I know we all have to make a living. Should it come at expense of insulting our readers? Why send out a Newsletter anybody with more than three brain cells would trash in a split second? Little wonder all Internet resources are being choked with garbage!

What a sad state of affairs! It appears like priorities have gotten very confused, to say least! We all need to take stock of true reasons we write.

These are two questions every Newsletter or eZine Publisher should ask:

(a) Is readership a byproduct of marketing process or its reason for existence? (b) Should product sales take precedence over communication with your readers?

I think Newsletter writers should keep above questions in mind when practicing their craft. Yes, pressure to sell is great, no doubt. However, continue looking for answers and it will help keep you centered, time and again.

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by Francisco Aloy

(C)2004 Francisco Aloy ============================================== Agreement reminder, not part of article: Please include my working hyperlink in resource box. Remove paragraph before posting.

Do NOT open, respond to, or purchase from spam. Interacting with spam in any of these ways indicates to spammer that not only is your address valid, it’s also active. Do not respond with “unsubscribe” in subject line, or click on any links to remove your name out of database, as both of these are common ploys to confirm your email address. Remember, because sending email is so inexpensive, spamming can be profitable even if only a small percentage of people purchase what they’re selling. Don’t support what you’re trying to stop.

Finally, Filter your incoming email using filtering software. Even if you guard your email address religiously, you’ll likely still receive spam. Filtering software is usually inexpensive and effective, but there are some important features to consider with any filtering package:

• Make sure you can control what comes to your inbox and what gets deleted. The best programs create a spam folder for you to review before permanently deleting emails.

• The software should block images from incoming emails. Many jpegs in spam actually hide code that notifies spammer when email is viewed. Blocking images will not only keep offensive content off your screen but will also help prevent more spam in future.

• Choose software that provides you with updates - as new spamming techniques are created and proliferated, filtering software should keep up.

While eliminating spam from coming to your email address is nigh unto impossible, following these simple steps will mean you’ll have to spend less time deleting spam from your inbox, giving you more time for important things of life –- like reading this article.

Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. Find more information about how to filter spam at ContentWatch, Inc.