Combating Spam (part 1 of 6)

Bad Taste in Your Mouth

Are you sick and tired of SPAM?

No I’m not talking about the processed puke in a can. I’m talking about the bane of the Internet, e-mail SPAM.

I’m sure you, like billions more around the world, get a little queasy every time you open your inbox. You cross your fingers and hope you don’t have to look at another Viagra or penis enlargement ad.

Well thankfully, if you’re a web developer, there is a lot you can do to control, if not eliminate, 99%* of the spam in your inbox. But let’s be clear that we are talking about spam originating from vulnerabilities in your website’s contact form.

Aside from having spam filters on your mail server (which is a MUST), there are some very practical and well-known methods to trim the spam from your diet. There are some lesser-known (more effective) methods, which I cover as well.

After implementing most of the methods that I will divulge over the next few weeks, I was able to eliminate 99%* of the spam from my inbox, as well as the spam from our customers' inbox.

*Why 99%? If spammers know your email address, the only thing you can do is change your email address. Well, that, and stop visiting websites which contain questionable material. ;-)