Sat, Aug 30, 2008   |   00310 since Jan 1, 2008

Those Awful Forwarded Email Messages

NOTE: My ISP (Internet Service Provider) maintains that indiscriminate FORWARDED messages is one of the main causes of email problems and that most email providers are trying very hard to discourage this practice.
Thanks for "cleaning up" a "forwarded message" before you send it on to your friends --- much appreciated!

"Forwards", generally from very "well-meaning" people, are a constant source of what may be viewed as "junk mail".

Please examine your practice of "sending" these "forwarded messages" on to your friends (enemies) unless you are willing to invest something of yourself in the message and to personalize the message.

Most "non-savy" email users do this in the fastest way for them (anyone can click the FORWARD button) and never bother to consider what they are doing. They just put their whole address list in the TO section, never take the time to cleanup the email that they are sending by erasing all those preciously personal email addresses that someone else has sent in and abusive sort of way ... and the SPAMMING PRACTICES CONTINUE TO GROW.

I have observed three common misconceptions about these "junk mail forwards" through the years. Instead of "blindly" following the "directions" you are sent by some person you may not even know to "send this on to your whole addressbook" (or even if it is someone that you know that may be a "well-meaning" person), please consider the following:

These types of messages usually are sent by:

  1. beginning or unskilled email users that do not know how to "clean up" the message and have not taken the time to learn proper email technics:

    1. ***PLEASE remove all the "garbage headers" (including email addresses) which are only security leaks and destroy any effective reading.
    2. IT IS NICE to remove all the "less than" signs (usually multiple ones) at the beginning of each line.
    3. MAYBE EVEN re-format the message that has had the paragraphs and line breaks corrupted in transit.

  2. inconsiderate people that continually claim they are "TOOOOOOO busy" to do things right and force their "junk filled" email on other people:

    1. Please, if you are "TOOOOOOO busy" (to do it right), perhaps you should just not add to the volume of "junk mail" received by others and maybe you should NOT FORWARD THAT MESSAGE.
    2. Please, if you think other people have an interest in "where this message has been", I hope you will "re-think" your flawed assumption.

  3. superstitious people that somehow "believe" the magical/mysterious/mystical footers (good things will happen if you..... or some sort of negative association if you don't.... ) that usually accompany these "forwarded" messages:

    1. PLEASE, evaluate the reasons for sending these messages.
    2. PLEASE, if you believe these "man made" superstitious footers, at least "learn how to do the technics right"

If you still HAVE TO DO IT there is another consideration (very important)
If you send to your "whole addressbook" in the TO section, you are definitely "breaking security" (compromising your friendships) and sending your "whole addressbook" to whoever might receive this message down the line. (More info on this.....)

Please, Do It Right If You Feel You Have To Do It At All!!

 Please read Introduction to Internet File, Email, and Attach Files