Think before you CLICK!

Sometime last year, I began getting spam. Before then, it rarely happened. I suspect it occurred when I joined a new site that either hid its intention to share my email with other companies or just lied about its policy. It's not as wasteful as junk snail-mail but it is still annoying.

The amusing thing about this spam is that they constantly use different domains but a unique format to the message. This makes it easy to identify as spam from the same source, so I don't read it and I can quickly add it to my Junk Mail list.

I use "Windows Live Mail" on a Windows 7 system. It's not perfect but it does have a feature to help greatly reduce spam. If you use this program, you may want to try this...

In the "Junk Mail" folder, select an item to block by clicking on it once. Then right-click to pull up a menu and select "Junk Mail" and in the sub-menu, select "Add sender's domain to blocked sender list". Note: Use the option with the word "DOMAIN".

This blocks ALL email from this domain. The way I see it, I don't want ANYTHING from that domain so if it blocks someone I know, they need to move to a better ISP that doesn't support the creators of Spam.

It's not perfect since they keep creating new domains that aren't blocked but it's the easiest way I know to fight back until the government figures out a way to prosecute companies that share email addresses illegally.

Somehow, I doubt that will happen. Just like junk mail in snail-mail addressed to resident. I see it as abuse but I don't have the deep pockets to buy a politician to write a SOPA or PIPA for me.

Until then, I'll fight them one domain at a time. And I'll keep the APPS I run on sites like facebook to a minimum. Think before you click!

Charity - See a hand, give a hand.

When someone is in need, the best thing to do is get involved. Give of your time if you feel you can't give anything else. Sometimes, an encouraging word can make all the difference. Simply smile.

We often come across people that we don't feel need help. Unless we take some time to understand their situation, we could be wrong and fail to help someone in need. Don't let such negative thoughts be your excuse to refuse someone help.

In many situations, there will be those that take advantage of charity. Just because they harm others by taking from them does not mean we should also. Have faith that your contribution will make a difference.

Take some money and put it in a special place in your wallet. When someone asks for help, consider the money already theirs and give it to them. Don't worry about how it will be used. Even a mis-step furthers a person along their path.

I say this because my tendency is to over-think everything to the point that I talk myself out of helping people. A friend helped me realize it was better to err on the side of charity and save the internal dialoge for later.

Start with Love, End with Love, and the rest will work itself out.