religion, wealth. It doesnt discriminate. Junk e-mail affects us all.

There are 4 keys to the junk mail questionWho, What, Where and Why.

Who they are
The typical profile of a junk mail sender is as follows. Male, 1830 years of age, single, technically competent and with little regard for their status as a public nuisance. There are female junk mailers out there but, unfortunately, this is predominantly a male preserve.

What they use to send spam
There are many tools available to the spam merchant. The main ones are e-mail extractors, newsgroup harvesters and CD lists.

E-mail extractors are programs which wander around the Internet gathering e-mail addresses from websites and often from web based forums (unprotected forums). A good e-mail extractor can gather 15,000 e-mail addresses per hour.

Newsgroup harvesters are programs which search through newsgroups for valid e-mail addresses. Most newsgroups users are aware of this and take measures to counteract these harvesting programs. Despite these measures a newsgroup harvester application can gather 20,00030,000 e-mail addresses in an hour.

CD lists are one of the worst sources. 90 million e-mail addresses available on a single CD for as little as $20. A lot of the addresses on these CDs would be junk (many would no longer exist) but an equally large number of these addresses would be valid. A CD like this is a junk mailers dream.

Where they do it from
Those involved in sending out bulk e-mail are entrepreneurs or at least they think so. The vast majority of those involved in the spam business are self-employed and work from home. Sending spam is almost the ideal home based business. You name your hours and the business itself is almost automatic. Maximum gain from minimum effort.

Why they do it in the first place
Their motivation is money. Considerable amounts of cash actually. Each spammer who sends out 1,000,000 junk e-mails is certain of approximately 100 sales. Many of the products they sell are worth $50 - $100 dollars to them in commission. Yes. Shocking isnt it? The average bulk mailer earns in excess of $100,000 per year! Maximum return for minimum effort. Unless of course you get caught and get jail time.

About the Author
Niall Roche is the content administrator for www.spam-site.com. For more information on ways to fight spam check out http://www.spam-site.com/spam_filter_reviews/spam_filter_reviews.htm.

2005-09-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

RSS Feeds by Sharon Housley

Lets face it as much as we all rely on email communications it is not really a reliable technology.

Why Should I care about RSS Feeds
SPAM and viruses have wreaked havoc with a communication medium and reduced its value. Users have become admittedly paranoid about privacy issues and have begun "tuning out" and mentally filtering mail. What this means is that vendors really ought to begin exploring alternatives means of communciation in order to be heard. One of these alternatives is RSS or Really Simple Syndication.

While I'm not suggesting that you abandon email I think that many might want to consider RSS feeds as well. Because RSS Feeds are selected by the end user spam is not an issue. RSS is created using XML, a very basic markup language. One that does not contain the risks inherent to email.

Endusers select the feeds they wish to view. Content providers select the feeds they wish to display. By providing a RSS feed another site may pick up "news" about your software and post it. If email continues on a self destruct course RSS will become a new standard and an accepted viable alternative or more likely an email supplement. For now if you have a "technical" customer base RSS might be a "cool" thing to add.

What are RSS Feeds -
In very simple non-technical terms RSS is an XML file containing a directory of web pages with related news or information. The RSS is contained in an XML file and referred to as a "feed". RSS format is very simple, in fact even I was able to create a feed with little effort.

The XML file basically contains what would be commonly used as a title and description in an html document, along with the url of a web page containing the actual content.

Sample feeds can be seen at: http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/feed.xml http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/marketing-feed.xml http://www.notepage.net/feed.xml

Once uploaded to a website the feed should be validated (to make sure you did not use any invalid characters). The feed can then be submitted to engines. Individuals can view your content in a reader. Individuals can also add news feed to their websites by using an aggregator and tapping the feed of news vendors or others.

For convenience I've created a webpage with RSS resources at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/rss-feeds.html

About the Author
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc.
http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in
alphanumeric paging, SMS wireless messaging software solutions.

2005-09-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

What is the Fuss? by Peter M.K. Chan

----------------------------------------
Note: reproduction in e-zine is permitted provided author is informed.
----------------------------------------

What is the Fuss?

I am a young surfer, barely six-months old.
But I already know that spamming is a sin, soon to be made a crime.
However, as an adult who has been around for quite sometime,
I really do not understand the logic of it all.

What is wrong with sending decent emails to strangers?
Its because they have not asked for it.
But are banners, pop-ups and pop-unders solicited?
Yeah! How about TV advertising?
You didnt ask for them either, did you?
These, mind you, are PAID for.
Are you saying that paying someone to deliver the emails will be acceptable?
If not, what really is the fuss?

Like everything else, the fuss is about money.
If it is OK for Tom, Dick, and Harry to advertise for himself,
Where is advertising revenue going to come from?
Well, as someone who has to put roof over head and food on table,
I am beginning to see the truth.

This thing has got to be stopped.
How?
Why not nail it with a bad sounding label.
What do you have in mind?
How about SPAM for Self Publicity-Advertising Mess?
Not bad for a bad name.
That would also give the public something to spit from its lips.
Like SPAMMING is bad for health, or whatever.

Of course, that is not supposed to be heard.
But, according to great grandma,
Thats how SPAMMING has come to be frown upon.
Its not about table manners, mind you.
Its about whether any lunch should be free.
It is a conflict between cooks and those who prefer to cook for themselves.

Can SPAMMING really be stopped?
Yes, in name but not in kind.
As always, devils are steps ahead of the gods.
Email address collecting has already become a kind of business.
And people are having themselves opted in everyday.
What this creates is a kind of new syndication.
In this way, almost everyone will be happy.
Cook will keep their jobs and no lunch will be free.
There will be no more unsolicited emails.
Some though would still complain about unwanted publicity and advertising.
But then, as great grandma used to say,
Who is to know that ones words are not welcomed unless one speaks?.

Author: Peter M.K. Chan
http://www.geocities.com hemysteryofmind

About the Author
http://www.geocities.com/themysteryofmind

2005-09-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Bayesian Spam Filters Uncovered by Niall Roche

In a word Bayesian spam filters are "intelligent". Bayesian spam filters are intelligent in so far as they're capable of comparing two sets of information and acting on the result. This is in direct contrast to the vast majority of other spam filters who use pre-built rules to decide which e-mail is spam and which is not.

Bayesian spam filters can take one group of legitimate e-mail and another group of spam and compare the values and data of each. The definition of legitimate e-mail that it creates at the end of this comparison session is what it uses going forward to scan your inbox for spam.

FYI Bayesian spam filters are named after Thomas Bayes an 18 century cleric who created something known as Bayes Theorem. In summary Bayes Theorem is as follows: .."in statistical inference to update estimates of the probability that different hypotheses are true, based on observations and a knowledge of how likely those observations are, given each hypothesis." In plain English it looks for obvious repeating patterns to form an "opinion" on something. In spam filter terms that "opinion" becomes a rule which keeps you spam free (or pretty close :-)

The really neat thing about Bayesian filters is that they're capable of learning. For example if they decided to block an e-mail because the filter perceived it as junk but the user marked it as valid mail the Bayesian filter then knows not to block that type of e-mail in the future. So, in time, this type of spam filter learns enough to block spam far more effectively. AOL have embraced this type of spam filter with the launch of AOL 9.0 and AOL Communicator- if the big dog wants it then it must be worthwhile?

So what Bayesian spam filtering options are available to you? Well quite a few to be honest and you'll be pleasantly surprised by some of the names involved :-) The first one on the list is AOL with their AOL Communicator product. The spam filtering features in AOL Communicator and AOL 9 are, to be honest, impressive. Think what you will of the provider themselves AOL Communicator is an excellent product and is suitable for use by both PC and Mac OSX users.

Next up we have Eudora. The nice folks at Qualcomm have designed an excellent e-mail client that also has built in Bayesian spam filtering. I've used Eudora in the past and it's a neat little package. Again the benefits here are advanced integrated spam filtering with your e-mail automatically. Mac OSX and OS9 users are in luck with Eudora providing support for both.

If you'd like to know more about spam filters or just spam in general please do drop by http://www.spam-site.com for more information.
About the Author
Niall Roche is the content author and owner of www.spam-site.com which reviews and tests spam blockers.

2005-09-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

SPAM: Are you taking the Asterisk*? by Michael Hopkins

SP*M is the scourge of the Internet. Everyone hates SP*M. Even SPA*MERS hate SP*M!

For the average email user it's an annoyance. But for the
Internet marketer it represents a serious threat. If you're
sending ezines, autoresponder messages or solo ads as a means of building your business, then there's every chance that between 10% and 50% of your recipients never get your email.

It's the SP*M blockers you see.

More and more email users have installed SP*M blockers to
prevent all the thrash from ever reaching their inbox. Likewise,
an ever-increasing number of ISPs use similar technology to
protect their users.

This represents a serious challenge to the legitimite marketer
who's sending legitimite emails to legitimite opt-in recipients.

It's gotten to the point where I can't even spell the word SP*M
in this article for fear it never reaches you. I should also
avoid words like FR*E or M*NEY or OPP*RTUNITY or even something apparently harmless like CLICK BEL*W!!

In fact, there's so many things that will clock up points on the
SP*M blocker's index, that it's getting near impossible for us
to write anything in our emails. (If you're interested, you can
see an extensive list of the kind of stuff that will earn you
SP*MMER points at http://spamassassin.org ests.html).

So what can you do to get around this problem?

Simple. You've got to determine whether the emails you send out are going to pass the SP*M blockers criteria or not.

Here's how to do it without spending a penny...

1. Download and install Eudora email software from http://eudora.com (it's FR*E!).

2. Download and install Spamnix from http://www.spamnix.com
(the FR*E version is fine).

3. Set up one of your existing email accounts in Eudora or
create a new one especially for the purposes of testing your
mails.

4. Every time you have an email ready to send to your opt-in
subscribers, send a test copy to your email account in Eudora
first. Spamnix will examine the mail and, if it looks like SP*M,
it will filter it into a special folder it creates to handle
this kind of thing. Spamnix will also tag a report on to the
bottom of the message that shows you exactly what's wrong with your email to earn it such a poor reputation.

Now, all you have to do is tweak your message according to the Spamnix report and try again. Keep doing this until Spamnix no longer considers you a dirty rotten SP*MMER.

Because Spamnix uses the same criteria as just about every other SP*M blocking software, you can now be quite certain that your email will reach its intended recipients.

So, don't let those SP*MMERS drive you out of business. Take
action today to ensure that their dodgy business practices are
not costing you dearly.

And with that I've got to sign off... I've just received a H*T
offer on how to make L*ADS of M*NEY selling VI*GRA to people with M*RTGAGES who W*RK from H*ME to pay off their CR*DIT C*RD B*LLS!

Or something.

About the Author
Michael Hopkins is owner of BizzyDays Ebook Publications.
Visit now to download original ebooks for FREE at:
http://www.bizzydays.com
This article first appeared in Michael's newsletter 'Ebook Times'.
To subscribe visit: http://www.bizzydays.com/free_newsletter.htm

2005-09-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

How to Protect your PC from Atrocious Spyware in the Cyber Age. by George Papazoglou

Wouldn't you be shocked to find that
your personal sensitive information,
like files, credit card information,
operating system / software and other
non-disclosed data to be penetrated
by unscrupulous prying eyes? Even worse...

"Is your computer infected by Spyware?"

What is Spyware? Spyware are infectious
programs developed to secretly subtract
and transfer electronic information over the Internet, without a User's apprehension.

Norton Anti-Virus or any other "virus protection" solution, will not protect your computer from malicious applications like Spyware.

Ever Downloaded any kind of Music, Video or even "Free Software"?

On the Internet, anything "free" has a hidden cost... much more than the cost of a highly-priced product.

How much is your Privacy's worth to You?

To diabolic marketing companies, your identity my friend, is worth thousands of dollars... they get rich by capitalizing and selling your privacy to third parties, who will in return, sell (again!) or use you as a guinea pig for their promotions - your Anti-Virus won't protect you from Spyware!

Hint: Some even sell your information to telemarketers, or bulk e-mail marketing companies.

The question is... are the gigantic companies selling "anti-virus solutions", a part of this greedy industry?

Two of the best "Spyware Scanners" you must-have to protect your computer and identity from prying Spyware.

Spyware Removal Tools

No Adware : Stops privacy invaders like Gator, Kazaa or Adware and PC cluttering pop-ups.

http://cyber-software.com/spyware-removal

X-Block Probably the most powerful tool to automatically tracking, cleaning and informing you about malicious spyware, Trojans and
Privacy-intruding programs.

http://cyber-software.com/x-block

Scan your Computer now for free. Open the program here and then opt to choose "RUN" instead of downloading it.
You will be probably shocked to see how your Computer's system is infected with several spyware programs.
About the Author
--------------------------------------

Article written by George Papazoglou
This article maybe freely republished
provided that it is left intact
including Author's credits and
this resource box at it's total
entirety.Cyber-Software.com

--------------------------------------

2005-08-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Is Your Website Blacklisted? by Niall Roche

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 pamming.

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
www.spam-site.com reviews and tests antispam software solutions for the business and end user. Niall Roche is the content author and owner of spam-site.com

2005-08-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Why Your ISP Takes Bribes From Spammers by Niall Roche

The lifeblood of the spammer is email. They need to be able to send lots of it on an ongoing basis to stay in "business". High profile spammers can send 80 million pieces of junk email every single day. Yes one single person.

ISPs all over the online world have vowed to stop spammers sending such vast amounts of email through their mail servers. Do they really keep their word? All the end user sees is that the spam keeps coming. There must be a loophole there somewhere. There is.

In the soft white underbelly of the internet there exists something known as a pink contract. The term pink contract comes from the color of the famous tinned meat that

junk email gets its name from. A pink contract is simply a business agreement between the ISP and the spammer. The spammer agrees to pay the ISP to turn a blind eye to the junk email passing through their mail servers.

Surely this is bad business for the ISP? Well the answer to that is both Yes and No. Yes it's bad news for the people who receive the junk email and No it's good news for the ISPs bank balance. A monthly pink contract can pay the ISP amounts from $10,000 upwards. Bearing in mind that the average work-at-home spammer averages $100,000 net per year the above figure is small change fo the bigger junk email vendors (the guys who earn $200,000 - $400,000 per month.)

But..... the CanSpam Act 2003... surely that's going to make a difference? Of course.

Any ISP in the United States can get in serious, serious trouble for signing pink contracts. Problem is that there's a whole big world wide web out there and the vast majority of pink contracts are signed with overseas ISPs where US authorities have no jurisdiction - China and Russia being perfect examples.

There's no moral to this story. Spam is a huge problem that's finally being taken seriously by Governmental bodies. However until they start imposing prison sentences or seizure orders on those individuals and companies in the pink contract business the problem can only continue.
About the Author
Niall Roche is the content author and owner of www.spam-site.com which reviews and tests spam filtering software for the business and end user.

2005-08-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

COMPLAIN to the FTC about spyware - April 19th, 04 hearing by Guy Hartmann

Are you tired of spyware gathering information on you without your knowledge?
This information is bought and sold. I can't imagine the weasals who do it have anything but nefarious purposes in mind. Protect your computer security. Speak up to the FTC! You can email comments for the April 19th, 2004 hearing at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spyware/index.htm
About the Author
Guy Hartmann is a community educator and often contributes to Quantum Links: http://www.quantum-links.com & blogs information at http://www.quantum-links.blogspot.com

2005-08-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Cellular Spam?? You bet! by Arnie Jacobsen

Cellular spam is no joke!

"Man, I'm so sick of getting spam messages on my email."
"No sooner do I set up a new account, but the spammers find me again!" "It's enough to make me give up using email!"

Does this sound like a familiar refrain? Could it be you, or a family member, or friend?
Think we're talking about your email account at home? Well, think again

Remember the days when you only had to worry about getting calls at dinner or bed time from telemarketer?
Childs play! Spamming of your email account? Mere pranks.

Now, meet the text messaging spam on your cell phone. Yep, you heard it here.
The same people who brought us the joy of spam, now bring us "Son of Spam"! This is unsolicited text messaging to your cell phone.

You might say, "What's the big deal?" I'm glad you asked, but I'm sure it would have come to you.
When spammers hit your online mailbox with spam, it uses up your time. That's the only currency wasted.
But, with cell phone text-messaging spammers they're spending your money to send you their messages!
That's right your paying for their advertising!

And, it's not restricted to the U.S. In Europe things are even worse, where an estimated 65% of the customers
complain of getting five or more spam messages a week, and this after the EU put digital privacy rules into place to curtail the problem.

In our country, the Can-Spam Law is supposed to address the problem, and all of the providers are aware of it as well.
In fact, many say they will refund any time used as a result of unwanted text messaging.

Each cellular service provider has its own policy. You'll need to check with them to find out what recourse you have.

About the Author
About the Author

Arnie Jacobsen is an educator, entrepreneur, and freelance writer offering tips and insights for those interested in

Free Cell Phones, and
Cellular Phone Accessory.

2005-08-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Spam Control - The Internet Without It? by Niall Roche

Every single day 30,000,000 emails are sent around the world. 50% of those emails are spam. Blue chip companies and even Governments are taking drastic measures in spam control. The most recent evidence of this is the Canspam Act which was passed by the US Senate early in 2004.

If you look at what most people used the Internet for you'll find the vast majority of online activity is sending and receiving email. Email has become the lifeblood of modern society. An interesting social experiment would be to see what happens to a group of young professional people who suddenly have all means of electronic communication taken away from them. Email has become as much a part of our lives as the electric lightbulb, air transport and mobile phones.

What happens if we don't implement spam control globally? What would happen if all the mail server spam filters and regulations controlling spam were suddenly abolishesd? Chaos online! The online world would grind to a screeching halt as email servers become overloaded with the flood of spam. Global bandwidth would be consumed by as each spammer sends out hundreds of millions of junk emails per day.

Without spam control businesses would be crippled. Critical emails would be lost amongst a deluge of porn, viagra and breast enlargement type emails.

Without spam control home use of email and the Internet in general would suffer from massive delays in sending and receiving of email, a 100x increase in the amount of spam email received. Internet connection speeds would be adversely affected with ISPs struggling to keep their servers online while their bandwidth is being choked by spam.

IT analysts estimate that by 2006 the average internet user can expect to receive at least 1,500 pieces of spam per month. This is a conversative estimate. Agressive action is needed to stem the flood of spam. ISPs supporting spam must have their assests seized. Spammers must be prosecuted and their equipment confiscated. If we do not actively work to control spam then we only have ourselves to blame.

The Internet is a shared resource used by us all. Spam control must increase and improve in efficiency and effectiveness for us to retain control of our virtual lives.
About the Author
Niall Roche is the content author and owner of www.spam-site.com which reviews and tests spam filters for the business and end user.

2005-08-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

brazilian contemporary classic music by robson dos santos

the new contemporary classic music made in the world by brazilian musician.

BRAZILIAN CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC MUSIC
please, listen my music named: "picture of death?!" to singer(mezzo_soprano) flute, oboe, viola, cello, piano and other. if you like it l can send all score to be played with your musician in your country. thanks, robson dos santos, brazilian composer. http://www.robsound.mus.br

08. Pictures of Death?!
......a. Dead?!
......b. Gravitating
......c. Valley of the Souls
......d. Encounter with the Creator
......e. Return
http://www.robsound.mus.br/en/discography04.htm

About the Author:
robson dos santos, brazilian contemporary classic music composer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author
robson dos santos brazilian composer, was born in 1963 in belo horizonte, minas gerais, brazil.

2005-08-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Spam: The Tasteless Internet Meat of Criminals by Jesse S. Somer

Spam. Youve all heard of the crazy pink meat in a can, but whats it got to do with the Internet? Well, its also the namesake for a major problem in the World Wide Web-unsolicited junk email. Problem! Were talking serious pain in the butt both as a waster of time, space, and money. It is estimated that around half of all email received on the Internet is this sneaky illegal attempt at selling fake consumer goods, pornography, and a whole plethora of helpful services. Its taking up half of all email on the Earth, and its costing businesses billions in wasted time, as well as filling personal email accounts to the limit so important messages arent received. It seems everywhere theres a leap in technology for humanity, theres also a group of people who want to stretch the realm of criminal activity to another level.

The good news is that as its such a prominent problem, the good guys have made it a main priority on their To do lists. Software has been created to block Spam and is being updated constantly. Recently Bill Gates, richest human on Earth and self-made mogul of software masters Microsoft spoke of his aim to eliminate Spam by the year 2006. Obviously a lot of people would be quite appreciative if they could achieve this goal.

Supposedly most of the billions of junk emails originate from about 200 people who are intelligent enough to cover their tracks. They have multiple ways of finding out email addresses and then sending thousands upon thousands of unwanted messages to you and I. It usually costs them next to nil so if even one low-quality product sells they receive a profit. Thats why they do it; just another greed-induced means of getting rich quick without working for it like the rest of us.

Well, theres a couple main ways of dealing with the Spam dilemma. The main one, and most easy, is to just delete the messages or empty your folder (after moving desired messages to another folder) straight off the server without downloading or looking at the messages. This gives the evil sender the knowledge that youre not reading the mail and therefore the traffic you receive goes down dramatically.

Another way to block the Spam is to use software like Magic Mail Monitor (http://mmm3.sourceforge.net/) or Mailwasher (http://www.mailwasher.net/), which work well at destroying the unwanted, pink, tasteless, unworldly email meat by showing you the mail straight from the server without downloading it.

So, show the criminals youre aware and not ignorant and take the first steps to bringing the Spam Empire down. Protect yourself and eventually the Spam will go where all filth is destined, into the trash.
About the Author
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a computer novice fighting against the seemingly never ending flow of insubstantial jelly meat email.

2005-08-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

Your Computer May Be Infected. Here's how to check.. by Fazly Mohamed

A recent research revealed that 80% of the computers today is infected with these dangerous spyware and most of the users are not aware of it. (Your computer could be infected by now too.) The most dangerous fact is, even though the anti-virus software is running, these software can even pass it and take over your PC.

Have you experienced any of the following?
* Awesome popups come out of nowhere, when browsing the web
* Home page reset to some other site

How can this happen?

- The components installed when viewing certain sites, starts up and running as soon as it's finished installing (or after the page is completely loaded) and with every windows startup since then. Their job is to collect information and report (or transfer) it to an external computer.

What is deceptive software? (Reference: www.microsoft.com)
----------------------------------------------

Spyware and unauthorized adware are two examples of "deceptive" software. Deceptive software includes programs which take over your home page or search page without first getting your permission. There are a number of ways deceptive software can get on your system. A common trick is to covertly install the software during the installation of other software you want such as a music or video file sharing program.

Whenever you are installing something on your computer, make sure you carefully read all disclosures, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of adware in a given software installation is documented, but it may appear at the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.

Sometimes deceptive software gets silently installed on your system without any warning at all. If you use Internet Explorer as your Web browser, this can happen if your Internet Explorer security setting is set to its lowest value. Make sure to keep this setting at the medium level or higher. Doing so will help you control what is being installed on your computer.

Have you ever had an experience where you were repeatedly asked to accept a download even after you said "no"? Creators of deceptive software often use such tricks to get you to load their software. If this happens to you, do not click "yes". Instead, try to close the Web page that first asked you to accept the download by hitting the "X" in the corner of the window. Alternatively, quit Internet Explorer and restart it to begin browsing the Internet again. If you visit a Web page that continually displays these tricky pop-up windows, that Web site may not be worthy of your trust.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Your computer may be infected by now, but you may not know. Just have a checkup with a software specifically designed for it, to know the current status of your computer. You must clean infections once you find it but you can't top it at that. The spyware might reinfect your PC. So it's highly recommended that you run a firewall on your system after the clean up. This will allow you to monitor every single communication that occurs between your computer and the external world and block the ones that are harmful. The firewall acts as a barrier between your PC and the external world (Internet / Network).

A good spyware detector recommended by most people is, NoAdware at http://noadware.cjb.net and it shows you all the infections and potential dangers in great detail. It's free to scan but not to clean. It's a good idea to have a scan even if you have no idea of cleaning, since you will know the status of your PC in great detail - at least you will know whether you have any spyware on your PC at all! (Most of the time it's there, but you don't know! So, don't be surprised to get a list of over 30 suspicious components detected!) Scanning will also give the advantage of giving a try to clean it out, provided that the infections are minor and you (or a friend) have a fair knowledge on windows file system. (Registry settings, Cookies etc. and how to modify them.)

You must run a firewall. In many new operating systems(eg. Windows XP), there is a built-in firewall. Google search on how to activate it. Others may try one at http://www.download.com

You may have a question by now. What is the purpose of these spyware? Even though we cannot give an explicit and clear cut answer, we can safely state that everything boils down to the urge of more profits. How? The spyware collects all your personal information and transfers it to an external computer. The information is reviewed by a software in the receiving computer and then delivered targeted popup ads to the infected PC. There are many things that spyware does in addition to this.

If you have some technical knowledge about your PC, here's a technical explanation on what trouble does the spyware cause.

1. An extra process is running to monitor and log your activities.
2. Constant transfer is taking place between your PC and the spyware server. (This is a two-way transfer)

Firstly, the extra process in itself is an undesired process and it contributes to slow down your PC. Second point is the most harmful. It transfers logged info on the infected PC to the external PC (Spyware server) and then the external PC transfers targeted popups to the infected PC. (Targeted popups are popup ads that are delivered based on user interests. User interests are analyzed by special software running on the spyware server, using information transferred by your PC as input.)
Since many extra processes are running (eg: monitoring processes, transferring processes etc.), your RAM (memory) will be shared and as a result, your PC will run slower. This also slows down your Internet connection speed because a lot of transfer is taking place and your total available bandwidth is shared.

In short, PC with spyware is like a dumping ground for snakes. Once its there up and running, it can do almost anything with your PC.

* NOTE: A useful tip - When you clean up your PC and close the door for those harmful programs with a firewall, you can block many popups. But still, there can be some popups. There are popups integrated to websites you visit, and we must to do something about them. There are many popup blockers available on the net, but I highly recommend installing the Google toolbar, which has a quality pop-up blocker integrated to it. It also has some other useful features and is highly customizable. Download it free at http://toolbar.google.com.

The most risk is for people who use Internet Explorer, as it is the most popular web browser and that very fact has drawn more attention of many malicious software developers. All of us want to make our PCs good and clean, right? So advise your friends about this, or if you had this article by email, just forward it.

Happy surfing...
About the Author
By: Fazly Mohamed - fazlymohamed@yahoo.com
(Undergraduate at Staff. University UK, Computing & IT)

2005-08-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

SPAM, Spam & more SPAM by Gillian Tarawhiti

SPAM, AND NOTHING BUT SPAM.
by Gillian Tarawhiti, Community Training Centre, http://www.millionairerippleeffect.com
For the new and possibly the old netpreneurs SPAM is the common term for electronic 'junk mail' - unwanted messages sent to a persons' email account or mobile phone.
The SPAM act (CAN-SPAM ACT, EUROPEAN SPAM ACT, AUSTRALIAN SPAM ACT) identifies SPAM as unsolicited commercial electronic message(s). The act covers email, instant messaging, SMS (mobile phone text messaging) and MMS (mobile phone graphic messaging).
Under the SPAM act all commercial electronic messages must meet the following conditions. Any message that doesn't meet all three of these conditions is defined as SPAM.
1.You must have CONSENT
2.You must IDENTIFY yourself
3.You must provide a way to unsubscribe
If we use this forum as an example of all three, you will find that in order to gain access to this forum in terms of posting. You had to complete a registration that in part advised that you agreed to certain terms and conditions. In doing so you EXPRESSED CONSENT.
By registering to this forum you have also IDENTIFIED yourself beit as a non-de-plum
In terms of unsubscribing, every email that you receive from this forum has a unsubscribe in it, also you have an 'ignore' facility which in part as the same effect.
COMMERICIAL ELECTRONIC MESSAGE
To decide whether an electronic message is 'commercial', the Act looks at all of the following:
the content of the message
the way in which the message is presented; and
any links, phone numbers or contact information in the message
RAMIFICATIONS OF SPAM TO YOU!
If you have been accused of SPAM activities you will be asked to prove that you have not committed the offence. If you are unsuccessful in that approach you IP (Internet Provider) will withdraw all services to you i.e. close your website.
If you are using an autoresponder to hold your subscriber list and are sending messages via that service, your autoresponder will automatically suspend your account unless you can prove your innocence.
Penalties for breach of the Act range up to $1.1 million per day; the legislation also allows for the making of orders for spammers to relinquish profits and pay compensation to spam victims.
So in short, there are 3 things that can keep you in the clear of such violations.
1.Get Consent - Expressed or Inferred
2.Identify yourself
3.Provide a way for people to unsubscribe from receiving further emails
Before I finish this article, I would like to add that this is just a brief overview of the act and that it would be in your best interest to actually read and implement the practices.

About the Author
About the Author
Gillian Tarawhiti, is Founder and CEO of Community Training Centre, an Australian-based Internet Marketing firm that works with individuals and organisations
2004 Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to www.millionairerippleeffect.com.

2005-08-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Fighting the SPAM War by Telian Adlam

It is reported that 60%+ of internet traffic on mail servers are spam messages. If you run a website, you can be sure that you are (or will be over time) receiving a tremendous amount of unsolicited email messages. If you havent started a website yet, remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There are safeguards you can use to minimize the number of unwanted messages you receive.

WHOIS data: When you register a domain name, you are required to provide contact information for the WHOIS database, which can later be harvested by spammers for e-mail addresses. To protect yourself from such unscrupulous people, I suggest using a dummy account with a free email provider such as Yahoo or Hotmail (dont forget to check it at least once a month) - if youve already registered your site and have listed your primary email address in the WHOIS contact information, it is highly recommended that you update the information with a new dummy email address. Your host and registrar will have your primary email address on file - you simply need to remember to keep your information with them up to date. If this seems like too much work for you, you can always use a WHOIS privacy service such as the WhoisGuard service provided by www.namecheap.com ($4.88 - which is a great value).

Your web pages: One of the first things I do when creating a website is create a contact form with the email address embedded in the mailer script such as PHP or ASP. Why? There is a lot of software floating around out there designed solely to crawl website harvesting them for valid email addresses (some will even ignore the robots.txt file completely). Once youve created your forms, you can then begin to include your email addresses in your web pages for those who wish to email you directly from their email clients - you can write your email address as yourname[at]yourdomain.com and instead of using the mailto: link - hyperlink it to your contact form. You may also include a note for your visitors to replace the [at] with the @ sign. Make sure you remember to do this with all the email addresses within your site.

Newsgroups/forums/subscriptions: Its a hard pill to swallow, but these areas are not safe from email harvesting either and even worse, some newsletter publishers dont even adhere to their own privacy policies (very rare, but it does happen). Be careful where you post your email address and dont make it a habit to sign up with every forum you should come across. Make sure you find the information useful to you and that you trust the website first. For extra protection, use a an email address other than your primary one for all your subscriptions (ex: subscriptions@yourdomain.com). If you wish to post an email address in the forums for the readers to contact you, try to use the format described in the previous section with a note to replace [at] with @ and hyperlink it to the contact form on your website.

Unrouted email messages: An unrouted email message is a message addressed to an email with your domain name that does not exist - i.e. admin@yourdomain.com, only you never created an admin@yourdomain.com account. The default setting is to have these messages delivered to the root email account. Many webmasters dont realize this and the webmail for the root account never gets checked - I came across an account with 75 pages of unrouted email messages (roughly 14,000 messages) and taking up about 15MB of their of webspace. Believe it or not, some spam software is designed to create plausible names (i.e. admin, contact, customerservice, webmaster, abuse, etc. @yourdomain.com) and just go for broke and hope the account exists.

If you are using CPanel, you can check your default email account by clicking on the webmail icon from your control panel home page. You can also set what your unrouted messages will do by clicking on the mail icon and selecting default address", then set default address - you can then choose to blackhole unrouted messages (just let them disappear into cyberspace - my personal favorite), fail messages (bounce them back to sender) or you can specify an email address you want them forwarded to. If you are afraid someone simply misspelled your email address and you want to sift through the unrouted messages, set up an email account specifically for them (ex: unrouted@yourdomain.com) and remember to check it every week or so.

SPAM filters: I consider spam filters to be a final line of defense if all others fail. Currently, I use Mozilla Thunderbird as my email application and it comes with a built in spam filter which can be trained to catch unsolicited email. There are also many other SPAM filter software out there for email clients such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, etc. which are worth a look. To find out more information on the available spam filters, check out www.spamfighter.com (for Outlook and Outlook Express - free) or do a quick google search for free anti spam software for your platform.

A special note for AOL users: While I have nothing against AOL and they are trying very hard to combat spam, they are slowly, but surely losing the battle. Ive had two email accounts opened with them, and before I even had a chance to sign up for anything or even tell my family about it - I received spam. I do not know why they are so prone to spam, but something tells me it has a lot to do with their member directory. My advice, get another email address - just remember to check your AOL email every once in a while to delete the messages. Ive also noticed that a lot of other subscription services are declining to email AOL users due to their new report spam button being far too close to the delete button and webmasters of legitimate email lists are getting warnings from their ISPs.

In closing, I have managed to keep my current primary email spam free (literally) for over a year using these methods, and before that I kept my primary email address spam free for just over two. I will plainly admit that I have no sympathy for spammers, and I make sure to hunt down anyone who sends me spam and report them until their site is either shut down or their ISP is added to a block list.

If you want to learn more on fighting this spam war, there are many valuable resources online such as www.spamhaus.org which hosts a blacklist of known spammers and www.spamcon.org which has a wealth of information on protecting yourself against spam.
About the Author
Telian Adlam is the owner and manager of www.alternativesoho.com - a website dedicated to promoting success and balance, not only in business, but in life

2005-08-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

How to Get Rid of the 4-letter S-Word by Darryl Graham

Now don't get all upset, as we are going to talk about the other S-word and that would be S*P*A*M. The * is in between the letters because just the use of this S-word can cause your email to not be delivered.

The S-word is considered to have happened when you send an unsolicited email to someone. Unsolicited means they did not specifically request your information and this is where things get a little dicey.

People subscribe to free offers online, but they forget to read the small print and that small print will tell them they are agreeing to receive offers from third parties. Their email is then sold to dozens of people who in turn might sell it to dozens of other people. The result is the person who wanted to get a free coupon to a restaurant will now start receiving offers for a variety of products and services.

Now, most of these people who buy these leads are honest and caring people and if someone asks to be removed from their list, they will be removed. The problem comes from the real S-worders who buy large number of leads and will never remove an email address. Plus, if you click on the remove link, not only does it not remove you, but it confirms to these people that your email address is valid and they will start sending more junk to you.

In addition, there is software that is readily available on the Internet that will allow someone to harvest millions of email addresses. Harvesting emails for those of you who do not know is the ability for this software to pick up your email from your webpage, a blog, an article, heck I would not be surprised if they can't get my email address off my business card!

So who do we blame for S-word?

1) We can blame the greedy people who subscribe to offers to get something free and do not read the fine print.

2) We can blame the greedy people who purchase these lists of greedy people who want to get something free and do not read the fine print and then these people who purchased the lists start blasting emails selling everything under the sun at rock bottom prices.

3) We can blame the greedy people who buy from the greedy people who purchase these lists of greedy people who want to get something free and do not read the fine print and then these people who purchased the lists start blasting emails selling everything under the sun at rock bottom prices.

4) We can blame the politicians and media who keep the S-word in the newspapers and on the front of everyone's mind.

5) We can blame the Internet for being such an economical and practical marketing source.

6) We can blame the ISP's who send the emails to their members and subscribers.

7) We can blame the Autoresponder companies. After all their services allow people to send lots of mail.

8) We can blame ourselves.

Tough call isn't it? The point is, we all have something to do with the S-word and we are all responsible for getting rid of it. When I first started in marketing, the Internet had not been invented yet and the way we promoted our company was to send direct mail. This was harmless because if someone did not want it, they could simply throw it away, but boy did we catch it from people who wanted to literally remove parts of our body that we had become quite fond of.

You don't hear much about direct mail anymore because the S-word has taken over the news. The problem is the S-word cannot be stopped by legislation or politicians or rules because the people who are really abusing the email system are using techniques so they cannot be tracked. The S-Cop site is out to get rid of the S-word and while I applaud their effort, going after the little guy is not going to get rid of the problem.

The only way to get rid of the S-word outside of charging a fee to send and receive email is to educate people. We need to educate the greedy people who still think they can get something for free on the Internet. We need to educate the people who are purchasing lists of names in small quantities and sending multiple emails without giving the receiver a chance to breathe in between messages. We need to educate the Autoresponder providers to just say no to someone who wants to send bunches of email with purchased lists. We need to educate the people who continue to buy from the big S-worders because lets face it, if bulk email did not work, people would not send it.

Someone is buying something from these people and whether they are doing it because they get a good price or because they are naive and believe the message, does not matter. The illegal drug trade would dry up if people did not continue to buy illegal drugs. Terrorism would stop being a way to change policies if the media did not give these people mention in their newspapers and on television and radio. The S-word is working for some people and it will continue to work and be a problem for all of us until everyone stops buying from them.

The purpose of this article is to help educate people. If one person reads this article and avoids subscribing to get a free restaurant voucher, because he knows that he is going to get hit with bunches of emails, then we will have accomplished our goal. We, those of us working online need to make the S-word go away, because if we leave up to the politicians and lawyers, we the people who most depend on the Internet and email will be paying to send our email in the very near future.

Personally, I do not want this to happen. I want the government and the lawyers as far away from the Internet as we can keep them because all in all the Internet works very well. However if we get the government involved, we might as well get prepared to start paying to send emails and also get use to 28k modems because they would take us back that far if they are allowed to interfere.

S-word is not coming from the reputable companies and people online. S-word is coming from people that do not care about laws or what is right or wrong. They only care about the dollar and they won't stop as long as they are making dollars, and they are only going to make dollars if people keep supporting them!

About the Author
Darryl Graham is President of ISORegister, Inc. ISORegister has been online since 1999 and is committed to helping people better utilize the Internet in an efficient, effective and affordable manner while also teaching responsible marketing. Find out more about ISORegister, Inc. by visiting any of its websites.

http://www.jobsdiscover.com
http://www.isoregister.com
http://www.isoresponder.com

2005-08-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Economics of Spam by Sam Vaknin

Tennessee resident K. C. "Khan" Smith owes the internet service provider EarthLink $24 million. According to the CNN, last August he was slapped with a lawsuit accusing him of violating federal and state Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statutes, the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984, the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and numerous other state laws. On July 19 - having failed to appear in court - the judge ruled against him. Mr. Smith is a spammer.

Brightmail, a vendor of e-mail filters and anti-spam applications warned that close to 5 million spam "attacks" or "bursts" occurred last month and that spam has mushroomed 450 percent since June last year. PC World concurs. Between one seventh and one half of all e-mail messages are spam - unsolicited and intrusive commercial ads, mostly concerned with sex, scams, get rich quick schemes, financial services and products, and health articles of dubious provenance. The messages are sent from spoofed or fake e-mail addresses. Some spammers hack into unsecured servers - mainly in China and Korea - to relay their missives anonymously.

Spam is an industry. Mass e-mailers maintain lists of e-mail addresses, often "harvested" by spamware bots - specialized computer applications - from Web sites. These lists are rented out or sold to marketers who use bulk mail services. They come cheap - c. $100 for 10 million addresses. Bulk mailers provide servers and bandwidth, charging c. $300 per million messages sent.

As spam recipients become more inured, ISP's less tolerant, and both more litigious - spammers multiply their efforts in order to maintain the same response rate. Spam works. It is not universally unwanted - which makes it tricky to outlaw. It elicits between 0.1 and 1 percent in positive follow ups, depending on the message. Many messages now include HTML, JavaScript, and ActiveX coding and thus resemble viruses.

Jupiter Media Matrix predicted last year that the number of spam messages annually received by a typical Internet user is bound to double to 1400 and spending on legitimate e-mail marketing will reach $9.4 billion by 2006 - compared to $1 billion in 2001. Forrester Research pegs the number at $4.8 billion next year.

More than 2.3 billion spam messages are sent daily. eMarketer puts the figures a lot lower at 76 billion messages this year. By 2006, daily spam output will soar to c. 15 billion missives, says Radicati Group. Jupiter projects a more modest 268 billion annual messages by 2005. An average communication costs the spammer 0.00032 cents.

PC World quotes the European Union as pegging the bandwidth costs of spam worldwide at $8-10 billion annually. Other damages include server crashes, time spent purging unwanted messages, lower productivity, aggravation, and increased cost of Internet access.

Inevitably, the spam industry gave rise to an anti-spam industry. According to a Radicati Group report titled "Anti-virus, anti-spam, and content filtering market trends 2002-2006", anti-spam revenues are projected to exceed $88 million this year - and more than double by 2006. List blockers, report and complaint generators, advocacy groups, registers of known spammers, and spam filters all proliferate. The Wall Street Journal reported in its June 25 issue about a resurgence of anti-spam startups financed by eager venture capital.

ISP's are bent on preventing abuse - reported by victims - by expunging the accounts of spammers. But the latter simply switch ISP's or sign on with free services like Hotmail and Yahoo! Barriers to entry are getting lower by the day as the costs of hardware, software, and communications plummet.

The use of e-mail and broadband connections by the general population is spreading. Hundreds of thousands of technologically-savvy operators have joined the market in the last two years, as the dotcom bubble burst. Still, Steve Linford of the UK-based Spamhaus.org insists that most spam emanates from c. 80 large operators.

Now, according to Jupiter Media, ISP's and portals are poised to begin to charge advertisers in a tier-based system, replete with premium services. Writing back in 1998, Bill Gates described a solution also espoused by Esther Dyson, chair of the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

"As I first described in my book 'The Road Ahead' in 1995, I expect that eventually you'll be paid to read unsolicited e-mail. You'll tell your e-mail program to discard all unsolicited messages that don't offer an amount of money that you'll choose. If you open a paid message and discover it's from a long-lost friend or somebody else who has a legitimate reason to contact you, you'll be able to cancel the payment. Otherwise, you'll be paid for your time."

Subscribers may not be appreciative of the joint ventures between gatekeepers and inbox clutterers. Moreover, dominant ISP's, such as AT&T and PSINet have recurrently been accused of knowingly collaborating with spammers. ISP's rely on the data traffic that spam generates for their revenues in an ever-harsher business environment.

The Financial Times and others described how WorldCom refuses to ban the sale of spamware over its network, claiming that it does not regulate content. When "pink" (the color of canned spam) contracts came to light, the implicated ISP's blame the whole affair on rogue employees.

PC World begs to differ:

"Ronnie Scelson, a self-described spammer who signed such a contract with PSInet, (says) that backbone providers are more than happy to do business with bulk e-mailers. 'I've signed up with the biggest 50 carriers two or three times', says Scelson ... The Louisiana-based spammer claims to send 84 million commercial e-mail messages a day over his three 45-megabit-per-second DS3 circuits. 'If you were getting $40,000 a month for each circuit', Scelson asks, 'would you want to shut me down?'"

The line between permission-based or "opt-in" e-mail marketing and spam is getting thinner by the day. Some list resellers guarantee the consensual nature of their wares. According to the Direct Marketing Association's guidelines, quoted by PC World, not responding to an unsolicited e-mail amounts to "opting-in" - a marketing strategy known as "opting out". Most experts, though, strongly urge spam victims not to respond to spammers, lest their e-mail address is confirmed.

But spam is crossing technological boundaries. Japan has just legislated against wireless SMS spam targeted at hapless mobile phone users. Four states in the USA as well as the European parliament are following suit. Expensive and slow connections make this kind of spam particularly resented. Still, according to Britain's Mobile Channel, a mobile advertising company quoted by "The Economist", SMS advertising - a novelty - attracts a 10-20 percent response rate - compared to direct mail's 1-3 percent.

Net identification systems - like Microsoft's Passport and the one proposed by Liberty Alliance - will make it even easier for marketers to target prospects.

The reaction to spam can be described only as mass hysteria. Reporting someone as a spammer - even when he is not - has become a favorite pastime of vengeful, self-appointed, vigilante "cyber-cops". Perfectly legitimate, opt-in, email marketing businesses often find themselves in one or more black lists - their reputation and business ruined.

In January, CMGI-owned Yesmail was awarded a temporary restraining order against MAPS - Mail Abuse Prevention System - forbidding it to place the reputable e-mail marketer on its Real-time Blackhole list. The case was settled out of court.

Harris Interactive, a large online opinion polling company, sued not only MAPS, but ISP's who blocked its email messages when it found itself included in MAPS' Blackhole. Their CEO accused one of their competitors for the allegations that led to Harris' inclusion in the list.

Coupled with other pernicious phenomena, such as viruses, the very foundation of the Internet as a fun, relatively safe, mode of communication and data acquisition is at stake.

Spammers, it emerges, have their own organizations. NOIC - the National Organization of Internet Commerce threatened to post to its Web site the e-mail addresses of millions of AOL members. AOL has aggressive anti-spamming policies. "AOL is blocking bulk email because it wants the advertising revenues for itself (by selling pop-up ads)" the president of NOIC, Damien Melle, complained to CNET.

Spam is a classic "free rider" problem. For any given individual, the cost of blocking a spammer far outweighs the benefits. It is cheaper and easier to hit the "delete" key. Individuals, therefore, prefer to let others do the job and enjoy the outcome - the public good of a spam-free Internet. They cannot be left out of the benefits of such an aftermath - public goods are, by definition, "non-excludable". Nor is a public good diminished by a growing number of "non-rival" users.

Such a situation resembles a market failure and requires government intervention through legislation and enforcement. The FTC - the US Federal Trade Commission - has taken legal action against more than 100 spammers for promoting scams and fraudulent goods and services.

"Project Mailbox" is an anti-spam collaboration between American law enforcement agencies and the private sector. Non government organizations have entered the fray, as have lobbying groups, such as CAUCE - the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail.

But Congress is curiously reluctant to enact stringent laws against spam. Reasons cited are free speech, limits on state powers to regulate commerce, avoiding unfair restrictions on trade, and the interests of small business. The courts equivocate as well. In some cases - e.g., Missouri vs. American Blast Fax - US courts found "that the provision prohibiting the sending of unsolicited advertisements is unconstitutional".

According to Spamlaws.com, the 107th Congress discussed these laws but never enacted them:

Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 (H.R. 95), Wireless Telephone Spam Protection Act (H.R. 113), Anti-Spamming Act of 2001 (H.R. 718), Anti-Spamming Act of 2001 (H.R. 1017), Who Is E-Mailing Our Kids Act (H.R. 1846), Protect Children From E-Mail Smut Act of 2001 (H.R. 2472), Netizens Protection Act of 2001 (H.R. 3146), "CAN SPAM" Act of 2001 (S. 630).

Anti-spam laws fared no better in the 106th Congress. Some of the states have picked up the slack. Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The situation is no better across the pond. The European parliament decided last year to allow each member country to enact its own spam laws, thus avoiding a continent-wide directive and directly confronting the communications ministers of the union. Paradoxically, it also decided, three months ago, to restrict SMS spam. Confusion clearly reigns. Finally, last month, it adopted strong anti-spam provisions as part of a Directive on Data Protection.

About the Author
Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , and Bellaonline, and as a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent. He is the the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

2005-08-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Fighting Fire With Fire Won't Douse The Fire by Stephen Brennan

In the last few weeks, I have noticed an increase in tools or methods devised exclusively to fight the Spam fight. I applaud the originators ideals and their ingenuity, but I must voice my concern about the way in which such concepts can often backfire, sometimes in the nastiest of ways.

I abhor spam. I hate it with a vengeance and would do ALMOST anything to rid the Internet of it entirely. The worldwide financial consequences alone run into billions of dollars annually.It is comparable to the disruption that the propagation of viruses causes and is responsible for creating a completely independent niche market for the sale of tools and software programs designed simply to combat it. Although, I would imagine that even those engaged in this area of marketing would also welcome it's demise, however unlikely it might seem at the moment.

The latest is a web page that we are all being asked to link to which, as I understand it, will result in the email addresses listed on that page, which are 'known' spam originating addresses, being inundated with so much spam, generated by their own 'spiders' (entities which crawl the Net looking for email addresses) that their data will be effectively useless due to the spider being effectively sent on an endless 'loop'. A simple but brilliant little idea - But is it safe?

What if an innocent email address should find it's way onto that web page? What if one is maliciously placed there? Does that email address get caught up in the vicious circle of unsolicited email? Maybe not, but even if the method precludes this particular 'backfire', more to the point, is it right to spam the 'spammer'? If you rob a thief, doesn't that make YOU a thief too, regardless?

The fact remains also, there hasn't been a means of stopping spammers that has worked yet. Will they be somehow able to turn this idea around and use it against the Internet population?

I can understand the anger, frustration and the sometimes, sheer desperation that some may feel after having been an especially badly 'bashed' spam victim, but doesn't this type of 'payback' solution smack of 'Internet vigilantism' or 'taking the law into one's own hands' (something that is wrong and dangerous, no matter how justified and tempting it may seem to be)?

Apart from the obvious 'dragging down to their level' in which this method results, isn't it illegal? Are the people who have put together this web page and promoted it's use in danger of the authorities deciding that they too, are contributing to the daily plague of spam? I do hope not, as I know their intentions are based in a sense of fighting a huge, common evil.

I heard that the first 'high profile' case against a spammer in the U.S., resulting in a hefty jail term, concluded only last week. I know that the wheels of 'justice' do turn slowly, in almost everything but I believe the reason for that is so that mistakes and more injustices do not result.

That is my concern with Internet citizens deciding to, as I said, take the law into their own hands and perhaps overlooking where their actions may backfire, or worse, give the spammer an even more powerful tool with which to assault their victims. I shudder to think what spammers, especially those who fall victim to this new idea, might do if they find the identity or email addresses of the devisor/s of this idea.

We have relatively new laws to deal with spam and it's perpetrators. As I said, there has been, to my knowledge only one 'notable' and 'highly publicized' instance of the law at work, where the Internet community has been able to feel a sense of 'justice' and, yes......payback, revenge, whatever. Give the Law a chance.

Again, I do understand the need for action and I know exactly how people feel about those who would spoil one of the communication, information and media marvels of this, and the last century. However, I think we need to, at least, give the law a chance to make a difference before we even think about resorting to such means to dissuade spammers from plying their trade. If to no one else, we owe it to ourselves.
About the Author
Stephen Brennan runs the Home Based Business and Affiliate Center- http://www.online-plus.biz and is the author of The Affiliate Guide Book - The definitive guide to becoming a successful Internet Affiliate (at little or no cost) - available at http://www.ebooks.online-plus.biz

2005-08-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Detect, Protect, Dis-infect by Robert Rogers

Consumers Online Face Wide Choices in Security Products

With new threats to computer security and data integrity a regular feature of the evening news, a panoply of products that promise to detect, protect, and dis-infect are being marketed to consumers. Intrusion detection systems, firewalls and anti-virus software are critical to online security, but the Federal Trade Commission, the nations consumer protection agency, says computer usersfrom grade school kids to grandparentsneed to know exactly why they need online security products and what theyre buying.

Why the Need
Computers talk to each other over the Internet by sending data through their communications ports. If a port is open, it listens for communications from the Internet. A computer has thousands of ports: which ones are open depends on the software the computer is running. Hackers can eavesdrop or scan the ports to determine which are open and vulnerable to unauthorized access.

Detection
An intrusion detection system (IDS) monitors incoming Internet traffic, much like a security camera watches your front door to see who might be trying to come in. When the IDS detects a suspicious pattern, it sends an alert (and creates a record) that an intruder may be trying to break in to your computer. Some IDS alertsbut not allshow a pop-up message on your screen. An IDS alone cannot prevent an unauthorized entry into your computer; only a firewall can do that.

Protection
Firewalls block hackers access to your computer by creating a barrierlike a wallbetween your ports and the Internet that allows you to control the data that comes and goes through your ports. Your firewall protects your ports even if you dont have an IDS. Sometimes a firewall is bundled with an IDS. If not, and if you want an IDS, be sure its compatible with your firewall.

Dis-infection
Anti-virus software detects and deletes viruses that are in your computer. Viruses often attach themselves to your computer through email attachments and floppy disks. That means a firewall cant catch them. Similarly, an IDS wont alert you when a virus is attacking your computer. Look for anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses, as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates automatically.

About the Author
Robert Rogers is a writer in the Washington DC area and specializes in computer security.
For More Information - Visit www.spycollege.com

2005-08-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

CAN-SPAM Rules for Internet Marketers by John Calder

2004, John Calder
http://www.TheEzine.net

On January 1, 2004, the "CAN-SPAM Act", short for "Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003", took effect. Marketers who send any form of commercial email as defined by the act will need to comply with CAN-SPAM rules in order to avoid legal consequences. The act was designed to reduce unsolicited commercial messages, sent both as email and to wireless devices such as cell phones.

There is of course much debate about how effective this law will prove to be in stopping spam. After all, spammers can easily send their messages from email servers located overseas, in locations beyond the effective reach of US enforcement efforts. Many marketers feel that spam will continue flooding us as ever, while legitimate, opt-in marketers, who want to comply with the law, will have to jump through time-consuming and sometimes expensive extra hoops to be able to send email. In fact, many believe that the act will lead to an upsurge in spam regardless, because it seems to be legal as long as it meets the requirements of the act.

For marketers to comply with the law, they need to follow some simple guidelines provided for in the legislation. Virtually all marketers who run email lists are already in compliance with most of the law. Generally, any business communicating with existing customers or prospects by mail must include in their emails a valid return email address that is active for at least 30 days after commercial email is sent; a physical mailing address, valid and NOT a P.O. Box; and a way for recipients to opt-out of future mailings. In addition, the subject line must not be misleading or deceptive, state in some way the message is an advertisement or commercial in nature, and the marketer must honor opt-out requests. Again, probably none of that is too much different from what you're already doing, except perhaps for the addition of the physical mailing address.

If you send mail from one of the online mailing services, chances are they've already asked you to make necessary changes to comply with the act. But if you run your own autoresponder, have you remembered to add your physical mailing address so that it will be placed on every email you send out? Have you added it to any one-time messages that you may send from the autoresponder accounts that may be included in your hosting account? Have you added it to any scripts that you have that generate email?

If you receive any opt-out requests, you must stop sending email to the requesting account within 10 business days. Again, for marketers using autoresponder software, that usually happens immediately, so no worries there. You may also not sell or lease email addresses of those who opt-out of your mailings without their consent.

Certain email is exempted from the CAN-SPAM regulations. For example, email that is transactional in nature, or that is a "relationship" message, may not be covered. This would include, for example, sales receipts, announcements of product bug patches, change of membership login information, etc. Still, to be safe, it may be best to make sure all of your email communication is compliant. CAN-SPAM is vague about the rules as they apply to existing and inactive business relationships, and when such relationships end.

Now that you're aware of the act's requirements, you'll want to review every email you send, from every site you own, to comply with the act and avoid the severe civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance. This article isn't intended to be legal advice - see a professional for that.

About the Author
John Calder is the owner/editor of The Ezine Dot Net.
Subscribe Today and get real information YOU can use to help
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(You may reprint this article in full in your newsletter and/or web site)

2005-08-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Next-gen BitDefender solution adds heuristic spam filters by Roxana Danaila

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. Im 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 wouldnt 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
BitDefender provides security solutions to satisfy the protection requirements of today's computing environment, delivering effective threat management for over 38 million home and corporate users in more than 100 countries. BitDefender(tm) Antivirus is certified by all the major independent reviewers in the antivirus field - ICSA Labs, CheckMark and Virus Bulletin.
Website: http://www.bitdefender.com

2005-08-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Spam Filters Explained by Alan Hearnshaw

Spam Filters Explained
What do they do? How do they work? Which one is right for me?
By Alan Hearnshaw

Spam is a very real problem that many people have to deal with on a daily basis. For those that have decided to do something about it and start to investigate the options available in spam filtering, this article provides a brief introduction to your options and the types of spam filters available.

Despite the bewildering array of spam filters available today, all claiming to the best one of its kind there are really just five filtering methodologies in general use today and all products rely on one, or a combination of these:

Content-Based Filters
In the beginning, there were content-based filters.

These filters scan the contents of the and look for tell-tale signs that the message is spam. In the early days of spamming it was quite simple to look out for Kill Words such as
Lose Weight and mark a message as spam if it was found.

Very soon though, spammers got wise to this and started resorting to all kinds of tricks to get their message past the filters. The days of obfuscation had begun.
We started getting messages containing the phrase L0se Welght (Notice the zero for o and l for i) and even more bizarreand sometimes quite ingeniousvariations.
This rendered basic content-based filters somewhat ineffective, although there are one or two on the market now that are clever enough to see through theses attempts and still provide good results.

Bayesian Based Filters
The Reverend Bayes comes to the rescue

Born in London 1702, the son of a minister, Thomas Bayes developed a formula which allowed him to determine the probability of an event occurring based on the probabilities of two or more independent evidentiary events.

Bayesian filters learn from studying known good and bad messages. Each message is split into single word bytes, or tokens and these tokens are placed into a database along with how often they are found in each kind of message.
When a new message arrives to be tested by the filter, the new message is also split into tokens and each token is looked up in the database. Extrapolating results from the database and applying a form of the good reverends formula, know as a Naive Bayesian formula, the message is given a spamicity rating and can be dealt with accordingly.

Bayesian filters typically are capable of achieving very good accuracy rates (>97% is not uncommon), and require very little on-going maintenance.

Whitelist/Blacklist Filters
Who goes there, friend or foe?

This very basic form of filtering is seldom used on its own nowadays, but can be useful as part of a larger filtering strategy.

A whitelist is nothing more than a list of e-mail addresses from which you wish to accept communications. A whitelist filter would only accept messages from these people and all others would be rejected

A blacklist, conversely, is a list of e-mail addresses - and sometimes IP Addresses (computer identification addresses) - from which communications will not be accepted.

While this may seem like a good idea from the outset, a whitelist methodology is too restrictive for most people and, as virtually all spam e-mails carry a forged from address, there is little point in collecting this address to ban it in future as it is very unlikely to be the same next time.
There are bodies on the internet that maintain a list of known bad sources of e-mail. Many filters today have the ability to query these servers to see if the message they are looking at comes from a source identified by this Internet-based blacklist, or RBL. While being quite effective, they do tend to suffer from false positives where good messages are incorrectly identified as spam. This happens often with newsletters.

Challenge/Response Filters
Open sesame!

Challenge/Response filters are characterised by their ability to automatically send a response to a previously unknown sender asking them to take some further action before their message will be delivered. This is often referred to as a "Turing Test" - named after a test devised by British mathematician Alan Turing to determine if machines could think.

Recent years have seen the appearance of some internet services which automatically perform this Challenge/Response function for the user and require the sender of an e-mail to visit their web site to facilitate the receipt of their message.

Critics of this system claim it to be too drastic a measure and that it sends a message that "my time is more important than yours" to the people trying to communicate with you.

For some low traffic e-mail users though, this system alone may be a perfectly acceptable method of completely eliminating spam from their inbox - one step above the "Whitelist" system outlined above.

Community Filters
A united front

These types of filters work on the principal of "communal knowledge" of spam. When a user receives a spam message, they simply mark it as such in their filter. This information is sent to a central server where a fingerprint of the message is stored.
After enough people have voted this message to be spam, then it is stopped from reaching all the other people in the community.

This type of filtering can prove to be quite effective, although it stands to reason that it can never be 100% effective as a few people have to receive the spam for it to be flagged in the first place. Just like its similar cousin the Internet black list (RBL), this system also can suffer from false positives, or messages incorrectly identified as spam.

Hopefully you are now armed with a little more information to be able to make an informed decision on the best spam filter for you.
For further information, consider reading the reviews and articles found at http://www.whichspamfilter.com

Alan Hearnshaw is the owner of http://www.whichspamfilter.com, a web site which conducts weekly in-depth reviews of current spam filters, provides help and guidance in the fight against spam and provides a useful community forum.
alan@whichspamfilter.com

About the Author
Alan Hearnshaw is a computer programmer and the owner of http://www.WhichSpamFilter.com, a site which provides weekly in-depth spam filter reviews, user help and guidance and a community forum.

2005-08-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

So What Makes a Good Spam Filter Anyway? by Alan Hearnshaw

So What Makes a Good Spam Filter Anyway?
By Alan Hearnshaw

Spam Filters. Most of us know we need one. Some of know we need a better one, but how many stop to think what actually makes a good spam filter in the first place?

This is not just a rhetorical question. It is a question that many usersand many developers - do not ask, and consequently, goes unanswered.

Maybe this could be better answered by defining here the qualities of the perfect spam filter. Well call our perfect spam filter the SpamSplatter 3000. Here are some of the defining qualities of SpamSplatter 3000

1. It requires zero interaction from the user.
2. It produces zero false positives (good messages identified as bad) and zero false negatives (bad messages identified as good).
3. It is transparentthat is, you only ever see good messages and never need even be aware that spam exists.

Thats it. Not much of a shopping list is it?
Of course, SpamSplatter 3000 hasnt been invented yet (and if it does, I want a piece of the action), but it does give us a frame of reference when looking for the best filter we can find.

Lets take each point in turn:

It requires zero interaction from the user
There are two kinds of filters that come near to this ideal currently: Bayesian Filters and Community Filters.
Bayesian filters strip messages down to small word bites, or tokens and maintain a database containing lists of good and bad tokens. When a new message is encountered, the filter strips this message down to tokens, compares it to the database, and applies a formula based on the British scientist Alan Bayes formula for probability calculation.
Over time, the Bayesian filter learns the characteristics of spam messages.

Community Filters simply work on a voting system whereby every user that receives a spam message votes it as spam. This information is stored on a central server and when enough votes are received the message is banned from all users in the community.

As can be seen, the user interaction from these types of filters is mainly limited to two button operationcorrecting wrongly identified messagesand the more accurate the filter, the less those buttons are used.

OK, so thats pretty good. Not exactly zero interaction, but if the filter is accurate enough, then it should be pretty near. That brings us to point two:

It produces zero false positives or negatives
This is the area in which most spam filter development is concentrating and things are getting pretty good nowadays. It is not at all unusual to see an efficient modern filter achieve accuracy of 96% or better. It is, of course, far better to have a false negative than a false positive if you are ever going to tear yourself away from the killed mail folder!

Of course, by definition, community filters cannot reach 100% accuracy as someone has to be getting the spam to be voting it as such!
Theoretically, a Bayesian filter may be able to eventually get quite close to 100% accuracy, so at least there is hope there.
Content based filters (those that look for certain words, phrases or other indicators in a message to identify it as spam), will almost certainly not get much higher accuracy figures than the best of them can achieve today. Adapting to changing spam requires new filters to be created on an ongoing basis.

And finally, we come to the holy grail of spam filtering:

It is transparent
Strangely enough, not enough work seems to be done in trying to achieve this goal. Some of the best filters on the market today identify spam with impressive accuracy and then simply place them in a killed mail folder for your later perusal.
Now, forgive me if Im missing something here, but isnt the point to save you having to wade through the junk mail? Isnt that what you bought the filter for? With the SpamSplatter 3000, you dont need to do that.

As we havent achieved 100% accuracy yet (and probably never will), the only way to free us from checking the killed mail folder is a challenge/response system. This is where a message is automatically sent back to the sender requiring them to take some action for their message to actually be delivered.

Some systems tend to go overboard with the challenge/response system. These systems - often called Whitelist systems - block messages from anyone that isnt in the users friends list. Guaranteed 100% effective, but too drastic a measure for most users.

Now, it seems that the most intelligent use of this system would be to send challenges only to messages that were flagged as questionable. Good message can be delivered, definite spam can be deleted and questionable ones would earn themselves a challenge message.

So, to sum up, lets rewrite the qualities of our perfect filter and get a shopping list of what to look for while we wait for the SpamSplatter 3000 to arrive:

1. Simple, minimal setup and maintenance.
2. Extremely low rate of false positives and as few false negatives as possible.
3. A transparent fail-safe mechanism whereby the victims of those false positives can force the message through to you.

Its simple really. Now, whos going to build me this SpamSplatter 3000?

Alan Hearnshaw is the owner of http://www.WhichSpamFilter.com, a site which provides weekly in-depth spam filter reviews, user help and guidance and a community forum.
alan@whichspamfilter.com

About the Author
Alan Hearnshaw is a computer programmer and the owner of http://www.WhichSpamFilter.com, a site which provides weekly in-depth spam filter reviews, user help and guidance and a community forum.

2005-08-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Anti-Phishing Bill Introduced To Congress by Richard A. Chapo

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 readers 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 Chapo is the lead attorney for the law firm
http://www.SanDiegoBusinessLawFirm.com - a firm providing
legal advice to California businesses. This article is for
general education purposes and does not address every facet
of the subject matter. Nothing in this article creates an
attorney-client relationship.

2005-08-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Combating SPAM by Darren Cronian

Everyone who communicates on the internet via email has the same old problem of SPAM and its becoming more apparent that the recent unsolicited commercial emails (UCE) laws implemented in the US and Europe are not having an impact.

Did you know that over 60% of SPAM is from the US? I was quite surprised by this fact.

So how can we combat this problem - I am sure the majority of you will have this problem, many of you will be advertising on websites who do not hide your email address, some of you will participate in forums, or have your own website.

Professional spammers use software called Harvesters which scans websites and gathers millions of email addresses, that is why it is important that you protect your email address and do not display it on forums, websites or divulge it to websites which do not have a privacy statement.

There are a number of ways where you can protect yourself.

Set up free email accounts

Use an email address from a free email provider, ( Hotmail and Yahoo) that way if spammers do get hold of it you can report it as SPAM and quite easily create a new account. I have a number of email accounts that I use for subscribing to newsletters, emailing friends and family and one for entering competitions etc.

Create an HTML form

Rather than displaying your email address on your website you could instead create a HTML form where the email address is hidden and visitors complete the form and the results are sent to your email address - if any of you need any assistance on setting this up, just drop me an email. If I get a big response I will publish a guide to setting this up in a future issue of the newsletter.

Many holiday rental companies do not know how to set up a form on an enquiry page, if the holiday rental company you advertise your property on does not have this facility and your email address is displayed for all to see then contact the company and get them to look into this.

SPAM software

You can download software which will scan your email before it enters your email software, like Outlook, you can then block any email coming from that email address, IP address or domain name. That way when emails come in from the blocked sender they never appear in your Outlook inbox. I bought some software called Mail Washer, its easy to use and doesnt cost much. If any of you use software to combat SPAM, then let me know and Ill publish this in the next newsletter

Spam blocking websites

I am not too familiar with this type of blocking, but you can subscribe and enter your email details on to a secure website - all emails sent are directed to this website, and the sender has to click on a link before it is sent to your inbox. On some of these websites you can either deny or accept emails from the sender, and all rejected emails are sent to the blacklist folder.
About the Author
Darren Cronian is the writer of various articles for holiday home owners and renters. Darren also runs and owns a UK-based holiday company called Worldwide Holiday Homes

2005-07-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Protect Yourself from Being Called a Spammer by Glen Palo

The purpose of this article is to help website owners, writers,
internet marketers to protect themselves from being accused of
spamming.

Anyone that has a website, webpage or electronic newsletter and
communicates using email, publishes articles or promotes their
URL can be accused of being a spammer.

First, knowledge is the first step to prevention. Unfortunately,
to date there is no official or agreed upon definition of what
constitutes spam.

The internet today is the result of the collaborative efforts of
the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). IETF is a large open
international community of network designers, operators, vendors,
and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet
architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. These are
the guys that write the guidelines (RFC) and standards to which
everyone adheres to make the internet function. They wrote the
Netiquette Guidelines (RFC1855). For more info, visit
http://www.ietf.org/

The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE)
according to their website (http://www.cauce.org) was created by
netizens to advocate for a legislative solution to the problem of
UCE (a/k/a "spam"). Unfortunately, they do not specifically
define spam other than provide a list of characteristics of email
sent by unreputable marketers promoting pyramid schemes, chain
letters, etc.

>From my research, I have concluded that spam has been defined as
junk email, unsolicited bulk email (UBE), unsolicited commercial
email (UCE), unrequested email and more.

Here is a quick check list of things that would possibly be
considered spam:

=>Sending advertisements, solicitations, or any type of mailing
that was not requested (even if only sent to a single person)

=>Posting advertisements for your web site in news groups,
bulletin boards, or any other public medium where such posts are
not appropriate

=>Having other people do either of the above.

Most Internet Service Providers and web hosting companies are
anti-spam. They have to be because of the severe consequences
of being labeled tolerant of spam, and, particularly being listed
on the Realtime Blackhole List maintained by Mail Abuse
Prevention System LLC (MAPS).

According to the MAPS website at http://mail-abuse.org/, they
are a not-for-profit California organization whose mission is
to defend the Internet's e-mail system from abuse by spammers.
Their principal means of accomplishing this mission is by
educating and encouraging ISP's to enforce strong terms and
conditions prohibiting their customers from engaging in abusive
e-mail practices.

ISPs that share MAPS concerns about the harm caused by spam often
request access to MAPS' databases so that they can decide whether
to block email which originates from the listed sites.

Consequently, ISPs have to fear being listed by MAPS if they are
not aggressive in combating spam. As a result, many ISPs will
shoot first and ask questions later when one of their clients
is accused of spamming.

How do you protect yourself from spam complaints?

First and foremost find an ISP or hosting company that takes a
proactive approach to spam complaints. Review their Acceptable
Use Policy (AUP) or Terms of Service (TOS). If the AUP or TOS
does not state how or what their process is for handling spam
complaints, ASK! Also ask them about their attitude regarding
SpamCop. It appears that SpamCop is becoming the defacto spam
clearing house.

When an ISP or hosting company receives a spam complaint, their
policy should be to diligently, and swiftly investigate the
reported incident. They should make every attempt to determine
the actual origin of an email, as well as the intention before
making a determination. Their policy should be to issue a
warning first.

If you have an opt-in, opt-out mailing list, it should not be a
problem. Even then the possibility does exist for someone to
"forget" that they opted in. Using a double opt-in method list
is ideal for maintaining opt-in lists. The request to be added
to a list is submitted and then the submitter has the requirement
to confirm the request prior to actually being placed on the
mailing list.

People writing articles for publication in electronic newsletters
should be particularly careful in selecting their ISPs and hosting
companies. The possibility exists that an article could be
published in a newsletter that someone claims to be spam.

In short, there isn't a set, specific method of determining how
someone will react to a mailing, however using common sense, and
reading as much as possible about the pitfalls of spam, should
steer readers clear of any major problems.

Some links readers may find helpful:
http://www.dtcc.edu/cs/rfc1855.html
http://spam.abuse.net/whatisspam.html
http://www.spamcop.net

About the Author
Glen Palo has published the Achieve USA Home Business Journal since
1998. For a subscription, please visit http://www.achieveusa.com
For more information on protecting yourself from spam complaints
send an email to spam2@achieveusa.com

2005-07-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hacking the Spammers by Bob Osgoodby

I was talking with someone I know who is a real wiz with
computers. He was telling me that if someone is persistent
enough, they can basically break into any computer. Our
service provider was recently attacked and the hackers placed
programs in the system which were disruptive.

Their priorities were to first get the server back up and
running. In order to do this, they had to find and remove the
disruptive files the hacker had placed on the system. Their
next step was to identify how access was gained, and close
that doorway. Finally they will make a concerted effort to
identify the hacker. If, and when they do identify this person,
they intend to prosecute them criminally, and sue them civilly
for the damages they caused.

Surprisingly many of the Hackers are kids still in High School
taking computer science classes. As an exercise, not approved
by their teachers, they create viruses or hack into their
friends computers just for fun, and prove that they can do it.
Every once in awhile however, it backfires and they create
something that doesn't work the way they intended. This can
quickly spread and have world-wide implications.

Other Hackers know exactly what they are doing and have a
malevolent purpose. These people are sick. Their intention is
to hurt others, which they do. These people should be prosecuted
to the full extent of the law.

Hacking is something that must be stopped. eCommerce is growing
everyday, and the actions of these cultural misfits can cost
millions in both money and lost time.

Spammers who send unsolicited ads to thousands by the hour are
also a major problem. While admittedly I have a high profile
email address, and probably receive more than my share of spam,
this can be similarly disruptive to the operation of a
business. There is no reason why I should have to sort through
several hundred ads to find my email. This is disruption of
service and the spammers should be held liable.

Now there are two kinds of spam. At the risk of offending
someone, the first is perceived spam. Some "yo-yo" either signs
up for something, or requests information, and having a mental
lapse, forgets they did. They then complain bitterly when they
receive it.

And then there is the "mental giant" that subscribes to a
newsletter or ezine under one email address, which is forwarded
to their main one, and forgets they did it that way. For
security purposes, they have to be using the mail address they
subscribed under to be removed, and don't. They find it easier
to simply fire off an expletive filled missive to anyone they can
identify.

Be aware that there are some people, who hate spam with such a
passion, they actually get software that parses a message and
automatically sends a complaint to every email address and domain
it finds.

Someone had published an article I had written, and since it
included my domain name, a complaint was fired off. That is
simply not fair. I didn't send the email, it wasn't sent from my
account, but I received a warning. The retard who did that
apparently doesn't care who they hurt in pursuit of their "holy
grail".

But perceived spam is only a very small part of the real
problem. I don't mind getting an unsolicited email from a real
person. I can always ask them to remove me, and they normally
do. A real problem is the spammer who forges an email address,
and if you try to respond, your message is returned as
undeliverable.

Some ISP's have identified domains the spammers use and it is
automatically deleted, so you never see it. In order to combat
this, the spammers send it out their scams with a stolen email
address that actually exists. I recently received over 6,500
remove requests from people who had received an ad for a sex
site, sent out with my return email address someone had used.
This is rather a simple matter, and the headers in the email
clearly show it didn't come from me. However, the inexperienced
would lay the blame squarely on my shoulders. This is identity
theft and the perpetrators should be severely punished.

You are especially at risk to a hack attack if you have either a
DSL or Cable connection, as you are always connected when your
computer is on. Someone could break into your computer and spam
to their hearts content using your account. We have our computers
networked together, and it requires a password to access the
files. While that will protect us from the majority of attacks,
a determined effort could gain access.

The best protection the average person can use is a "firewall"
which prevents people from accessing their computer. Search
engines will quickly reveal where they can be obtained.

Now if we could only get the hackers to concentrate on the
spammers, maybe this entire problem would go away.
About the Author
Bob publishes the free weekly "Your Business" Newsletter
Visit his Web Site at http://adv-marketing.com/business to
subscribe. As a bonus, get 40,000 FREE E-Books from
Larry Dotson, when you visit http://www.ldpublishing.com

2005-07-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

Spam Spasms & Spamocidal Mania by Linda Cox

Below is a letter I wrote to the following organizations:

S.H.U. (Spam-Haters Unanimous)

N.A.A.P.W.H.S. (National Association for the Advancement of
People Who Hate Spam)

P.W.H.P.W.D.H.S. (People Who Hate People Who Don't Hate
Spam)

P.F.W.S.H.I.A.L.C. (People for Whom Spam-Hating is a
Lifestyle Choice)

S.A.P.W.R.R.R.H.S. (Society for the Advancement of People
Who Really Really Really Hate Spam)

P.W.H.S.S.M.I.M.L.W.S.C.O.T.E. (People Who Hate Spam So Much
It Makes Little Wisps of Steam Come Out of Their Ears)

And, of course: Spam Haters In The Business of Internet
Resource Directory Services.

DEAR FELLOW SPAM HATERS,

I'm writing to suggest that we combine forces in order to
present a common front in our righteous war on unsolicited
commercial email:

Spam!

I suggest we disband the myriad sites and organizations now
opposing unsolicited commercial email in order to form a
single, unified organization:

The Spammish Inquisition!

And I further suggest we elect me, Linda Cox, as our leader.
Our Grand Inquisatrix!

WHAT ARE MY QUALIFICATIONS?

You think YOU hate spam? You don't even know what hate is!

I hate spam so much that I... well, just a LOT! That's how
much!

If I hated spam any more than I already do, I think my head
would burst into flames and spin like a top! Can you say
that?

Don't think so.

I don't mean to say that I don't hate other things, too,
like pedophiles and Nazis and that drunk guy who backed over
my cat when I was seven.

But spam... hooboy!

SQUISH 'EM LIKE BUGS!

I believe we should have a constitutional amendment allowing
cruel and unusual punishment in the case of spammers. Maybe
that tummy thing like the Japanese do when they get
depressed.

As with drugs, mere possession of bulk emailing software
should result in the immediate confiscation of the computer
it was on, as well as any nice clothes, jewelry, or lawn
statuary that might have been purchased with spam profits.

Just thinking about sending spam should be illegal, like
joking about bombs in an airport. If I get to be Grand
Inquisatrix, I'll have my own force of men-in-black dudes to
sniff out spamsters and be really mean to them and call them
names until they promise to be good little Netizens again.

It's for their own good.

IN CLOSING...

Having looked at the Websites of some of the anti-spam
crusaders, I know that I am not alone in my revulsion,
disgust and utter skin-crawling contempt for spam.

Like them, I have turned a blind-eye to more mundane
problems like hunger, illiteracy, disease, country music and
poverty so as to focus on the true menace plaguing our
cyber-society.

If you wish to support my crusade, you may do so by sending
me $99, and as a free gift I'll send you a CD with the email
addresses of 40 million Netizens eagerly awaiting news of
your latest product or service.
About the Author
Linda Cox (J.A.M.G.) was born in a speeding stagecoach amid
the screams of fellow passengers as insane, wild-eyed horses
dragged them all crashing toward the brink of destruction.
That stagecoach was the planet Earth, those passengers were
the human race, and Linda Cox is Just Another Marketing
Guru. (The horses were just regular horses.)
http://www.LindaCox.com/

2005-07-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

I Love Spam by Dave Cole

Spam is considered any unsolicited and often un-wanted
e-mail. The term seems to have originated from a Monty Python
sketch set in a cafe that serves nothing but the canned,
processed meat, called Spam.

In the skit there is a table of Vikings singing, spam, spam,
spam, spam, lovely spam. While the skit does arouse laughter,
the receiving of spam e-mail usually does not do the same for
our demeanor.

It is the rare inbox which hasn't been visited by some sort
of un-wanted message containing anything from get-rich-quick
schemes to Cyber-Porn.

Most email browsers or accounts allow a person to use
blocking or filtering mechanisms which send junk mail directly
to the trash bin.

Professional spammers use sophisticated software that
actually spiders the Internet gleaning e-mail addresses from
Web sites.

If you have ever filled out an online survey, your e-mail
address has most likely ended up on a for sale list of targeted
buyers.

While most spam and postal junk mail is annoying, it can
have some benefits. Running an online business requires us at
times to be effective ad writers. Immediately deleting all this
junk mail means you are throwing way an opportunity to learn
ad strategies.

Next time spam shows up, why not take a few minutes to
read through these ads and see how they are written. See if
the headline or body attracts your attention, or what is
effective about the ad and what turns you off.

I actually love it when those card decks come in the postal
mail. Flipping through the cards, I'll put those that have attractive
headlines in one pile, trash the ones that aren't appealing, then
go back later and really read the one's in the first pile.

I'm always on the lookout for new ideas on what works in
ad writing, new tactics ad writers employ, and seeing what
is working and not working for them.

Successful online marketers are constantly studying not
only their own ads, but what others are doing. So instead of
getting upset the next time you receive your daily dose of
spam, why not look at it as an opportunity to help you
become a better marketer?

If you would like your name removed from many of
the bulk mailing lists, this Web site will be a blessing. Simply
give them your e-mail address and they will scan their
bulk mailing lists and remove you. It is a unique concept
they have. You can read more about what they do at their
Web site.

http://removeyou.com

About the Author
Dave Cole
Editor/Publisher
Prosperity: The Choice Is Yours
Read other articles by Dave:
http://choosetoprosper.com

2005-07-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Spam Mania - Would you like to ruin a business? - Guilty Till Proven Innocent! by Dale Reardon

I felt compelled to write this article after a recent bad
experience of my own. Spam vigilantes abound on the
internet and unfortunately a right which every person should
have in civilised democracies - in fact a basic human right
- does not exist in relation to spam and spam complaints.
This vigilante activity would not be tolerated offline -
normally one cannot simply take the law into one's own hands
but it seems this has become acceptable online. However
below I do recommend a solution and an association which can
help you.

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

And yes that is in capitals to shout at you - that is the
single most important thing in any legal system. Also here
is one more:

IT IS BETTER TO LET 99 GUILTY PEOPLE GO FREE RATHER THAN
CONVICT ONE INNOCENT PERSON

If you bear these 2 principles in mind you will treat
everyone else fairly and be treated fairly yourself. You
get back 10 times in life what you give to others - just not
necessarily from the same people that you give to.

Now the problem on the internet is that spam has no real
precise definition and it is open to interpretation. What
you view as unsolicited someone else may well appreciate.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't advocate or support spam in
any form whatsoever but I support innocent until proven
guilty and a common sense approach.

For example you should only send out your newsletter to
people who have requested it and not harvest email addresses
from discussion forums. But what happens when someone
forgets they have subscribed or is just too plain lazy to
unsubscribe or contact you first to discuss the matter?
Requiring someone to confirm their subscription will not
protect you if you are presumed guilty. Many of you will
have heard of SpamCop - a self made spam vigilante, who in
my opinion does not act responsibly or obey the 2 most
important principles stated above, which are necessary for
any democracy to operate. Also SpamCop doesn't care less
about small operators and unfairly favours big well known
brand names.

From Spamcop's definition and comments about spam:

"In general, email from reputable companies, such as
Microsoft and Amazon are opt-in, and if you receive email
purporting to be from a company you would
Normally consider being legitimate, you should consider
carefully the possibility that you did agree to receive it
some time in the past. If you are sure
You did not, then it may be someone attempting to appear to
be a representative of the company in question, but who
actually does not have the consent
of the company. Once in a while, a large, otherwise
reputable organization will "accidentally" send out some
unsolicited email. The main domain-name registry,
Network Solutions, is a notable example of this. It has in
the past sent outright spam and has been widely criticized
for this action among spam-fighters.
In any case, if you are sure that you did not request the
email, then you are well within your rights to report it as
spam."

Just because you think you didn't request it does not mean
the person is guilty of spam. Then again maybe you have the
right to be judge, jury and executioner :->

So if you can afford to spend millions, make a loss and
develop your name, SpamCop thinks you are then innocent
until proven guilty but if you are poor and like most of us
you are guilty - talk about justice for the Rich only.

I want you to think carefully - and then think again - and
then sleep on it - before you report someone for spam.
Their business, their very future, and the income they use
to support their family is at stake. I am not being
melodramatic as you will see when I tell you my personal
story now.

Recently I changed distribution sources for sending out my
ezine. I did not trust my ezine in the hands of anyone else
and my previous system was unreliable so I now use a system
on my own domain. However I had a problem exporting the
subscribers from my previous service. I therefore had to
use copies of subscription request emails that I had on my
computer. I knew that this meant I would be importing some
people who had already unsubscribed. However I gave a full
explanation in my ezine and a surprise gift when people
unsubscribed to make up for it.

However obviously some people weren't content with my humble
apology and explanation. I was reported to SpamCop. Did
Spamcop contact me first to discuss the matter? Did they
tell me who the complainer was (a well known principle of
all justice systems also where an accused has the right to
confront their accuser)? Did they even think this ezine may
have been opt in and do nothing? No on all counts!

Spamcop contacted the hosting upline that my site was on and
a little while later sent me an email. I won't reveal the
host here as that may prevent this article getting published
(as lots of you are probably hosted on them) but the host
didn't bother contacting me either, they just closed my
domain instantly. Did they assume I might be innocent
either? No! I only found out when I went to check my site
- you should do this regularly.

Eventually I resolved the matter with the hosting upline but
throughout this whole process I was a condemned man -
convicted and sentenced to death without even getting a
hearing first - let alone a fair one. For heavens sake,
even some third world dictatorships pretend to have a fair
trial - not even that happened here.

So a complaint was made to Spamcop - they accepted it
without question - heh, after all I'm not a big name and
even if the person forgets they have subscribed Spamcop says
that is still spam - and then my website went down.

Now I was lucky - I don't scare too easily and I don't give
up a fight. However I admit this episode was terrifying and
caused me lost sleep. It also made me realise how fragile
your business can be and how we must all fight against such
hysteria - we must remain innocent until proven guilty.

Personally if I reported spam I would want it investigated
and both sides given a chance to explain themselves before
any action was taken. I don't think this is too much to ask
do you?

So please think very carefully before reporting spam and
contact the person who sent the email first to discuss the
matter. Remember, if you don't one day you could end up in
this sort of trouble yourself.

HE WHO LIVES BY THE SWORD DIES BY THE SWORD

Don't use your sword and simply send off a spam complaint
without thinking. Take it very seriously because the
consequences are ultra serious.

However all is not gloom and doom. There is an organisation
I have discovered that is fighting back against these self
proclaimed spam vigilantes. E-crucible is a wonderful
organisation which I encourage you all to join for Free and
help them in their mission. Here is their mission statement
and website:

http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R18328_ecrucible

e-Crucible, Inc. is committed to returning sanity and
responsibility to the Internet. We feel that the hysteria
regarding the use of what is termed "Unsolicited Commercial
Email" (UCE or "Spam") that is prevalent in the Internet
culture today is unfair, irresponsible and counter-
productive to maintaining the Internet as a free
marketplace.

The Internet respects no national boundaries. Therefore, any
policies regarding the Internet will be most effective if
made at the international level. We will advocate for a fair
and reasonable INTERNATIONAL policy regarding "Unsolicited
Commercial Email" (UCE or "Spam") and its fair enforcement
by all Internet Service Providers.

We are commited to opposing by any ethical, political, and
legal means available the vigilante activities of "anti-
Spam" fanatics and the unfair and unjust handling of "Spam"
complaints by certain Internet Service Providers.

The Internet is the greatest tool for freedom in the history
of mankind. e-Crucible believes in maintaining the Internet
as a free marketplace for the exchange of ideas, products
and services.

I highly commend E-crucible to you and urge you to join
their email discussion list to discuss these matters here:

mailto:e-crucible-subscribe@topica.com

You might not think you will have your life ruined by a spam
complaint but believe me, it can happen. I am not ruined
myself, but I will personally fight to bring some sanity
back to the spam debate. I hope you will support our cause
and bring fairness and democracy back to the internet.
Remember, we should all be innocent until proven guilty.

About the Author
Dale Reardon. Owner of the WebResources Newsletter.

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