Check Your Spambox for Legitimate Email
Most email clients and security software do a good job of filtering out spam, but they are not 100%. In my rough estimate, they catch maybe 99 out of 100 spam emails which is extremely good. However that 1% may end up being important email. I hate spam just as much as the next person, but until there is a system that works flawlessly, I’m going to continue to check my spambox.
A good email could end up in the spambox for a number of reasons, including:
- Email containing specific “trigger” words that are typically associated with spam
- Email containing attachments
- Email containing lots of images
- Email that is poorly formatted (eg. using all caps or loud colors)
- Email that is poorly coded (in HTML)
- Email that is originating from an IP that falls within blacklisted IP ranges
- Note: Free email addresses are typically more harshly judged by filters (eg. Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, etc..)
As you can see, there are many reasons why an email message can be red-flagged. Most email senders are not savvy about email optimization, so it is a good idea to double check your spambox to make sure no legitimate email has been filtered out. In the past, I have had important emails get filtered, such as file attachments related to business, communications from my bank, verification requests, and even class action lawsuit notifications. These are all important things that could cost you money or even worse.
For this reason, I check my spambox at least once a day. It doesn’t take a long time to check and there is no need to open each one. Just skim through the list and check the “From” name and title of the email. Once you have skimmed through the entire list, do a mass delete. Repeat the next day. One thing you do not want to do is fall behind because once your spambox reaches hundreds to thousands of emails, it will become too overwhelming to clean up.
Final note: White-list email addresses that you trust, so they never end up in your spambox.
Do you agree or do you think it is a waste of time?