Fighting SPAM

Now that we hopefully have you hooked on newsgroups, a little advice on avoiding the spambots is in order.

When you set up your return email address in your newsreader, cripple it slightly, but obviously.  This is called "munging".  For example, use randomaccess386@yahoo dot com, instead of randomaccess386@yahoo.com.

This will keep waves of automated spam from heading to your mailbox, and most Usenet readers are savvy enough to modify your address when they choose to reply to you directly.

You might also want to consider opening a Hotmail or Yahoo account just for return mail when posting to Usenet.

A very good site that explains how to mung your email address in great detail can be found here.

Now, let's take a look at how to set up a new Usenet account with Outlook Express.