The most useful mail rule in the universe is the one which filters your
exact e-mail address and you don't need to miss mailing lists either.
The way I handle this is if I have n mail rules, rules 1 to n-1 are set up
to move e-mail sent from the mailing lists to separate folders. Rule n is my
exact e-mail rule. So it all acts like a set of sieves, good messages are
caught and funneled off to their respective folders as they pass through and
finally all that is left at the bottom is SPAM, which is deleted.
You've just described the Bat's (
www.ritlabs.com) mail heirarchy.
I was surprised at how effective this is. Recently I've had to use a system
where I had no mail rules set up and I was amazed at the SPAM that came
through. My normal system filtered 100% of this stuff, I kid you not.
Oh, I can believe it. The bottom level of mail is that which is addressed to
me specifically, not to others, not from a known sender, that has passed
through the RBLs, and was not classified as spam by POPFile. There's damned
little of that, but it *does* happen. I got an email from an ex co-worker
from 12 years back the other day; he spotted me posting and emailed me at my
address (which hasn't changed in a decade). I was pleased to see he got
through.
As you develop a set of rules, move the SPAM to the delete folder at first.
When you see things are working well, delete from the server!
Well, I use a three stage process. I check mail every 10 minutes with M3
(Magic Mail Monitor
http://mmm3.sourceforge.net), which deletes obvious spam
off the server; that gets about 90% of it right there, without having to
download the rest. The second stage is POPFile; when I open up my mailer
(the Bat), the mail goes through POPFile first. The Bat organizes it from
sender, and anything with a POPFile spam tag is put in a special folder and
deleted off the server. I look in there once every week or two to ensure no
false positives, but none to date.
Still, I resent the necessity of this. This nonsense of playing stupid games
to hide your email address from spammers is backward; it's putting the onus
on people to *not* be harrassed.
It's like telemarketers; I know people who refuse (are of afraid) to answer
their phone at night because of the incessant intrusion of hucksters. I just
tell them to screw off and hang up.
