|
|
|
SPAM
Information from the Office of Information Technology
|
SPAM = Electronic Junk Mail – Don’t Send It
- The web is filled with “spam” (electronic junk mail). Do not contribute to this
annoying and wasteful problem.
- Remember that one person’s “interesting tidbit” may be someone else’s junk.
- Choose your audience carefully – do not send mail to public or private distribution
lists unless a significant percentage of that list has a reasonable chance of being
informed by your email.
- Do not flood the airwaves with incessant reminders about coming events – if you want
to publicize an event by mass email, send one message well in advance and then
another a day or two before the event.
- Remember that chain letters, political advertising, solicitations for
non-university sponsored organizations or causes, proselytizing and any commercial
venture not approved by the Executive Vice President are not acceptable uses of the
BU email system.
Junk Email – What To Do If You Receive It
- If you receive unsolicited, unwanted email from a member of the Benedictine
community, REPLY to that individual, stating simply that you do not want to receive
mail of this type from this individual. SAVE the original mail and your REPLY as
evidence. (See Abuse)
- If the unwanted email is from a known vendor that you have done business with
or from a legitimate group, then replying to them with a “take me off your list”
should get results. BUT…
- If you receive unsolicited/unwanted spam-type email from someone unknown to
you outside the Benedictine community – DELETE IT. DO NOT REPLY TO IT. Replying
only provides proof that the “spammer” has found a live, currently used email
account. Your account address may then be sold to dozens or hundreds of other
spammers and junk mail merchants.
- Do not participate in CHAT groups, NEWSGROUPS, online “Surveys”, etc. –
unless you want to be flooded with junk email.
- There is very little that you can do to shut off a flood of junk email
once it has started. Just learn to use the DELETE feature.
- If you choose to subscribe to a listserv (an automated mailing list that
distributes email among a group of users interested in specific topics), be sure
that you print out and save the instructions on how to Unsubscribe should
you find that the list does not meet your needs.
- If you find your Benedictine University email flooded with junk, then
your best defense will be a quick finger on the DELETE icon. If the junk mail
is flooding a personal email account with an outside provider (Hotmail, AOL, etc.)
then you may just want to change your email address. Outside providers allow you
to do this easily. You’ll have to inform all of your contacts about the new address.
|
|
