I have been wanting to spend some time learning filters for e-mail and
lately was moved to do it. Filters are what is used to limit spam,
phishing, and other nuisances. From the time I started building some
filters to check the body of my e-mails, I have reduced the amount of
useless mail considerably, so I feel the effort was well worth while. I
have actually reduced my mail from 250 emails (many that I would not
open to begin with) down to about 120 emails daily.

For years I wanted to get all the spam sent to me, so I could report the
cases to our feds. Lately however I have been irritated by some of the
mail I have been receiving. After considering the options, I spent the
time needed to learn to block e-mail addresses that are in the body of
the e-mail rather than the subject line or heading. My result has been,
I don't even have to see the responses to some E-mail. I can make a
complete thread disappear, imagine that! I no longer have to wonder when
an advertizer removes me from "The list". I no longer need a trash
E-mail account I would use for signing up to get information from a website.

You will find setting up filters is easy, this ability is found under
the Tools drop down menu in Thunderbird. Some wrongly believe Linux
should filter things like, spam, and phishing, but these items are not
viruses, nor do they have the ability to infect Windows or Linux, the
only thing these types of email can do is deceive you. Yes, there is a
menu for that. For this kind of email, click on the Edit menu, and
select Preferences. At one time I blocked by checking the "this is spam"
button available on some email providers websites, but when one list
member sent out advertising on one of the lists I had signed up for. I
learned the list address is considered the sender, not the person you
are trying to block. I can now fix the problem I had on that poorly
moderated list using a custom filter.

Believe me, pre-built filters are nothing like what you can set-up using
the tools available in your mail client. Check it out, and build a few
filters of your own. You will no longer have to wait on others to filter
your E-mail.


I am working on a YouTube step by step, for setting up filters in the
Thunderbird Mail client. So expect that link in the near future.