In this issue:
Welcome back to TIPS!
TIPS is a plain English non-techie-type newsletter that we send out to our
customers. It is designed to be helpful - and hopefully it is. Me? I'm your
non-techie-type mom who works here and gets to write the newsletter. Don't
worry, I run everything by the technical group downstairs before I send it to
you, but if they come back to me and ask me to make it more technical, I just
hide their propeller beanies until they change their minds.
Since the last TIPS, we have made some changes to our services. Some of these
changes might have left you scratching your head as to why the changes
happened and what the benefit is to you. That's why I'm here!
Managing your spam and what to do if "real" messages get caught in the
spam filter
Recently, I read a statistic stating that 60% of all email is spam. I believe
it! It drives me crazy - I bet it drives you crazy too! It's hard to combat
too. One man's spam is another man's...um, steak? We pay attention to the
feedback that comes from our customers. Some of you say you want the spam
stopped! Others say they don't want us to filter their mail at all. Still
others want some items filtered but not others.
Our solution to this was to implement some strong spam filtering tools, and
then give you the ability to customize those options as you like (would you
like fries with that?)
New accounts are set up with spam filtering on. So, if you want maximum
filtering, you don't have to do anything.
We filter spam in 3 ways.
First, we block emails that come from servers that have been identified as
open relay database servers. WAIT! That was geek-speak, wasn't it? Let me
rephrase it in terms my mom would understand...
Let's say George runs a computer network for a big company. George doesn't
set up his network securely and leaves a big security hole in his network. A
14-year-old computer genius in Montana uses George's network to send out
spam, and George never knows it! George's server is called an "open relay."
We block all emails that come from servers like George's because we want to
protect you from spam. But we also know that some of the companies who have
their servers set up that way are companies you still want to hear from, so
we set up a system where you can still receive the emails. If your Aunt Zelda
tells you that she emailed you and you didn't get it, you should log in to
your EOL homepage, click on "Member Services," then "Spam Filter Management."
Choose "Override List" and follow the directions to add your aunt's email
address. Doing this will allow you to get your aunt's emails but we will
still be blocking other servers that are set up like George's. You can also
choose to not block any of those addresses by choosing "Frontline Filtering"
and adjusting your settings there. Just be aware that making a change there
may bring you an increased amount of spam.
The two other layers of spam filtering that we provide are based on more
traditional filtering methods. Occasionally (not often) legitimate messages
can get caught in the spam filter. A list of the messages that have been
filtered from your account is readily available to you and can be viewed from
the EOL page or sent directly to you in email. You can even choose whether
you want to receive the list daily, weekly, or not at all! To change this
setting, sign in and click on "Member Services," then "Spam Filter
Management" and then "Digest Email."
The Revved accelerator - what's it all about?
Revved is a little program that you can download that will help you surf the
Internet faster. The program works by compressing some of the things you see
on web pages - like pictures. You have the option of choosing how much of the
picture quality you want to trade for more speed. Want to crank up the speed
a lot? You can do that! Just be aware that you will lose some of the picture
quality when you surf. Think of it as a Polaroid camera vs. a regular one.
You get the picture a lot faster, but you trade off the way it looks just a
little. Revved also works by storing Internet images that you look at a lot
on your computer, so you don't have to get them from the Internet every time.
Revved has an added benefit - a pop-up blocker! We know from your emails to
us that pop-ups drive you nuts. We don't like them either, and we don't put
them on our sites. However, some game sites work with a pop-up window, and
our Internet Call Notification program does too, so if you use the pop-up
blocker, you may need to add certain sites to your "okie dokie" list so that
you can receive pop-ups from those certain sites.
What Revved can't do is actually increase your connection speed, so you won't
see that change. It also won't speed up file transfers, so if you're
downloading music or watching video, Revved won't affect those files.
For surfing web pages though, it's like hitting the "Turbo Boost"
button!
For more information on how to download Revved, including a list of
frequently asked questions, sign into the web site and just click on the
"Revved" box at the upper right.
This issue's neat site!
www.freecycle.org
Freecycle is a grassroots organization of volunteers - people just like you
and me. The group's goal is to reuse things and keep them out of landfills.
Their motto is "Changing the world one gift at a time." Don't know what to do
with that half-empty can of shocking pink paint? The old couch you just
replaced? Your collection of stuffed armadillos? Offer it up on Freecycle-
someone might be delighted to take it off your hands. You'll have cleaner
closets, someone will be delighted with what you gave them, and our country
will be a little cleaner. Check out the web site to see if there is a
Freecycle group near you.
Did you find this newsletter helpful? Have suggestions for future
issues of TIPS? As always, I love to hear from you, so email me at
TIPS@evansville.net.
