The Librarian's Internet: Fed Up With Junk E-Mail?

A great site for nontechies. “Tips” offers simple ways of reducing junk e-mail, while “Tools” presents step-by-step, Web-based videos that help you program services like Hotmail and AOL to reject spam. The "Take Action" section contains proactive suggestions for dealing with annoying spammers—complain about them to all ISPs involved or report them to state and federal authorities. Finally, the "GetNetWise TV" section on the Spam homepage offers three great videos for teaching adults and kids about spam. (You need a high-speed Net connection and a Real Player plug.) Created by: The Internet Education Foundation, Washington, DC. Don't Miss: The “Spam Fighting Tools” search engine—look for the “Third-party tools” link on the “Tools” page. Enter the software you want and your computer model and click “Find These Tools.” Some of the software is free, some you must purchase.

This Federal Trade Commission (FTC) site offers 11 handouts (in HTML and PDF formats) that cover every aspect of spam. It also shows how spammers “pfish” for information, including how they “harvest” e-mail addresses from public postings, such as newsgroups, chat rooms, Web sites, or online service directory memberships. The site also offers clear instructions on where to redirect spam that is already in your inbox in an effort to help the FTC pursue law-enforcement actions against spammers. Created by: The United States Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC. Don't Miss:To make a complaint to the FTC, click on the red "File a Complaint" link on the “Consumers” page, or go to rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01.

Junk e-mails in the form of chain letters that encourage the exchange of money or valuable items are illegal. This site addresses every aspect of chain letters—why they're never authentic, how to deal with them, and when to report them to the authorities. Created by: The United States Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC. Don't Miss: The “Consumer Info” section features two Spanish flyers, in PDF format.

This “Learn More About It” site directs you to others where you can learn more about junk e-mail, get information on spam software vendors, and answers to common questions and misconceptions about junk e-mail. "Help for Sysadmins" is great for your library's techie. Created by: Scott Hazen Mueller, CAUCE chairman, Oxnard, CA. Detour: For more on junk mail, visit CAUCE (Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail) at www.cauce.org/index.phtml.