email fight club rules

Follow these 10 common sense tips to avoid email problems.
1. Suspect everyone: Most spam emails are harmless junk from someone just hoping to make a sale or build a list. However, there are some unscrupulous gamblers (you know… the one with the rich uncle who just died in Nigeria) who try to rip you off. Never respond to these unsolicited emails. Even “unsubscribe” will alert senders that their email address is being used. If it seems to be of interest to you and they list a website, type it into your browser to check.
2. “Just say no” to pornography: Nancy Reagan was right! You know where the bad stuff comes from, so filter it out. Messaging software filtering tools will reject mail from frequent spammers’ email addresses, or with certain words (“sex,” “pornography,” or “free drugs,” for example) in the subject line. It’s easy to set up. Just log in to your email, click “settings” and follow the instructions. Even I could figure this out without asking my wife for help!
3. Avoid SPAM – It’s Nasty: Almost every Internet Service Provider has a spam blocker these days. If yours doesn’t (you should probably change), there are several good third-party spam-blocking services like Brightmail (www.brightmail.com). I have multiple email accounts and for fun I keep track of how many emails are being sent to the spam folder every day. It usually averages around 2500 – 3000 per account. I run a couple of Internet businesses, so that number is well above average for a single user. However, I appreciate the geeks who developed spam blocking every day.
4. Join Anonymous Users: Unless you’re involved in some sort of Internet commerce (and want as much exposure as possible), you should get your listings from the big directory services. You probably never (knowingly) signed up in the first place, but chances are your email address is included in some big databases. Directories like Bigfoot, Infospace, Switchboard, Yahoo People Search, and Whowhere are good at removing your listing if you ask them to.
5. Scramble your eggs: Digitally encrypt and sign all your sensitive email messages. This is a bit of a pain, but you only need to burn yourself once to know how important it is. If your messaging software does not support strong encryption, you can download PGP Freeware encryption software at (http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html). Leave it to the MIT geeks (no offense, Matt). Most messaging systems have industry standard encryption capabilities. If you’re like me, you’ve probably never bothered to notice.
6. Use Zip-Locks: Compress and encrypt important attachments. Most modern computers come with WinZip installed. If you don’t have it, you can find it at (www.winzip.com). Easy to use software that will zip and password protect your attachments.
7. Don’t eat the cookies: Cookies are trackers that remember your IP address. They’re convenient for sites you use frequently and don’t want to go through the whole validation process. However, some criminals will send you an email with a kind of “cookie harvester” to obtain your information. The problem here is that you might already be lost before you realize it’s a fake email (especially if you ignore tip 3). To prevent cookies from being sent via email, use email client software, such as Eudora Pro, which allows you to turn off your web browser’s automatic processing engine. This step is a bit tough for the average Joe, but those of you who need it know who you are.
8. Mind your own business: Avoid using your browser to read email on someone else’s machine. If you are a busy body and insist on snooping, ALWAYS use “Clear History” when done to prevent subsequent users from breaking into your mailbox.
9. Never get “personal” at work: Violating this simple rule gets more people burned than any other act of defiance in the modern workplace. We had a great network of great videos (you know what I mean) and jokes floating around the LAN on the last boat I sailed on… until one of the IT guys on the server showed me what they can spy on. Trust me, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING! Never send sensitive personal messages on your work machine.
10. Let Norton cook: This is so basic that you probably SHOULD burn yourself if you screw this one up. Keep your antivirus software up to date. I know it sucks when it’s time to pay again; especially when you haven’t had a problem for two years… but paying for those routine updates is probably why you haven’t. If your hard drive crashed today, would you pay someone $30 to make everything better right now? Thought like that–Update it!
And Rule #1 of Fight Club is…

…………NEVER EVER under any circumstances NEVER EVER leave your email on and your desk empty at work! If you do, you have no one to blame but yourself. Opening a co-worker’s email account is fair game, and it’s “Take no prisoners” time!

Well that’s it. Some basic do’s and don’ts that will keep you in the fight and keep you out of trouble.