Email / Spam FAQs are here

• I get hundreds of spam messages every day! I am really tired of wading through all the junk. What can Webstix do to help me?
• How do I set up my email program, like Outlook, to send spam email to my spam folder?
• How do I know if the spam filter is treating good email as spam?
• I do get email with the words ****SPAM**** in the subject line but they are all mixed in with the "good" email in my inbox. Why is that?
• Can Webstix help me configure my Outlook folders and spam filter?
• I am still getting a lot of spam and I really don't like it. What else can you do to help me?  
 

I get hundreds of spam messages every day! I am really tired of wading through all the junk. What can Webstix do to help me?

We understand your frustration with spam. It's unfortunate that there's so much spam, and that it is continually increasing.

Each individual Webstix email account does have a spam filter on your incoming email. It's called Spam Assassin and it will catch, and mark as spam, a majority of all spam.

Follow the link below and login to your account using the same user name and password as for your email account:

• https://web1.webstix.com:8443
• https://web2.webstix.com:8443 

Username: Your email address - for example: This E-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Password: The same password that you use for your email.

Using this online administrative tool (Plesk Control Panel), you can adjust your spam settings (click on the SpamAssassin link shown by the red arrow above)

There is a sensitivity setting that ranges from 1 through 10. The lower the number the more spam the filter is likely to catch since each possible word or phrase in the email that could potentially be spam get assigned a point value. The higher points that an email has, the more likely it is to be spam.

There's a catch though (no pun intended) - you might end up with emails from friends or business associates marked as spam - like let's say for instance, you?re a mortgage broker and since there seem to be some spam out there for refinancing houses, you might want to set this to a higher number to take mortgage terms into account. If your company sells Viagra, then well, you might just want to not use SpamAssassin at all.

For this reason Webstix does not delete spam email.

The Plesk Control Panel does give you the option to delete email but if you set this, please be aware that ALL emails - even those that are mistakenly marked as spam will be deleted and therefore unrecoverable.

Please note — Webstix will not be able to recover any deleted emails that have been marked as spam when the checkbox for "Delete spam mail when it comes to mailbox" has been checked. It's up to you to set the spam filter sensitivity to a setting you're comfortable with. Again, as a reminder, there is no guarantee that the spam filter will never label "good" email as spam (with "good" email we mean emails that you would want to receive). The server sends all email, spam and all, to your inbox. If you need more information about the Plesk Control Panel please click on the Help link at the bottom of the left column.

How do I set up my email program, like Outlook, to send spam email to my spam folder?

Spam email will be sent to your account with a ****SPAM**** notification in the subject line. This means that you will have to create a folder in your set your email program (for example Outlook).

You need to create a rule in your email program's filters that will automatically send all emails with ****SPAM**** in the subject line to the designated spam folder (you can change how spam is marked using the Plesk Control Panel).

If you are not sure, you can always open up the email and read it. However, never open email attachments unless the sender is someone you know and trust. If in doubt - don't open the email.

I do get email with the words ****SPAM**** in the subject line but they are all mixed in with the "good" email in my inbox. Why is that?

If this is the case, then you have not configured your email program to automatically transfer all email from your inbox to your spam folder by use of a filter.

Can Webstix help me configure my Outlook folders and spam filter?

No, sorry. This is something that you will have to learn to do yourself or ask your corporate IT Manager to help you with. Webstix is primarily a web design company and we don't provide corporate IT support. If your company does not have a IT department, then you may want to consider using an outside source like Applied Tech in Madison (www.appliedtech.us). Their phone number is 608-257-6051. Tell them that Webstix sent you.

I am still getting a lot of spam and I really don't like it. What else can you do to help me?

Most of our clients that have followed the recommendations above have significantly reduced their spam. However, we understand the nuisance it presents and the very real cost in time and money.

There are other filters, provided by third parties, which can possibly reduce spam even further. However, there's an additional cost involved, usually between $2-$6 per email account per year. Typically this will require that all emails in your domain name get routed to a special, highly sensitive, email server.

Please contact Webstix, Inc. to discuss your options.