Spam filters aren’t perfect

There are some things you can do to reduce the amount of spam you receive, but there isn’t any way to eliminate it entirely.

The best thing you can do is find an email service that does a better job of filtering out spam before it gets to your inbox. One of the best is Google’s Gmail, which is good but not perfect.

You should also avoid clicking on anything in a spam email, including the unsubscribe link. If you try to unsubscribe, you’re just confirming that your email address works and can continue to be a spammer target. The right thing to do is either delete the email or send it to your provider’s spam filter for future use in deciding what to block as spam.

While spam remains a huge, intractable problem, it’s only fair to note that spam filtering does reduce how much reaches your inbox. Without filtering, more than 70 per cent of your email would be spam. But the filters are no match for resourceful spammers, who learn to avoid being caught.

Spam filters, and their associated ‘‘blacklists’’, search for Internet Protocol addresses and domain names (the part of the email address following the @ symbol) that have previously sent spam. Spammers change those things daily to avoid detection.

Spam filtering programs look at the use of key words or symbols (Free, Money Back Offer, $$$, Click Here) in the sender’s name, subject line or body of the email. Spammers now avoid using those words or symbols, or use them sparingly.

Spam filters also look for attention-getting tactics, such as the use of all capital letters in the subject line or body of the email. Spammers instead send emails that have unusual combinations of capital and lowercase letters.

Spam filters keep track of how many similar emails they receive, and at some point classify them as spam. Spammers try to stay under the number of duplicate emails they believe will trigger that response. For a few weeks last month, I was forced to make a positive change in my life. I dropped my iPhone about six months ago; and, about three weeks ago, the cracked screen finally had enough. A slight tap on the carpet sent my phone into shock.

Its crumbling screen turned to green chaos shuttering with terror like a haunted TV screen in some horror movie, until it finally took its last breath. I was devastated. But, sometimes it takes a tragedy to teach you a lesson. OK, I’m being a little overdramatic. But, for the first time in forever, I was forced to live without a cellphone. I lasted two days in this foreign world before I reactivated my dad’s ancient indestructible box of a phone.

For the next two weeks, I was reminded of what life was like before smartphones. A time when phones were only good for two things: talking and texting. A time when you had to log-on to the computer to check your email and Facebook account.

At first, being unplugged was frustrating. Then, it was freeing.

I was no longer pulling out my phone every five minutes to check Facebook, tweet my random thoughts or Instagram a photo. I wasn’t distracted during my conversations with friends and family members. And, I wasn’t wasting time constantly scrolling through the feeds on my social networks.

In fact, I was annoyed at others when they’d pull out their phone mid-sentence to check a notification or snap a photo.

Maybe, it was the fact that I couldn’t do the same, but I’d like to think that it was because I’d finally realised how consumed we are with our social networks. It disgusted me that I couldn’t carry out one conversation without someone pulling out their phone.

Although it was difficult and frustrating at times to be smartphone-less – like when I hopped in my car to rush to an interview only to realise I couldn’t use my phone’s GPS to direct me there – it was a relief to be able to unplug and disconnect for a while.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the ability to connect in an instant and check your email on-the-go. I got an iPhone 5S as soon as possible. But, I’ve learned that it’s also important to plug-in to the real world around you. Instead of dinking around on my phone while talking to friends, I started becoming more engaged in the conversation.

I heard everything my friends had to say and didn’t have to ask them to repeat themselves. I was engaged with the environment around me.

A few times I wished I had my iPhone to capture the moment in an Instagram photo, but instead of worrying about snapping a picture and choosing a filter, I was able to fully enjoy the moment.

I always have my new iPhone on hand, but I’ve learned to leave it in my purse and enjoy real-life company.

After all, there are plenty of quiet moments – like waiting for an oil change or a doctor’s appointment – when I can catch up on my social networks.