Spam is one of the worst things that is happening in the Internet. In the least, it steals our time, because we need to delete them every time they come to our inbox. While spam may still be there until only God knows when, there are things that you can do to minimize the number of spam in your inbox. Here are four of them:
Use Disposable Email Addresses
Spammers usually collect email addresses by harvesting them from various online sources such as web pages, mailing list archives, and so on. Therefore, if you need to post your email in public online places, don't use your primary email address. Instead, create an email account only for that purpose and set it up to forward received emails to your primary address. If you receive too many spam via this address, you can just disable it and replace it with a new one.
Obfuscate Your Email Address
Since spammers usually harvest email addresses using some kind of bots, try to obfuscate your email when you post it in a public online place. Do it in a way that it's still comprehensible for a human reader, so that your addressee can read it. For example, instead of posting "abc@xyz.com," replace it with "abc (at) xyz dot com."
Use Long or Uncommon Email Address
Spammers may try to guess your email by sending email to short or common addresses in the hope that it will reach some valid addresses. Because of this, using a long or uncommon email might be safer then using a short or common email. So, if you create an email account, try to get a long or uncommon, yet comprehensible, email address.
Don't Respond to Spam
When you receive spam in your inbox, don't respond to it in any way. Don't reply to the spam email or click on any link in it, even if it looks like an opt-out link. It's likely that the opt-out link is a fake. Responding to a spam will confirm to the spammer that your email is a valid one and you may get more spam because of it.
Final Words
There you go, four ways to minimize spam in your inbox. By minimizing spam in your inbox, you can save the time that is wasted by spam and spend it productively in your business. Your inbox can also be cleaner and thus easier to manage.
