You Can Use Gmail to Launder Your Other E-mail Account

November 20, 2007

The last time I visited my folks, my mom opened up her Outlook Express with great reluctance. It was filled with so much spam that the server choked a bit while chewing through it. I was amazed. I almost never get spam. In fact, when people complain about spam, I feel the way I do when they complain about gas prices. I don’t have a car.

What I do have is Gmail.

I called up Google’s spam czar, Brad Taylor, and asked him why Gmail was so darn good. He wouldn’t/couldn’t give me a lot of details (nor will Google entertain any questions about why it still has “beta,” under the logo, even though an older version of the app exists) about how the filter works. But he did say that it depends heavily on user feedback.

“What’s fairly unique from other filters is that it only defines spam as what users say is spam,” said Taylor. “Our system is very dependent on the ‘report spam’ button.”

Here’s Taylor giving a little shpeel about Gmail.

For those of you who aren’t Gmailers, the ‘report spam’ button is something you click after you have highlighted the insidious spam message that has infiltrated your inbox. Once you click it, not only does the message disappear, never to be seen again, but others like it are blocked, too.

And likewise, if Gmail accidentally puts a non-spam message into the spam box, you can select that message and click “not spam.”

Gmail’s spam filter also keeps up with the lasted tricks spammers like to treat us with. For example, embedding images that are really ads. Or attaching MP3 files that are audio ads.

“A couple of weeks ago there was an exploit in PDF. Not only was it spam, but it was infecting your PC with malware,” said Taylor. (Malware is malicious software, which is a virus or some other program designed to damage or disrupt your computer).

Taylor also confirmed that you can use Gmail to filter spam out of your other email account.

You will need a Gmail account. Under Mail Settings, select “Forwarding and POP/IMAP.” Here, you can forward incoming emails to your non-Gmail email address. Presumably, if you have a forwarding function on your non-Gmail account, you could forward from there through Gmail and then back again…or is that just crazy talk?

If you’ve tried this, let me know how it works.

Comments

[Mysterymeat]

Love hilarious comment equating lack of concern with spam to lack of concern over price of gas. Google has spam filtering down to a science. Or maybe an art ... or both. Whatev, I can't believe how much garbage makes it through my own company's defenses to our Exchange Server, while I've got 99% clear sailing on my personal account. Go figure ... but it's great! So maybe all businesses need to run their mail through Gmail first? C'est possible?

[Mysterymeat]

Love hilarious comment equating lack of concern with spam to lack of concern over price of gas. Google has spam filtering down to a science. Or maybe an art ... or both. Whatev, I can't believe how much garbage makes it through my own company's defenses to our Exchange Server, while I've got 99% clear sailing on my personal account. Go figure ... but it's great! So maybe all businesses need to run their mail through Gmail first? C'est possible?