Outlook Questions

[Hager]

Our teachers (against better judgement) forward chain letters thinking they will get rich or meet a special someone. The only problem is we do not get alot of space for our network email. Some of the other teachers and I are wondering what we can do on User end to filter them. We have asked our Network Administrator to help us, and he hasn't responded in about 2 months now.

Thanks.

I know the there is a Junk Mail filter already, but I would like to know how to more effeciently cure the problem.

[astorrs]

Originally Posted by Hager

Our teachers (against better judgement) forward chain letters thinking they will get rich or meet a special someone. The only problem is we do not get alot of space for our network email. Some of the other teachers and I are wondering what we can do on User end to filter them. We have asked our Network Administrator to help us, and he hasn't responded in about 2 months now.

Thanks.

I know the there is a Junk Mail filter already, but I would like to know how to more effeciently cure the problem.

If you have support of a majority, approach the administration and have them create a fair use policy (if you don't already have one - which you should) that explicitly forbids forwarding of those kinds of emails and then communicate it to all staff members (and enforce it!). That is going to be more effective than any junk filter.

You could look at better anti-spam solutions as well of course, but given the problem you're describing a simple policy change is likely all that is needed.

Oh and this goes without saying, hire a new sysadmin, 2 months without a response is beyond unacceptable - waiting a week for a basic response would be too long.

[aordal]

You could also create a rule that moves forwards to a .pst. But it would move all forwards.

[Silver Bullet]

You can get pretty granular using Rules and Alerts under the Tools menu option. I "used" to get emails from friends and family like the forwards you're talking about until I asked them to stop sending them to me.

[skrpune]

Originally Posted by Silver Bullet

You can get pretty granular using Rules and Alerts under the Tools menu option. I "used" to get emails from friends and family like the forwards you're talking about until I asked them to stop sending them to me.

Or you could do what I did, which was to look up/debunk all those stupid chain letter/rumor/"opportunities to get rich" emails & reply to EVERYONE it was sent to with the link to Snopes showing that it's a hoax...it only took doing it a couple times before I was taken off forward lists for those emails!

[brad-]

Originally Posted by Hager

Our teachers (against better judgement) forward chain letters thinking they will get rich or meet a special someone. The only problem is we do not get alot of space for our network email.

That wont be teh only problem you have when one of those things turns out to be malicious.

[HeroPsycho]

If you're using Exchange 2007, you can create a rule on the hub transport server looking for patterns that indicate it's a chain letter and then delete it before it ever hits your other users' mailboxes. Just be careful not to code it to delete legitimate mail.