Are You an Irresponsible Forwarder?

I’ve posted about it before. However, it seems necessary to do so again.

The key traits of an “Irresponsible Forwarder” are:

1. You do not forward properly.
2. You do not vet or verify that the information in the e-mail is accurate before your propagate bogus info by forwarding “to all your friends”.
3. You do not use the BCc: field to protect your contact’s privacy.

Each of us probably has an e-mail or two from an irresponsible forwarder in our inboxes right now. Why not point them to my article on the topic so they can become enlightened?

Irresponsible Forwarders Exposed!

HTML E-mail & Your Privacy

One of my recent posts caused a bunch of readers to e-mail me asking why embedded graphics or formatting in your e-mails were considered “spammy.” So, I’ll try and clarify that for you a bit further so you can understand why embedding graphics or using code in your e-mail can raise red flags.

HTML e-mail can contain code to graphics stored on a remote server so that when you open the email, the graphic is loaded and lets the sender know:

• …..you’ve opened the message. Sort of a stealth Return Receipt.
• …..you have a valid email message because you opened the email - therefore allowing it to be resold to spammers.
• …..your current IP address. Hackers can exploit this as the remote image is a way to retrieve IP addresses for dial-up accounts that receive a different IP every time they log in.
• …..depending on how your the email software displays HTML emails and if you click on links that open your browser, the sender of an e-mail message can set a cookie in your browser and thus identify you the next time you visit their site.

So as it always goes, the bad guys (spammers) have ruined for those who have no ulterior motives. In a day when the resources of ISPs and hosting companies are being abused by spammers, I’m glad to see any and all efforts to minimize the spam that ends up in my inbox.

If you want to minimize your risks in these areas, ensure your adware/spyware/virus sofware integrates with your e-mail program and that you update it is constantly.

I use Eudora which doesn’t have as many vulnerabilities as Outlook and includes several options to help minimize my risk even further. HTH!

Infidelity and E-mail

Believe it or not, I get a handful of e-mails every day asking what is appropriate, from an e-mail etiquette point of view, for a married person to do with those of the opposite sex via e-mail.

The folks who e-mail me probably know my answer before it is received, however, they ask for my input anyway. They then proceed to get upset when I provide my opinion which they asked for — which basically scolds them for their infidelity. Did they actually have hopes of getting some level of approval for their inappropriate e-mail behavior?

Topics range from forwarding of adult content to those who are not their spouses, if flirting is dishonorable when done by e-mail and even if having “e-mail sex” is actually cheating.

Please. If you are an adult you know what is right or wrong. You don’t need to e-mail some Web site like mine on the topic of E-mail Etiquette to know that doing any of those things is not proper for a married person to do with anyone other than the person they have vows with.

Just because you can; doesn’t mean you do. Just because you think you won’t get caught; doesn’t mean it is O.K. This is where your morals, ethics, integrity and character come into play.

If you do things that you know your spouse would not appreciate via e-mail — you have betrayed their trust. The bottom line is that you lack the character to not do what you want if for no other reason than to show respect for the person to whom you’ve made a commitment.

The true sign of character is how you behave when no one is looking or if no one will find out. Look yourself in the mirror instead of e-mailing me and ask how you would feel if your spouse were doing the same to you and you’ll know if what you are doing is proper “e-mail etiquette.”

Be Leery of Links in E-mail

One of the most common ways to get intrusive files, spyware, adware, worms or cookies on your computer is clicking on links in e-mails that take you where you didn’t know you were going. These e-mails usually are spam or are spoofing that the e-mail is from your financial institution or a site you frequent such as eBaY. The senders of these type of e-mails are very sneaky while some are blatantly obvious.

First off, never click on a link that is all numbers no matter how good the offer or noble the cause may seem. A Web site address that is all numbers is called an IP address. E-mails only noting IP addresses simply cannot, should not be trusted! Why wouldn’t the sender spend the ten bucks to have a domain name? Because they don’t want to be traced, that’s why!

IP addresses are the underlying computer number for which a domain name is the “vanity license plate.” Imagine if we had to remember all those numbers just to find Web sites — that’s where domain names come to the rescue! A Web site address is also known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locater).

With these sneaky e-mails you will see words to click on like “Click here….” or some e-mails have domain names as the visible text to click on so it appears to be a site familiar to you. Careful here!

Always put your mouse over the link first (don’t click) to see what displays in the underlying code as actual location of where you would be directed to. Many times this is a bait-n-switch situation where you are being shown a warm fuzzy to click on while the underlying code will take you to locations unknown.

So to be safe, never click on links within in an e-mail unless you know the person who is sending you that link (forwards from irresponsible forwarders do not count) or you specifically requested information (Web site request, newsletter, ezine, etc.) and it is being sent to you.

To review:

• Do not click on IP numbers in e-mail.
• Do not click on URLs from those who you are not absolutely positive are the sites you can trust — even if they say they are.
• Always mouse-over a link in an e-mail to see if the underlying URL matches that which you are being asked to click and visit.

Just a little thought before clicking can save you a bunch of unnecessary trouble and headaches! HTH!

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