Need help with the filtering software?
What does the SPF do?
SPF is a filtering program that will go through all incoming mail to our server. The filter has set rules of what is spam and what is regular mail.
You can modify these rules to suit your taste and even exclude certain email addresses from being filtered.
You will be able to view the spam that has been filtered and decide weather to delete, deliver or place the sender of the alleged spam on your exclude from filtering list.
The person that sends the spam to you will also receive a message from the SPF program, that tells them to contact you directly to get put on your exclude from filtering list (no spammer in his right mind would do this…) this is just in case the filter works “too good” and filters out a friends email to you.
We will go over the criteria for spam in the activities for filtering spam below.
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To access the new User Tool, log on to the internet and go to:
http://usertool.meckcom.net
You will be prompted for your userid and password – this is the same as your email address without the “@” and password so:
If your email address is:
johndoe@meckcom.net
Then your userid is: johndoe
Be sure that you enter this in small letters not caps, and then your password.
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After you log in, on the opening page you will see on the left hand side, links for
My Account
Spam Filter
Web Mail
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Click on My Account
There you cam change your password for your login and email accounts.
Type in your old password, then type in what you want for your new password and then confirm the change by typing in the new password again.
A word to the wise. If you change your password, then you will have to change the password on your computer to get on the internet and to get your email. Tech support will be able to help you change your password – they can be reached at 877-824-0954.
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Click on Spam Filter
On the left you will see a new list of activities. They are:
Spam Inbox
Spam Retrieved
Spam Trash
SPF Settings
Content Settings
Exclusion List
Help
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Let’s start with the Spam Inbox. Click there.
Your spam inbox is where you can make decisions about what to do with the email that SPF has filtered out of your regular mailbox.
Listed you will see who the email is from, what date the email was filtered and the subject line.
Your decision will be to:
Delete – this permanently removes the spam from the spam inbox
Exclude – This will OK the delivery for the sender in the future by putting them on the Exclude from filtering list
Deliver – This button will release the email from the Spam Inbox and send it to your regular email box – so it is available for your email software (Outlook Express) to download.
If you do nothing the mail in your spam inbox will be deleted in 5 days.
Directions:
Place a check mark to the left and next to the email you want to make a decision about. If all of the email is involved in the same decision, click the Toggle All link. All of the check boxes will get check marks.
Hint: This is where you should make decisions about the Exclude from Filtering List. If you find one of your friend’s e-mail’s here, then mark the friend and click the Exclude button.
Spam Retrieval
This will list the e-mail’s from the spam inbox that you have marked to Deliver. You can change your mind here and Delete the email or put the sender on the Exclude from Filtering List
Directions:
Place a check mark to the left and next to the email you want to make a decision about. If all of the email is involved in the same decision, click the Toggle All link. All of the check boxes will get check marks, then click on the appropriate button
Spam Trash
This will list the e-mail’s from the spam inbox that you have marked to Delete. You can change your mind here and mark the email to be Delivered or put the sender on the Exclude from Filtering List.
Directions:
Place a check mark to the left and next to the email you want to make a decision about. If all of the email is involved in the same decision, click the Toggle All link. All of the check boxes will get check marks, then click on the appropriate button
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Now for the Next Activity on the left
SPF Settings
If you are satisfied with the job that SPF is doing then there is nothing to do here, however, if you want to change the way SPF looks at the headers (the “geeky” part of the “From” and “To” as well as “Subject” lines then click Change to Advanced Mode.
Starting at the top of the list you have the ability to turn off the SPF for your account – be prepared to be deluged with all sorts of advertisements – if you want SPF to remain on then leave the dot in the “on” position
SPAM INBOX ROTATION – This will change the amount of time that the spam is available before it is deleted from the spam inbox, you can chose 1, 5 or 10 days – we suggest that you keep it at 5 days.
Directions: Click on the drop down menu – select the amount of time that you want your mail to be available in the spam inbox and click on that once to highlight.
SPAM SORT METHOD – Allows you to sort your Spam Inbox by Date, Sender or Subject.
Directions: Click on the Drop down menu – select how you want it sorted by clicking once to highlight the sort you desire.
SPF ITENSITY – You can choose the strength of the filter you desire.. You can choose Maximum, Medium or Minimum.
Directions: Click on the Drop Down Menu – select the strength and click once to highlight.
FREE EMAIL CLIENT CHECK – This checks to see if the sender of the suspect email uses a free email service (yahoo, hotmail, msn, etc)
Directions: If you don’t want SPF to check for this, place a dot in the “off” circle
EXCESSIVE WHITE SPACE CHECK – This checks the Subject line to see if there is a lot of spaces there. Example: BUY THIS lq13ie09.
Directions: If you don’t want SPF to check for this, place a dot in the “off” circle
EXCESSIVE CAPS CHECK – This checks the Subject line to see if there are CAPS there.
Directions: If you don’t want SPF to check for this, place a dot in the “off” circle
EXCESSIVE IMAGES CHECK– This checks the text portion of the message to see if there are more images than a normal email would have.
Directions: If you don’t want SPF to check for this, place a dot in the “off” circle
EXCESSIVE HYPERLINKS CHECK – This checks the text portion of the message to see if there are to many hyperlinks (words underlined that would take you into Internet Explorer to view a web site).
Directions: If you don’t want SPF to check for this, place a dot in the “off” circle
MALFORMED HEADERS CHECK – This checks the “geeky” part of the To and From information. Most spammers don’t want anyone to be able to trace who or where they are so they will try and “fool” checking programs with fake headers. Our recommendation is to leave this selection ON.
SPAM DISCLAIMER CHECK – This checks the Message portion of the email to see if it say “this is not spam” – if it says that then it usually IS spam. Our recommendation is to leave this set in the ON position.
CLICK THIS LINK CHECK – This checks the message portion of the email for the words Click here or Click This Link. Most spammers will try and get you to click on a link by saying “Click Here” or “Click this Link”.
Directions: If you don’t want SPF to check for this, place a dot in the “off” circle
After you have made the changes you desire, click the Save Changes
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Next lets click over on the left on Content Settings
You can decide what content you want filtered. If you want SPF to filter all your mail, and you are satisfied with the results, and you have turned on the filter, you do NOT have to change these settings.
If you turned SPF off, then select how you want the filter to work by turn OFF then content you want to receive. You have several choices, if you would like to receive email that falls into one of the categories that SPF uses to filter out mail, simply put the dot in the OFF position to receive mail containing that particular content.
Click Save Changes button at the bottom of the selections you have changed.
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Now lets go back over to the left side and click on Exclusion List
This is where you put email addresses that you do NOT want scanned by SPF.
Our recommendation is that you perform this function from the Spam Inbox – that way there is no mistake about what and who you want Excluded from Filtering.
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Back to the left hand side – click on Webmail
This link will take you to the MECKCOM webmail website directly, there, after you log in, you can use the MECKCOM webmail to view your mail and to check on what has been received from the Spam Inbox, if anything.
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Back to Spam Filtering