If you’re like me, one of the most annoying issues with e-mail is all the spam and fraudulent e-mails you receive everyday.
I can’t begin to think about the time I’ve wasted while having to surf through junk mail.
My buddy Michael even has an entire blog dedicated to fighting spam.
Luckily my hosting service has recently installed an improved spam fighter that reduces a large amount of that time.
Every suspect e-mail that comes to my inbox is marked with [SPAM] in the subject line.
With a simple rule in Microsoft Outlook, the mail is automatically sent to a special junk folder in Outlook.
From time to time I will scan the folder to be sure my legitimate e-mail is not being trashed, but the majority of the time, only junk mail is caught and quarantined.
For the occasional times when legitimate e-mail is tagged, a quick e-mail to my hosting service will usually un-tag future e-mails from that sender.
But what about those of you who don’t want to mess with Outlook rules and need a simple easy to use solution?
I’ve found some software that I think you’ll all love.
Cloudmark Desktop, formerly SafetyBar, for Outlook and Outlook Express installs quickly as a toolbar within the Microsoft e-mail clients.
Cloudmark was released to the open source community in 1999 and the commercial product became available in 2001, with improvements continuing along the way.
Within minutes of downloading the software, you’re up and running and connected to a larger network of users to help combat spam and fraudulent e-mails.
According to Cloudmark, the software blocks 98 percent of spam from ever reaching your inbox.
When an e-mail is received, a special fingerprint is generated and compared with information on Cloudmark’s servers.
Fingerprints based on feedback from more than 50 million Cloudmark mailboxes are scanned and the e-mail is blocked if it matches other undesirable e-mail.
E-mail that is identified as spam is moved to a folder labeled spam, or you can customize the software to move the e-mail elsewhere.
If the e-mail is incorrectly identified, the user simply clicks “unblock” or “block” and the fingerprint is sent back to Cloudmark for future e-mails.
The process is quick and barely noticeable.
As the number of Cloudmark users continue to grow, the software should continue to improve as more and more people block spam senders.
“We base our spam on the votes of our users,” Amy Baker, a spokesperson for Cloudmark said. “The moment one person says ‘That’s spam,’ it’s collaborated with other users. Other software uses a series of rules to pick out spam. No one opens it, it’s just based on very specific rules.
“An e-mail might look like spam but you can’t always tell. That’s the real difference; we’re only blocking what the real users say is spam,” she said.
Users can download the software for free from Cloudmark.com and if you continue to use the software after a 15-day free trail, you can extend the use of the software for $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
Other products based on the technology are also available.
A server-based application is available for installation on Exchange servers and Internet service providers can purchase a program that adds the coding for their users.
The product has already impressed a number of people in the industry.
Last year it was named one of the Top 100 products of 2005 by PC World Magazine, as well as one of the Top 100 Products by Datamation.
There are other options available, but so far this is by far the easiest and best option I have found for cutting down e-mail with Outlook and Outlook Express.
Oh and sorry Mac users, there’s no plan for a Mac version of Cloudmark yet.
Jonathan Blundell is a reporter with the Waxahachie Daily Light.
