Do I have to say it?
Spam.
Or at least that’s what Symantec says, so you can take that for what it’s worth.
Spam is one of those things that’s constantly changing to bust the roadblocks we put up against it. However we as email users are smarter now and we also have better tools to fight the junk.
What’s the best way to filter spam out?
This depends on how you get to your email.
With web-based mail, staying in the browser is the best way to filter the junk out. This mail environment is designed in such as way where the interface is in that "Let me do that for you" mode of operation. And yes, letting the environment take care of the spam on your behalf is the best option.
Using a client on the other hand requires more manual involvement. This is how I use email and I personally like it better. For example, in my setup I have SpamAssassin running on server-side. But I also have the built-in junk filter running on client-side with Mozilla Thunderbird. This combination of local and server is very effective. SA gets rid of most of it while the local filter catches whatever SA doesn’t (and not much gets through). Thunderbird also "trusts" SA which makes it work even better.
With a local client there are many ways to use junk filtration.
Here’s a few:
There are free and pro versions of this. Works with Incredimail, Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Gmail, AOL Mail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail. It’s got all the bases covered.
This service does not require any software as its handled directly from the web site. Not free. It’s won several awards for its performance.
Some of you may remember Cloudmark from the past. They’re still around and still doing a great job. Not free, but with a free 15-day trial.
Free. Some say this is better than most paid email spam-blocker products. I can honestly say this is the "geekiest" of the bunch as it has a very powerful interface where you can control every single thing that happens. This is, said honestly, a spam filter on steroids. But for some, that might be exactly what you’re looking for. I strongly suggest reading the Quick Start Guide if you want to try it out.
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