Spam

LearnAsSpam folder

How it works

• You create a folder in your email account called LearnAsSpam
• Any mail you are sure is spam you drop into this folder
• Every night, the server searches all the mailboxes for anyone with a LearnAsSpam folder
  • The server trains the spam filter using all the mails it finds in LearnAsSpam folders
  • If the server trained on a LearnAsSpam folder, it also trains the ham (mail that it not spam) filter using mail from the Sent folder of the same account
  • The server will then remove all mail in the LearnAsSpam folder

Should you use it?

• Training spam filters incorrectly will detrimentally affect all users
• You should not use the LearnAsSpam folder if:
  • You should not do this if you are looking for a quick way to get rid of a newletter you subscribed too
    • If you signed up for it, it is a legitimate mail. You should get yourself unsubscribed
  • It is very important that only spam goes into this folder
    • This means you should not rely on another spam filter to put mail in this folder for you
    • Putting legitimate mail in this folder will cause the Spam Filters to start marking legitimate mail as spam
      • Please Don't Do This

• You should use the LearnAsSpam folder if:
  • You are receiving more than 5 spam in a day
  • If other members of your organization are getting more than 5 spam in a day
  • You want to teach the server what you get for spam and act towards stopping it

How to use it

• Create a subfolder of your Inbox and call it LearnAsSpam
  • Capitalization matters. it is LearnAsSpam, not learnasspam
  • It must be exactly one level below the Inbox
• When you encounter a spam mail in your inbox, move it to the LearnAsSpam folder
  • Note:all mail in this folder will be automatically removed every night.
  • And Please Note:Do not put legitimate mail in this folder
    • We do not want to teach the spam filter that legitimate mail is spam.

What Results are expected?

• It can take quite a few emails before you see anything
  • In some cases, you will put in 20-30 spams of a certain flavour, then never see them again
  • In other cases, you can put in thousands of spam of a different flavour before you see results
    • This is why the more people who participate the better the results will be
• There are many tools on the server to combat spam, but this is the single best method you have to influence what gets filtered as spam and what doesn't