While many home Internet users might scratch their heads and wonder what all the fuss is about, ask anyone with a website or who have made the mistake of sharing their e-mail address with the wrong person or website and you’d better put the kettle on `cause it will be a long conversation!

Beating SPAM

There are many hints that I have come across over the years, but this one is one of the easiest for anyone who owns a website and has access to their website’s control panel.

Step 1.
Set your main email address as something that is easy to remember, but hard to guess; one combination could be your initials plus your favourite colour and your shoe size (not necessarily in that order).
e.g. thblack10@trenthayes.com

This is your real e-mail address. Don’t give this to anyone, even your friends!
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Step 2.
Set up a forwarder as your main email address to avoid confusion, i.e. the address you give to friends.

e.g. friends@trenthayes.com

This is your main email address and the one you should enter into Thunderbird (or Mail) when asked for your email address.
ONLY give this address to your friends
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Step 3. (repeat as necessary)
Now whenever you sign up for a website, take the time to create a forwarder just for that website

e.g. somewebsitename@trenthayes.com

Enter this address anywhere on that website as your email address for registration purposes.
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You are done! But why do this? Because if you start getting SPAM, check out the address it has been sent to – a voila! You have found out how the SPAMMERS found you and can have a quiet word with the website (they need to know there is a security problem) also now all you have to do is delete that forwarder and create a new one. SPAM: gone.

Need more information on website control panels?
Stay tuned. I will have more website tips coming your way here.