You realize that it's important for visitors to your Website to be able to contact you by Email, and you want to provide easy Email access for customers and potential customers. Somehow though, you need to protect yourself from a ton of unwanted junk mail (Spam) arriving in your inbox. With a little forethought you can minimize your vulnerability.

There are people who compile Email addresses just for the purposes of selling them to spammers. It's hard to control Spam when this happens. To fight back against Spam, the first step is finding out how the spammers got your Email address in the first place.

A wise Internet marketer uses a Website host provider that allows unlimited Email addresses or aliases. An alias refers to an alternate email address that forwards email to your real address. When you use an alias, you're 'real' Email address doesn't have to be generally available and susceptible to Spam. If you have several employees in your company, you will need multiple aliases.

You have to provide a contact Email address when you register your domain name. If you use your real Email address, then it's readily available to everyone, and that means the spammers too. When you set up your domain, use a portable Email address, for example Hotmail. If you have multiple domains, you should use an alias (domains@domain.com) on your primary domain for all registrations . This allows your email software to filter and save any legitimate Emails that come to the alias from your registrar's domain.

You are asking for problems if you use your real Email address when filling out a Web form or when you subscribe to a newsletter. It's better to create an Email address that is unique for each Website or newsletter. In fact, many Email users create a customized email address for each newsletter they receive, or for each Website that they filled in a form. If for example, you subscribe to a
newsletter from Greatideas.com (fictitious site name) create an Email address of greatideas.com@yourdomain.com", and route the email that this address receives to your real Email address. That way you will always know where the Email originated. If that address starts getting Spam or junk mail, you can simply filter it out with your software. Use a unique Email address if you submit to search engines or free-for- all pages (FFA.s).

Your own Website can be the biggest source of Email addresses used by junk mailers. Many Websites list multiple Emails in their contact details, and any time an Email appears on your site in plain text, even hidden in a Javascript or form field, that address can be captured.

If you want to avoid being the victim of spammers, always think about where and how your Email address is broadcast and consider if you are making it easy to be a victim of unwanted junk mail.

Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic
and direct leads starting at only $5. For more info: http://www.MarketingBlaster.com

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