Internet Course Module

Objectives

Students will follow directions to filter unwanted email from one type of free email service
Students will be able to determine how to filter unwanted email from within several other types of free email services
Students will be able to compare and make a recommendation as to which free email service offers the best filtering capabilities

Introduction

How many times have you opened your email, only to discover unwanted and unsolicited email, most of it quite annoying! By completing this module, you will discover how to filter 'spam' from some of the more popular free email sites available. You will also make a recommendation as to which free email site offers the best filtering capabilities. Hopefully, you will then be able to discover how to filter 'spam' from any email service.

Activity

You may want to print the directions

First you will use Yahoo email to learn how to filter spam. There is an account created for this activity with the address of: ls521mc@yahoo.com. The login name is: ls521mc and the password is buddyp. Use the link above to go to the website and login.
Once in, you will learn how to block unwanted email. Click on the Options link either in the left frame, or at the top of the website window.
To block specific email addresses, click on the Block link, and input the addresses. At least one example is shown for you. Feel free to add another address of your choosing. Once done, any message sent from that address will be deleted automatically.
Next, click on the Options link again, then Filters. You will see at least 1 filter created which blocks messages containing the word Spam in the Subject and Body portions of the email. The filtered message will go in a folder called "Spam" which was created for this module. Feel free to test it out by sending a message to: ls521mc@yahoo.com and use the word Spam in the subject or body. Also, feel free to create another filter of your choosing. (This is supposed to work as described, but I have had a few test emails slip past the filters!)
Next, you will visit Excitemail and Hotmail to see if either one allows you to filter spam. There is an account for each using the same login and password as the Yahoo email. See the information in the resources section. Since you have had some experience with blocks and filters within Yahoo, this task should be easy. Explore each site to determine if there are any filtering mechanisms available to block out email, and to what extent the filtering provides. You will want to look for ease of setting up filters, if available, and also note any other features of the site's filtering capabilities. Don't forget about the site's Help Files, sometimes they can provide quick and easy answers. Test the filters of the email accounts by blocking email sent from one account to another.

1 point	contains few details on the similarities and differences few terms listed little reference made to other filtering capabilities little knowledge demonstrated on the filtering of email
2 points	contains adequate details on the similarities and differences terms particular to each site are listed reference made to other filtering capabilities of each site adequate knowledge demonstrated on the filtering of email
3 points	contains extensive details on the similarities and differences terms particular to each site are listed throrough reference to other filtering capabilities of each site thorough knowledge demonstrated on the filtering of email

1 point	Few details within the text to support the final recommendation Spelling and grammar usage errors in the text Poor paragraph style Poor understanding of the results of the activity as demonstrated by the written recommendation
2 points	Details within the text support the final recommendation Minimal spelling and/or grammar usage errors in the text Acceptable paragraph style Adequate understanding of the results of the activity as demonstrated by the written recommendation
3 points	Complete details within the text support the final recommendation No spelling and/or grammar usage errors in the text Acceptable paragraph style Excellent understanding of the results of the activity as demonstrated by the written recommendation

***Resources***
Click on the Hotmail link from MSN http://www.hotmail.com/ email address is ls521mc@hotmail.com login is: ls521mc password is: buddyp
Click on the word email from Excite.com http://www.excite.com email address is ls521mc@excite.com login is: ls521mc password is: buddyp
Click on the email graphic from Yahoo.com http://www.mail.yahoo.com email address is ls521mc@yahoo.com login is: ls521mc password is: buddyp

***Other resources for the filtering of email***
For Netscape Users, here's how you can filter your email: http://www.ufaq.org/mac_filtering_spam.html
For advanced users, this article describes ways you can filter email. http://email.about.com/library/weekly/aa102097.htm