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All about SPAM

Q: What is SpamAssassin?
A: SpamAssassin(tm) is a mail filter to identify spam.

Q: How does SpamAssassin work?
A: Using its rule base, it uses a wide range of heuristic tests on mail headers and body text to identify "spam", also known as unsolicited commercial email. For example, if SpamAssassin sees something like "free prescription drugs! get rich quick!", it will flag that message as potential spam, and put it in a spam folder. You can choose how passive or aggressive SpamAssassin is by configuring it.

Q: How do I configure SpamAssassin?
A: Log into your my surfVI account
click on "Mail and News". You'll see a "Mail" option and a "Spam" option. Click on "Spam" and configure SpamAssassin to your liking. Click on the "?" icon on the right for explanations of each of the options. Or call us at 774-5780 for help.

Q: Where did SpamAssassin come from?
A: 'SpamAssassin' is a trademark of Network Associates, Inc. It is a free program that surfVI puts to work to help cut down on unsolicited email that would be delivered to your surfVI account.

Q: But what if I don't want to use SpamAssassin?
A: You don't have to. Simply leave the settings as they are.

Q: Will my surfVI account automagically be protected by SpamAssassin?
A: No - you have to set it up. See instructions above.

Q: Where does the spam go?
A: Once you get your first spam message, it goes into the spam folder. You can access that folder by clicking the "Folders" icon at the top of the page when you're in the Mail&News "Mail" view.

Q: What is spam?
A: "Spam" is a term for unsolicited commercial email. Spam comes in a wide range of forms and content, but most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam is mail you get that you didn't ask for or want- i.e., "junk" mail.
SPAM® is a luncheon meat, soft and pink, comes in a can, made by Hormel. Most Americans intuitively, viscerally associate "Spam" with "no nutritive or aesthetic value," though it is still relatively popular (especially in Hawaii), and can be found in almost any grocery store.

Q: Why is it called "spam"?
A: The prevailing theory is that it is from the song in Monty Python's famous spam-loving vikings sketch that goes, roughly, "Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam! wonderful spam!" The vikings, who were sitting in a restaraunt whose menu only included dishes made with spam, would sing this refrain over and over, rising in volume until it was impossible for the other characters in the sketch to converse (which was, of course, a large part of the joke.)

Q: How can I quit getting spam?
A: There's no 'easy' way to get rid of spam altogether. Once spammers have your email address, there's not a lot you can do. Try to refrain from using your email address on websites (spammers can 'harvest' addresses that way), and NEVER click the "unsubscribe" link on a spam message. That just lets the spammer know they've reached a real person, and chances are, you'll get even more spam. So just let SpamAssassin do the work, and delete spam!

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