Ask Michel Komarov

Bogo-Pogo AntiSPAM game

michel — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:53:40 +0000

After a month I've been trying to contact one of my correspondent I get an autoreply saying: "Thank You for contacting me, but due to the increasing amount of spam I started to receive at this e-mail address, I decided to close it." Guess many people suffer of spam as they send all this excuses: "Hello, This email address is not monitored."; "Hello, You have contacted an email that is no longer checked."; "Due to a large amount of spam I no longer have time to wade through all of the email I receive to get to the legitimate messages. So if you have a need to contact me please do so at my helpdesk at...". Others use various services like spamarrest.com so you need to fill in a form with CAPTCHA to prove you're not a spam-bot. And now I thought why do I use the same email-address for 5 years without changing it or a spamarrest service?... Yes, I remember I was annoyed too much with spam last year. I had no a filter like spamassassin on my server and decided to create my own. My spam-filter script reads the mail-box on time basis and wipes spam emails out. It filters out Asian spam (with Content-Type like iso-2022-jp, iso-2022-kr, euc-kr, gb2312, ks_c_5601-1987 or Shift_JIS), some Watch, Bank and Pharm spam (with Rolex,Replica Watches, Royal,Regions,NatWest Bank and Drugs,Pills Pharma words). The script filtered:

	400+ emails in May 07,
	400+ in Jun 07,
	500+ in Jul 07,
	500+ in Aug 07,
	400+ in Sep 07,
	800+ in Oct 07,
	600+ in Nov 07,
	700+ in Dec 07,
	700+ in Jan 08,
	600+ in Feb 08,
	1000+ in Mar 08 and
	1200+ in Apr 08.

This reduced amount of spam by half. However I'm still getting spam into my inbox.

BogoFilter

After I migrated to Kubuntu linux this year I was surprised with BogoFilter integrated with KMail application. BogoFilter detects spam almost like I were read it myself. Bogofilter is a mail filter that classifies mail as spam or ham (non-spam) by a statistical analysis of the message's header and content (body). The program is able to learn from the user's classifications and corrections. The statistical technique is known as the Bayesian technique and its use for spam was described by Paul Graham in his article A Plan For Spam in August 2002.

The real advantage of the Bayesian approach, of course, is that you know what you're measuring. Feature-recognizing filters like SpamAssassin assign a spam "score" to email. The Bayesian approach assigns an actual probability. The problem with a "score" is that no one knows what it means. The user doesn't know what it means, but worse still, neither does the developer of the filter.

KMail with Bogofilter

KMail provides you with 2 additional buttons: a circle with green recycle icon and a green tick. When you see a spam message in your inbox, click the recycle button to mark the message as spam. The Bogofilter analyses the message to learn from it and move it to the trash folder. So you have 2 buttons to delete emails now. The general "Del" button to delete old non-spam emails and the "Recycle" button to delete spam emails.

You also need to check your Trash (junk) folder for the first time to save non-spam emails. You click the green tick to let Bogofilter learn it's not a spam. The Filter learns fast. After the first 2 weeks I didn't see legitimate emails inside the junk folder.

All your custom filters work before the Bogofilter. So when you create a filter to move messages of your permanent correspondent into a separate folder, it works like a WhiteList for BogoFilter as well. You don't need to manage a BlackList at all. The Bogofilter does it for you automatically. Bogofilter is supported by Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS X, HP-UX, AIX, RISC OS, SunOS, OS/2. But not by Windows...

Outlook with Junk Email filter

Outlook 2003 and 2007 include Junk Email filter that directs suspect messages to the Outlook Junk folder. The filter calculates "score" for a message to make decision it's spam or not. You're able to set the filter level from Low to High and manage "safe senders" and "blocked senders" lists.

Outlook with Spam Reader

There are many 3-rd party add-on's for Outlook to filter spam emails. One of them looks similar to Bogofilter. Spam Reader uses the most reliable approach to spam filtering — Bayesian algorithm based on statistical analysis, capable to be adjusted to user’s needs and detect up to 98% of spam messages. The Spam Reader provides you with additional buttons to train the filter.

If you work with Outlook Express you may want to take a look at yet another Bayes filter — Spam Bully.

How Not to Send Your E-Mails Into a JUNK folder

michel — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:27:52 +0000

Egg and bacon
Egg, sausage and bacon
Egg and spam
Egg, bacon and spam
Egg, bacon, sausage and spam
Spam, egg, sausage and spam
Spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam
Spam, spam, spam, egg, and spam
Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, spam and spam
Lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam
Spam, sausage, spam, spam, spam, bacon, spam, tomato and spam

— Have you got anything without spam? — Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got MUCH spam in it. — I don't like spam!

from Monty Python SPAM Skit

Do you like spam? We all hate spam! This is why many of us, ISPs and email hosts use spam-filters to stop receiving unsolicit emails. This is so clever... But now you're going to send a newsletter to your subscribers / prospects list. Are you sure your newsletter arrive your recipients? It can be rejected by some of these spam-filters as well. This is the back of a coin. And now what? You can use the free SpamCheck service to test your newsletter before you send the email out. This tool analyzes your message is less likely to be considered spam by the filters.

Test request via email

Start the Subject with the word TEST (in UPPER CASE) and send your newsletter to makemy-spamcheck@sitesell.net or spamcheck@sitesell.net addresses. You'll get a report back telling you how good or bad your email is, from a spam-filter point of view. I've sent this test message:

Subject: TEXT How To Create Money In 7 Days
--------------------------------------
Seven.

It’s a perfect number, the Prime number.

It is said God created the heavens and the earth in 7 days.
The human brain remembers information in 7 digit chunks.
7 is a prime number, mersenne number, octahedral number,
heptagonal number, hexagonal pyramidal number and the
sum of the first 4 finonacci numbers = 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 = 7

There are 7 colors of the rainbow, 7 chakras and 7 classical
planets.

So what if you could create money in 7 days? Seven is obviously
a special number. It could be 7 days, 7 weeks or 7 months. That
choice is up to you.

I suggest you start with 7 days for your idea and set a goal of
7 weeks for the product launch to bring your idea into fruition.

So you are 7 days away from creating the idea for money and 7
weeks from transmuting the idea into reality.

What you’re gonna do in the next 7 days is just look for an idea
that:

1. Sparks the imagination.
2. That excites.
3. That is unique.
4. That gets a specific.

Where do you look for ideas? Go to the bookstore and just start
thumbing through ANY magazine that grabs your interest, regardless
of the topic.

Talk to people. Observe. Get out of the house.

It’s true that common ideas are a dime a dozen. But uncommon ideas
that have that bit of uniqueness or excitement to them aren’t common.

You’ll recognize your good idea when you find it because you’ll get
excited about it.

The report was:

Your SiteSell.com SpamCheck Report Here is your SiteSell SpamCheck Report for the e-mail that you sent to us with the subject of... How To Create Money In 7 Days Use it to check and improve (if needed) your e-zine, to ensure that it makes it into your subscriber's INBOX. Your TOTAL SPAM SCORE for your e-mail was 0. How To Interpret Your Score: -------------------------------------------------- The higher the score, the more likely the e-mail will be considered spam by ISPs, which means the more likely it is to get filtered. Levels... 0.0 - 4.5 - nice and clean, no problems except tiny ones below; no action required -------------------------------------------------- In order of importance, here are the mistakes that we found in your e-mail... Nothing to report.

Now let's try something from the Junk folder:

Subject: TEST Cyails, Vaygra adn Levtyra at Bargain Prices - We Have It All!
--------------------------------------
Now You Can Enhance Your Sex Life. We offer it to do after a Half price.
 Confidentially trasnpor tde to yuor ohuse. N0 docotr serviecs requierd.

Order Now Pensi Grwoth Pack. ePnis Gorwth Pills 1 bottle x 60caps and Pensi rGowth iOl 1 tube x 2oz - 
179.95$

Order Now Viagar + Cailis . 10 x Vyarga 100mg and 10 x Cailis 20mg - 
69.99$

Order Now Viarga 120 pills x 100mg + 4 Pills Free - 
225.61$

Extra offer -- free samples!

Staying informed and aware of diseases and conditions can help aid in their prevention and alleviate anxiety or concerns.
#wnpmCJTADirection of doctor is not needed for the purchase of medications.
Lowest price guaranteed, discreet packing and secure ordering online.
Delivery worldwide. 
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
 Accept VISA, Master.
We offer to you over six kinds diversified products which will be cares of Your health at lowest prices.
Antidiabetic drugs are medicines that help control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes).
Antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections, but they can't combat infections caused by viruses.
Anti-Allergic/Asthma is needed in treatment of allergy and bronchial asthma.
Anti-Depressant/Anti-Anxiety - used for alleviating depression or dysthymia ('milder' depression).
Anti-Fungus - which deliver medications from fungi of above-ground on the body of man.

The report now says:

Your SiteSell.com SpamCheck Report Here is your SiteSell SpamCheck Report for the e-mail that you sent to us with the subject of... Cyails, Vaygra adn Levtyra at Bargain Prices - We Have It All! Use it to check and improve (if needed) your e-zine, to ensure that it makes it into your subscriber's INBOX. Your TOTAL SPAM SCORE for your e-mail was 0.3. How To Interpret Your Score: -------------------------------------------------- The higher the score, the more likely the e-mail will be considered spam by ISPs, which means the more likely it is to get filtered. Levels... 0.0 - 4.5 - nice and clean, no problems except tiny ones below; no action required 4.6 - 7.0 - the strictest may object; clean up the easy-to-find issues (below) 7.1 - 10.0 - getting into dangerous territory; clean up any big issues and the easy-to-find smaller ones 10.1 - 13.0 likely over ISP limits; requires good review and cleaning up 13.1+ major problems; overhaul needed -- systematically clean, point by point and then re-test (this may require two or three checks). -------------------------------------------------- In order of importance, here are the mistakes that we found in your e-mail... (0.3 points) BODY: Encourages you to waste no time in ordering Eliminate mistakes by removing any common "spammer habits" from your e-mail. You'll find it's a useful style check at the same time. We all tend to repeat some words too often. The net result is a cleaner (no-spam-triggers) e-mail, that will be opened and read by more people.

SpamCheck Special Tips

The SpamCheck Report reports ONLY on mistakes you're making. Use the Report to eliminate that bad stuff... Avoid any of the "telltale" triggers that might label your mailing as spam. Some of the most obvious negatives to avoid in your e-mails...

The excessive use of ALL CAPS in the subject line and message body of your e-mail.
The use of trigger words like "free" (used alone, or in combination with any number of words like "trial," "money," "quote," "sample," "membership," "access," and so on), "sex," "XXX," "spam," "$$$," "checks," "money orders," "extra income," "as seen on TV," and so on. Even using seemingly harmless words like "search engine listings," "cable converter", and "reverses aging" will penalize your e-mail.
The excessive use of punctuation "!!!"
If you think of using a trick to avoid detection (like putting a * in certain words to disguise them or adding 50 spaces in your subject to push a code out of sight), it's only a matter of time until you are ESPECIALLY determined to be a spammer. Because "normal business people" don't use tricks -- they just do business.

On the other hand, there are certain elements of an e-mail that qualify it as being "bona fide" correspondence. With that said... Here are some tips for staying on the "good" side of the various spam checkers, filters, etc. that stand between your e-mail and your reader's INBOX. Use as many of these "good triggers" as possible, to prove that yours is a real, justifiable mailing...

Use of the words "news", "newsletter", or "list" in your subject line.
Indication of publishing frequency in the subject line -- weekly, daily, monthly.
Inclusion of date of newsletter in the subject.
Inclusion of the issue number in the subject line.
Make sure your newsletter has some substance -- when was the last time you saw spam that had more than a few lines of text?

Above and beyond that, use your own common sense. You know what spam looks like -- do not make your e-zine look like spam. And you know what a "VALID, GOOD" e-zine looks like -- that should be your role model! And especially... ... NO TRICKS. Just do your business and keep it real.

How to Make a 2-Steps Opt-In form

michel — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:51:12 +0000

If you like the KISS principle you may want to have short opt-in forms on your pages. But what if you need to capture more details then just name and email? You can split the form into 2 parts with a simple javascript to have the name and email fields only on the opt-in page. The script allows them to fill in their details at the first step and shows the rest fields before the form submitted.

If Dr.House were an Internet marketer…

michel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:00:44 +0000

You can think I’m wrong, but that’s no reason to quit thinking. Dr. Gregory House Each business takes unique talents and abilities. You need knowledge about something to make it! In order for you to find success, you will need to become an expert about something! We’re missing something. Dr. Gregory House Find a group of people who are searching [...]

Linux migration. Part V. Windows Applications

michel — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:45:42 +0000

We have learned how to setup a Dual-Boot System with both Windows™ and Linux on your PC, what the Linux applications could be used in replacement of the Windows' ones, and how to move emails from Outlook™ into KMail Linux-application. Now we need to know how to run native Windows applications on a Linux system.

I have some Windows-only programs I can't live without.
The first of them is a special banking program I use to access my bank account. It works like a local proxy-server to encrypt the traffic between the bank and my PC.
At the second I need Internet Explorer to test the sites I'm working on.
We also can try Windows version of Adobe Photoshop® as a complicated Windows application.

Linux migration. Part IV. Moving Emails

michel — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:45:41 +0000

You have created a Dual-Boot System on your PC and looked at what we get ‘from Box’ with Ubuntu Linux. Now we need to move our emails from Outlook™ or Outlook Express into KMail email Linux-application. I had been struggling with readPST utility. I was hope for smooth converting my 3Gb Outlook PST file into KMail-compatible [...]

Linux migration. Part III. What you get ‘From Box’

michel — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:26:27 +0000

In the previous post I show how to create a Dual-Boot System on your PC. Lets now reboot computer with our fresh Linux and see what we get ‘from Box’. Kubuntu desktop looks similar to Windows™. You’ll find the Start button in the form of “K” and the System menu with installed applications. Office Applications Kubuntu (Ubuntu) distribution has [...]

Linux migration. Part II. Dual-Boot System

michel — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:48:28 +0000

As I have wrote I decide to try Linux. I ordered and received Kubuntu CDs. Now I need to create a Dual-Boot system on my computer to test applications I need with Linux and to be able to roll back on my current system if Linux fails me. Backup important files It is vital to do backup before your experiments! When [...]

Linux migration. Part I. WHY

michel — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:30:49 +0000

I’ve been using Windows™ for fifteen years. And now I decide to try Linux. What the benefit do I expect from Linux? Let me explain. I have a lot of customers and work on various projects for them. The project’ files are placed inside appropriate folders of a customer. This helps me to interact with several customers [...]

Magic Numbers for Your Marketing

michel — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:30:57 +0000

2007 is almost over. But there is a time for one more post.

If the stars are lit, then someone needs it, of course?

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Have you seen those "3 Ways to ...", "5 Steps to ...", "7 Secrets of ...", "12 Tips for ..." articles? Sure you have. Did you think about WHY exactly these 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 numbers were used? Yes! These are the Magic Numbers! It's hard to understand How the magic numbers were appeared... But they exist and work :-)