Communicator Help: Using AOL<sup><font size=-2>®</font></sup> Communicator Mail

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Using AOL Communicator Mail

Controlling Spam

Tutorial movie:

Control Spam with AOL Communicator

AOL Communicator Mail provides an easy way for you to filter spam messages from your inboxes as they arrive. For a quick introduction, see Training Your Spam Filter.

Spam filtering is turned on by default for POP accounts only. You can turn it on for other types of accounts at any time.

The following sections provide more information about controlling spam:

- Host-Based Versus Local Spam Filtering: How to get the most out of spam filtering when you're using both AOL® 9.0 Optimized and AOL Communicator.
- Turning On Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator: How to turn on spam filtering, either for all accounts or for selected accounts.
- Turning Off Spam Filtering in AOL 9.0 Optimized: How to turn off Spam filtering in AOL 9.0 Optimized (for example, to take full advantage of AOL Communicator spam filtering)
- Turning Off Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator: How to turn off spam filtering, either for all accounts or for selected accounts.
- Reporting Spam to AOL: How to report spam messages received by any of your AOL accounts to AOL.
- HOW IT WORKS: Spam Filtering: An overview of the methods used by Mail to filter spam.

Related topics:

- Mail Settings & Preferences: Information on spam-related warnings and settings.

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Host-Based Versus Local Spam Filtering

AOL client software (AOL 9.0 Optimized and later versions) uses host-based spam filtering:

- A server within the AOL service maintains information about what kinds of messages you consider spam.
- Works equally well no matter what computer you sign on from.

AOL Communicator uses local spam filtering:

- Your own computer maintains information about what kinds of messages you consider spam.
- Works for multiple AOL and non-AOL accounts simultaneously

If you want to filter out spam and you want to use both AOL Communicator and AOL 9.0 Optimized, choose one of the following two approaches:

1. Turn spam filtering off in AOL 9.0 Optimized and on in AOL Communicator:
   When you check your mail with AOL Communicator, all spam messages will be filtered for all your accounts (not just your AOL account), and the spam filter will get better as you use it.
   If you always use AOL Communicator on the same computer, the spam filter will work at maximum efficiency.
   When you check your mail with AOL 9.0 Optimized, new spam messages will not be filtered. You'll have to wait until you read your mail with AOL Communicator for filtering to occur.

AOL 9.0 Optimized Mail and Spam Controls
Instructions:
Turning Off Spam Filtering in AOL 9.0 Optimized
Turning On Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator
OR

2. Turn spam filtering on in both AOL 9.0 Optimized and AOL Communicator:
   When you first launch AOL Communicator, you'll be warned if any unread spam messages are present in your Spam folder in AOL 9.0 Optimized. Check your Spam folder in AOL 9.0 Optimized to make sure you agree with the spam filter's decisions.
   Your AOL Communicator spam filter will get better as you use it, but improvement may occur slowly.
   When you check your mail with AOL 9.0 Optimized, new spam messages will be filtered only for the single AOL account you're using, and improvement may occur slowly.

Instructions:
Turning On Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator
Spam filtering is turned on by default in AOL 9.0 Optimized (and later versions). To view or change the setting, click Mail and Spam Controls or go to AOL Keyword: Mail Controls.

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Turning On Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator

By default, spam filtering is turned on for POP accounts and off for IMAP and AOL accounts.

To turn on spam filtering for any account:

1. From the main AOL Communicator Mail window, open the Spam menu and choose Spam Filter.
2. If you want to turn spam filtering on for all accounts, click Filter spam for all accounts.
3. If you want to turn on spam filtering for only some of your accounts, click Only for the selected accounts below. Spam filtering is then activated for accounts with checkmarks beside them. Click to check or uncheck each account.
4. Click OK to confirm your spam filter settings.

If you have a lot of messages in your Inbox: When spam filtering is turned on for an AOL or IMAP account, AOL Communicator Mail downloads the content of each message to determine whether the message is spam. If you have are using a slow dialup connection, this may cause mail retrieval to seem a bit slow the first time.

The slowdown is proportional to the number of messages in your Inbox—the more you have, the longer spam filtering takes. If you have fewer than a hundred or so messages in your Inbox any given time, you probably won't notice any slowdown if you select this option.

Related topics:

Training Your Spam Filter
Turning Off Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator
Spam Filter Settings

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Turning Off Spam Filtering in AOL 9.0 Optimized

To take full advantage of spam filtering in AOL Communicator Mail, turn off spam filtering in AOL 9.0 Optimized.

Follow these steps for each AOL® screen name for which you intend to use AOL Communicator as your primary mail program:

1. Click this link: Mail and Spam Controls

Alternatively, open AOL 9.0 Optimized and go to AOL Keyword: Mail Controls

2. In the Mail and Spam Controls window, locate the checkbox labeled Mail filtered by AOL's Advanced Spam Filter:

1. If the checkbox has a checkmark in it, click it to turn spam filtering off.
   The checkbox should be empty, as in the picture above.
2. Click Save.
3. If your mailbox isn't already open, click Read near the upper-left corner of the window to open it.
4. If you can't see your Spam folder, click the Spam folder link near the bottom-left of your Mailbox window to reveal it.
5. Click Spam in the left column.
6. Make sure all the messages in the Spam folder are actually spam messages.
   If some of the messages have been marked incorrectly as spam, select them and click This is Not Spam.
7. Click Delete All.

You have now turned off spam filtering in AOL 9.0 Optimized.

Related topic:

Host-Based Versus Local Spam Filtering

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Turning Off Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator

By default, spam filtering is turned on for POP accounts and off for IMAP and AOL accounts.

To turn off spam filtering for any account:

1. From the main AOL Communicator Mail window, open the Spam menu and choose Spam Filter.
2. If you want to turn spam filtering off for all accounts, click Don't filter spam (No accounts).
3. If you want to turn on spam filtering for only some of your accounts, click Only for the selected accounts below. Spam filtering is then activated for accounts with checkmarks beside them.
   Click to select or deselect each account as appropriate.
4. Click OK.

Related topics:

Turning On Spam Filtering in AOL Communicator

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Reporting Spam to AOL

When you receive spam messages addressed to one of your AOL accounts, you can report the messages to AOL to help anti-spam efforts within the AOL service.

To report spam messages:

1. Select one or more messages that you want to report.
2. Right-click the selected message(s).
3. Choose Report Spam.
   If you selected a single message in Step 1, you can type comments about that message in the Optional Comments field.
   If you selected multiple messages in Step 1, you won't see the Optional Comments field.
4. Click Send, then Delete to report the message and delete it at the same time
   Alternatively, click Send Report to report the message without deleting it.

By reporting spam, you can help AOL reduce the amount of spam being sent to you and other AOL members.

Related topic:

Training Your Spam Filter

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HOW IT WORKS: Spam Filtering

When spam filtering is turned on, AOL Communicator Mail checks each incoming message for characteristics it considers typical of spam. The filter gets smarter and more powerful as you use it, learning over time what types of mail messages you consider to be spam.

If the spam filter determines that particular messages are spam, it marks them like this in the list of messages:

At first, the filter may make mistakes. You can right-click incorrectly marked messages to train the filter as you observe it in action. For details, see Training Your Spam Filter.

By default, Mail does not consider messages from e-mail addresses listed in your AOL® Communicator Address Book to be spam. For example, mail from addresses in your Auto-Added address book, which are added automatically when you send messages, are not checked for spam.

However, spam messages may sometimes masquerade as messages from people you know.

If you are receiving such spam messages, you can turn off the Mail option called "Messages from people in my address book are never spam". When you turn off this option, Mail checks incoming messages for spam regardless of whether the sender has an entry in your AOL Communicator Address Book. For details, see the section on the Options tab under Spam Filter Settings.

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Last Updated September 16, 2003