How to Configure Earthlink SpamBlocker

Spam is a constant part of life if you plan to communicate via email. The amount of spam you receive increases in proportion to the number of times you provide the email address to someone online. Earthlink created a powerful spamBlocker program to lower the amount of spam that account holders deal with on a regular basis. You can configure the level of spam protection best suited for your needs. Better yet, you can install and configure a suite of products to protect you against spam, viruses and malware (pop-up ads). Download the Earthlink TotalAccess program for Earthlink's best email managing software.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Open your Earthlink MailBox by clicking the icon on your desktop or accessing it through the Windows start menu.

2. Look above the options titled "My MailBox" to find the spamBlocker for your Earthlink account. You should notice a red circle with a red diagonal line through it beside the word "spamBlocker."

3. Move your mouse pointer over the plus sign beside the red icon and click it. A list of options should show up underneath the word "spamBlocker."

4. Find the "Settings" link, and click it. You may notice the word "(OFF)" next to "Settings," showing you need to configure your spamblocker.

5. Review your options to process spam under the words "Choose how spamBlocker should handle your incoming email." The "Suspect Email Blocking" option moves all emails from people not in your address book to the "Suspect Email" folder. The "Known spamBlocking" option deletes spam automatically according to the list of spammers in the program.

6. Choose the level of spam protection you want, and click the white circle beside the option.

7. Complete the process of turning your spamblocker on by clicking the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page.

Tips & Warnings

• Use creative email address names consisting of a combination of letters and numbers. Many spammers use a computer-generated list of email addresses combining random words and letters with a known email server.
• If you just have to read spam, Earthlink's spamBlocker program has an option to divert all spam to a "Known Spam" folder.
• Never sign up for web offers for free items if you simply provide your email address to the website. You will get a mountain of spam.
• Never turn your spamblocker off. Earthlink provides you with a special folder to view spam if you want to see various advertisements.

Resources

• Earthlink's TotalAccess for Windows, Vista and Mac