I just received my 50th copy of Bill Gates email tracker legend, and I'M SO SICK OF ALL THE HOAXES, SPAM, LEGENDS, AND CRAP that apparently-gullible people feel they have to "warn" me about, that I am listing some sites to help them open their eyes on this topic. If I told you to look at this page, it's because you either sent me something, or I want to help you to better understand the internet.

Please believe this: If you read it on the internet, IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO! Any fool with a browser can make a web page and post it, for free. He can say whatever he wants! Trust me on this one thing: Don't trust me, or anyone, on the net, until you know them well. Email hoaxes are common, hoax pages are common, and gullible people get on the net every day. Until that stops, the hoaxes will continue to waste bandwidth.

Don't participate, educate! Look at these sites and more, learn about hoaxes, stop spreading them, and share the GOOD information with your email buddies.

stiller.com is a great source for virus and hoax information. Is it true? Check here before you pass it on!

Urbanlegends.com is a good place to learn the old and new Urban legends, both on and off the net...

The Computer Virus Myths Homepage is a good source of info about Myths perpetuated by email...

Network Associates virus hoax listing list about several of the known virus hoaxes, in their full text form.

There are a lot of good places to go to check out hoaxes. GO. Explore. Learn.

If you receive an email warning you of a virus, or promising wealth, or whatever, try to verify or dispell it before you pass it on. Use the search engines, try to email the original sender, go to the website of the supposed originator. Spend a few minutes checking it out, then email the immediate previous sender telling them what you found. Save your 'victims' from the same mis-information by not passing it on, and help your 'friend' realize his misinformation as well.

SPAM. It's junk mail on the 'net. It's a nuisance, at least, and an actual threat to your internet experience, at worst. Rather than rewrite what's already being published, here are some links to places that will help you deal with SPAM sensibly. Sometimes you can even get the spammer removed from his ISP! Way cool! Don't attack the spam sender directly...it can cause you major discomfort. Really. Instead, check out these sites for help. Also, if you are spammed, politely notify the provider that the SPAM originated from. Sometimes it helps.

One more thing. If you are an individual internet user via some ISP, you probably don't get a lot of spam. If you have a web page, you get a bit more. AOL means even more yet. But set up your own domain, or run a business site, and hang on to your emailer! Sometimes my company site gets several SPAMS per day, sometimes more than one from the same (usually sex-oriented) source. My personal reaction is usually instant deletion without reading. I never respond, even if it looks good. I WILL NOT SUPPORT SPAM IN ANY WAY!

Fight Spam on the Internet!
About Junk Mail and Spam
How to fight the spammers
The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email
Sendmail Home Page

If any link on these pages is wrong, out-of-date, or dead, please email me so I can fix it. If you know of a site to add, email me and maybe I'll add it.

©1997-1998 All rights reserved.   Please ask before you copy anything. I'll probably share!  I might ask for a reciprocal link, though....