When does communications become spam?

1) We filter for you. We'll do our best to protect you from as much spam as possible. Sometimes we'll accidentally catch a legitimate message. You can find everything we trap (some folder). We'll take your suggestions on on filter changes under consideration, but the final decision on our filters is up to us. 2) We're sending you everything. Filter it yourself. Good Luck!

> Sounds like an ISP should have two classes of email service

I've always thought so, yes. They could even charge slightly more for the "we're sending you everything" service, as the people who really need to get their email would probably be willing to pay it.

I'd rather just do my own filtering.

I just don't trust an ISP to do the filtering well. Either you'd lose lots of legitimate emails or would get lots of spam through. And as stated, you'd send them suggestions and HOPE that they implement them. Of course, for the "average user" ISP filtering would probably be a good idea.

I wouldn't be opposed to ISP side filtering if they implemented a quarantining system like Mailzu like we use at the college so users could check to see if any legitimate emails got filtered out (of course virus infected emails should just be dropped) and then have them released to go through.

Of course, I don't use my ISP's email to begin with...

My web host by default sends everything through, but you can enable spamassassin on the account (and I believe tweak the config if you like). That's not a bad setup.

So far as concerns the actual story, I think the author is putting the cart before the horse. The storm warnings he is getting are those he has chosen to receive because he has subscribed to the appropriate mailing lists. What he is really complaining about is that he is on too many mailing lists.

The answer to that problem lies either in his hands (by unsubscribing to some of the lists, or by properly filtering his incoming messages) or in the hands of the senders.

I solve this problem with the modest, but important, mailing list that I administer by incorporating an additional field in my database. If this "Do Not Send Email" field is blank mail is sent, otherwise mail is not sent. I take advantage of this "On Vacation" type of field when I wish to add people to my database who do NOT want to be subscribed. I simply add an appropriate notation to this field.

The inclusion of "non-subscribers" to such a database means that their details will not be accidentally added (and set to receive mail) by an over zealous sysadmin.

Gee, why do computer gurus seek complex, computer-controlled, automatic solutions to what are really simple administrative procedures.

> Gee, why do computer gurus seek complex, computer-controlled, automatic solutions to what are really simple administrative procedures.

Because they think like computer gurus and not administrators? :)