Junk Mail

What is SPAMBLOCKER and how do I use it?  You may be wondering what those messages from spamblocker@okstate.edu are, and why your mailbox is still full of SPAM yet your spamblocker e-mail informs you that it has blocked 0 messages…  The following information should help answer all of these questions, as well as provide instructions on how to make it more effective for you.

Spamblocker (by ProofPoint) is a new program instituted by the OSU Campus Computing Group (ITD).  It is a program that filters all e-mail addressed to addresses @okstate.edu (nancym@okstate.edu and nancy.michael@okstate.edu) and filters spam so that it is not delivered to your inbox, but rather held in a SPAM container.  You'll receive 2 digests per day listing the sender and subject of all messages that the SPAM filter has blocked, and there is a link beside each message that says "Deliver Message" so that if the message is one that you wish to receive you can click that link to receive the message.  Mail that is not retrieved from your SPAM container within 10 days is deleted automatically.

Q.   What should I do with the e-mail I get from spamblocker@okstate.edu?

A.   Open the e-mail message and look at the list of messages that have been blocked.  If there is a message you want to receive, click on the “Deliver Message” link.  Delete the e-mail from spamblocker from your inbox.

The default setting is to filter pornographic SPAM only, but you change this to filter all suspected spam by logging into the SpamBlocker software using the link that is at the top of that e-mail "Change My SPAM Settings".  The username and password are the same as your OKEY username and password so it would be username like firstname.lastname@okstate.edu and the password we set for that account.  This password may be written on your yellow card.  If you need to reset this password go to okey.okstate.edu and click on the link "Forgot password, locked out?".  You'll be prompted to answer your security question and provide part of your SSN and birthdate.  If you need assistance please call your Support Specialist.

Once you've logged into the SpamBlocker webpage you should click the "Profile" icon at the bottom left corner of the screen.  Change the setting to "Filter all spam (place in quarantine)" and press "Save" at the top of the screen.  SPAM is defined as unsolicited mass mailings, for example you will continue to receive messages sent from JC Penny catalog because you've signed up with JC Penny catalog.  You may not remember having signed up with JC Penny, and you may have signed up accidentally, but these messages will continue to be delivered to your inbox and will not be stopped by the filtering software.

 Q.   What can I do to have spamblocker catch more SPAM e-mails?

A.   Log into the Spamblocker website by clicking Change My Spam Settings and logging in with your OKEY username and password.  Click “Profile” in the lower left hand corner and choose “Filter all spam (Place in quarantine)” and press Save at the top of the screen.

Someone told me they have sent me an e-mail but I don't think I ever got it.  Your e-mail has two levels of junk mail filtering.  If you have not received an e-mail that you are expecting, you should check your Junk Mail folder in your e-mail client, and check the digest that you receive from spamblocker.  If you have not received a digest from spamblocker or if you have deleted it, you can login to the spamblocker server to have spamblocker send you a complete digest of all messages in your quarantine.  Once you login (using your OKEY username and password) there is a "Request Digest" button at the top of the page that will immediately deliver a list of messages in your quarantine folder.  You can receive a message that has been blocked by clicking the "Deliver Message" link beside the message you wish to receive.

Does my e-mail program filter junk mail?  If you use Outlook or Netscape 7.x the answer is yes, although you may have to enable them.  Outlook Express does not have a junk mail solution built in.

By default, Outlook's junk mail options are set to the lowest level.  You can increase the level of filtering they provide by clicking Tools/Junk Mail/Junk Mail Options and select the option "High".  Be aware that this increases the likelihood that SPAM will be caught, but also increases the likelihood that legitimate mail that you wish to receive will also be sent to the junk mail folder.  Once you change your setting to "high" you should also add "@okstate.edu" to the safe senders list (also located in Junk E-mail Options window).

Netscape's Junk Mail controls must be enabled by clicking Tools/Junk Mail Controls and placing a check by "Enable Junk Mail Controls".  You'll also want to place a check beside "Do not mark messages as junk if the sender is in my address book."; this means that you should add all persons you wish to correspond with to your address book, preferably from an e-mail that they have sent to you.  You should place a check beside "Move incoming messages determined to be junk to:" and select "Junk" folder on Local Folders.  The last selection "When I manually mark messages as junk" should be set to "delete them" unless you feel you may accidentally mark messages as junk, in which case set this to "Move to Junk Folder" to give you a second chance to review the message before you delete it.

How can I reduce the amount of Junk Mail I receive?  By configuring both Spamblocker and the Junk Mail controls built into either Outlook or Netscape to use the highest filtering settings you will greatly decrease the amount of junk mail you receive.  Another important thing you can do is be judicious about whom you share your e-mail address with.  Some companies will share your information with other companies, which will cause you to receive more spam.  Simply delete unwanted messages unless you remember subscribing to their service.  If you receive e-mails from places that you do not remember subscribing to which offer a link at the bottom of the e-mail that says it will unsubscribe you, this will likely increase the amount of spam you receive as it will notify the spammer that yours is an active e-mail address that is likely to participate in whatever they offer.