November 2005

SPAM FILTERING UPDATE:

The past few months we have been inundated with calls and E-mails asking us to both increase and decrease our level of E-mail filtering. It is not possible for us to find a setting that satisfied every client’s preference.

Spammers are continually updating the format of their E-mails to bypass spam filters across the Internet. This is a serious, industry-wide issue.

Our spam filters work by analyzing each message and assigning a point value. That point value is then compared to either our default setting or your custom setting if you have one. The points are assigned based on the text of the message and the information in the headers. For example, if the message includes a link to another website it will assign a point value. If the message body is sparse (like most spam) then additional points are assigned. Points are also added to the score when E-mail is sent from private E-mail servers not setup to industry standards. Legitimate E-mail can be blocked if the total point value exceeds the default or your custom setting. If that is happening, it is imperative that you raise your custom setting higher at Red Shift.

Since every customer is unique, we offer the following options for your E-mail:

1. Turn off all filtering for your @redshift.com E-mail and/or your domain name. At this point you will need to run spam filtering software on your computer to cut down on your spam.

2. Analyze and tag E-mail for SPAM, but deliver everything to your inbox. This is useful because you can direct the spam-tagged messages to a separate inbox, thereby keeping it out of your normal box, but keeping it available in case you need to browse through it for a suspected missing E-mail.

3. Block SPAM using your custom settings but utilize WHITELISTING to insure all legitimate mail is delivered to your inbox.

If you choose options 1 or 2 please E-mail support@redshift.com requesting your preference.

For option 2 we can create a custom message in your subject field to identify E-mail that has been tagged as spam. You can then create an E-mail rule to place these messages in a separate folder for review.

If you choose option 3, you can manage this yourself by using the website at:

http://webmail.redshift.com

If you are a PowerMail customer, please use the webmail link at:

http://members.redshift.com

We’ve created two FAQs (one for Mac, one for PC) to show you how to customize your own mail filtering:

http://www.redshift.com/faqs/spam-mac.php

http://www.redshift.com/faqs/spam-pc.php

In Summary: Spam really hurts Red Shift and it is a constant battle to fight it. It costs us a lot of money and other resources in terms of bandwidth and computers.

We never have and will never sell your E-mail address or private information. E-mail addresses that get SPAM are pulled from newsgroup posts, web pages, IRC clients, web browsers and from other Internet software. It’s also possible that your address was added to a list from a form that you filled out on the Web. For more information on spam, please read our FAQ:

http://www.redshift.com/faqs/spam.php

Regards,

Red Shift Management and Staff