How to Ensure You Receive Important Emails Don't miss that important email

Increasingly, ISPs are using filtering systems to try and keep spam out of you inbox. Sometimes, they accidentally filter the e-mail that you want to receive. To make sure that important emails are not filtered into your 'junk' folder, you need to either provide your trusted sources with an unfiltered email address or add them to your 'whitelist'. Here's how:

Hotmail: Place the trusted domains (e.g. mwls.co.uk, learningpages.org or learningbargains.com) on your Safe List. The safe list can be accessed via the 'Options' link next to the main menu tabs.

AOL: Place the trusted domains (e.g. mwls.co.uk, learningpages.org or learningbargains.com) in your Address Book.

Yahoo! Mail: If an important email is filtered to your 'bulk' folder, open the message and click on the 'this is not spam' link next to the 'From' field.

Some spam filters: Place the trusted domains (e.g. mwls.co.uk, learningpages.org or learningbargains.com) filter's 'whitelist'. You may need to search a filter's help for how to do this — and depending on software/version, they may call a "whitelist," a "good list" or similar name.

Other ISPs: If an important email is being filtered, try adding the domain (e.g. mwls.co.uk, learningpages.org or learningbargains.com) or the email's 'From' or 'Reply-to' address to your address book or contact list. If this option is not available, try moving the message to your 'inbox' or forwarding the message to yourself.

If subsequent messages continue to be filtered, call or e-mail your ISP's tech support and specifically ask how you can be sure to receive all e-mail from your trusted domains (e.g. mwls.co.uk, learningpages.org or learningbargains.com). Follow their instructions for whitelisting.

It's a shame to have to bother with all this, but unfortunately a few unscrupulous people make it difficult for those who want to conduct business responsibly on the Internet.

Of course making sure that you can receive emails form trusted sources is only half the story. If you send emails there are some things you can do to reduce the chances of your emails being rejected by anti-spam software. For more information on this and how to get a free Spam Rating for your emails, please have a look at SpamCheck.

And, of course, you can refer the intended recipients of your emails to this article: www.mwls.com/resources/whitelist.htm