How to Create Email Filters in Outlook Express

Like it or not, it appears spam is here to stay. And while we may not be able to eliminate it, we can at least thin it down considerably from our inboxes so we're not forced to deal every single message.

The easiest way to eliminate much of the spam, and especially the filth, that comes through email is to set up filters that will reject messages based on content in the body of the email or subject line.

Depending on the severity of the offense, you can have messages simply deleted from your inbox, i.e., sent to your Trash folder, or have them deleted from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) server altogether. For instance, pornographic content can be completely eradicated, while harmless, yet annoying, sales messages can simply be placed in the trash.

NOTE: Occasionally, a message that isn't spam will be filtered out using this approach, so unless you're 100% certain that none of your ezines or messages from friends will contain a specific word, it's a good idea to have most of them sent to your Trash folder rather than deleted from the server. Either way, follow the steps below and you'll be surprised at how much lighter your email load will be.

• Open Outlook Express.

• Click on Tools, Message Rules, Mail.

• Under the Mail Rules tab, click New.

You must now place at least one option in each section. The following instructions will help you create a new pornographic mail filter.

• Under "1. Select the Conditions for your rule" click on the box beside "Where the Subject line contains specific words." AND "Where the Message body contains specific words."

• Under "2. Select the Actions for your rule" click on the very last box beside "Delete it from the server."

• Now comes the distasteful part... make a list of every single pornographic word that you want filtered and deleted from your email.

• Under "3. Rule description" click on the underlined text beside Subject line "contains specific words" within the white box.

• Enter the words from your list one at a time in the box that says, "Type specific words or a phrase, and click Add." (You'll need to click Add after every one.)

• When you're finished, Click OK.

• Next, click on the underlined text beside Message body "contains specific words."

• Follow the same steps and enter the same words in this box and click Add for each one.

• When you're finished, click OK (you can always add something later, if you forget one).

• Click on the underlined word "and" in the same box as under "3." Click on "Messages match any One of the criteria" and click OK. "And" will change to "or" in that box and the rule will now work whether the offensive word is in the message body or the subject.

• Under "4. Name of the rule" type something like "Pornographic words" or simply "Trash" and click OK.

• Click on OK and your new mail rule is now complete!

Now, the next time you check email, all messages containing the words you filtered will be deleted from the server and you'll never even see them in your email.

Use these same steps to create filters for other options such as words that contain "mortgage rates," "Viagra" or "banned CD." You'll probably only want to send those messages to your Trash folder, however, since ezines sometimes do run ads containing those words.

You can even create filters to have your ezines placed in specific folders upon receipt or to have all messages from a certain sender placed in a special folder when it arrives. This will keep your inbox tidy and will instantly alert you to the type of messages received.

However you choose to use email filters in Outlook Express, they are a wonderful tool that will help you fight the battle against spam in at least one small way.

Article copyright © 2003 by Heather Quarnstrom. All rights reserved worldwide.

Heather Quarnstrom is a writer and creative designer with decades on online experience and the owner of Bishop's Corner, an online/catalog shop offering hundreds of quality gifts, home decor items, toys, housewares, furniture and more with nearly 1,000 products under $20. Visit her online store today at http://BishopsTN.com.

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