Field Guide to Reducing Spam Email

(Updated December 2016)

Unwanted, unsolicited email is a frustrating problem for almost everyone who uses the Internet. Spam email clutters in-boxes, slows down web servers, and costs time and money to manage.

Spam can't be prevented entirely, but REALTORS® can reduce the amount of unwanted email that comes into their in-boxes. And on the flip side of the coin, REALTORS® who use email to find and work with clients can take steps to ensure that their own electronic communications aren't seen as spam.

Find out more about what spam is, how to reduce the amount of spam you receive and how to keep from sending it yourself with the articles, websites, and other resources on this page. (A. Siudzinski, Senior Library Information Specialist)


E - EBSCO articles available for NAR members only. Password can be found on the EBSCO Access Information page.


Tips for Fighting Spam

  • Check the website's privacy policy when you are submitting your email address
  • Use separate email addresses for personal messages and chat rooms and newsgroups
  • Choose a unique email address, such as jd5102oe@whatever.com
  • Use an email filter
  • Forward unwanted/deceptive email to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov
  • Complain to the sender's Internet Service Provider
  • Forward spam to your Internet Service Provider's abuse desk

Source: Scam Alerts, (Federal Trade Commission)


Avoiding Spam

Best practices to minimize spam, (Intermedia, Aug. 5, 2016).

Should I worry if email I send is marked as spam?, (Ask Leo, Sept. 30, 2015).

Email marketing best practices: CAN-SPAM, (UpCounsel, June 16, 2015).

Subject line spam trigger words, (Mequoda, May 6, 2015).

Marketing e-mails your clients want to click, (Daily Real Estate News/REALTOR® Magazine, Mar. 19, 2015).

6 mistakes that can get your emails marked as spam (even you’re not a spammer), (Constant Contact, Jan. 20, 2015).

Marketing e-mails your clients want to click, (Daily Real Estate News/REALTOR® Magazine, Mar. 19, 2015).


CAN-SPAM & the Do-Not-Email Registry

The need for new Federal anti-spam legislation, (Yale Journal on Regulation, Feb. 11, 2014).

FTC issues CAN SPAM rules, (National Association of REALTORS®, n.d.).

The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business, (Federal Trade Commission, Sept. 2009).


Useful Websites

About Spam & Phishing – Email: spam@uce.gov
Forward unsolicited commercial email (spam), including phishing messages, directly to the FTC at spam@uce.gov. These messages will be stored in a database law enforcement agencies use in their investigations.

OnGuardOnline: Spam—OnGuardOnline is the federal government’s website to help you be safe, secure and responsible online. The Federal Trade Commission manages OnGuardOnline.gov, in partnership with the federal agencies listed below. OnGuardOnline is a partner in the Stop Think Connect campaign, led by the Department of Homeland Security, and part of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.


eBooks & Other Resources

Books, Videos, Research Reports & More

The resources below are available for loan through Information Services. Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10. Call Information Services at 800-874-6500 for assistance.

eBooks.realtor.org

The following eBooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:

Blocking Spam & Spyware for Dummies® (Adobe eReader)

Field Guides & More

These field guides and other resources in the Virtual Library may also be of interest:

Field Guide to Effective Online Marketing

Field Guide to Do-Not-Call, Do-Not-Fax, and Do-Not-E-Mail Laws

Information Services Blog


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The inclusion of links on this field guide does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked in this field guide complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.

Notice: The information on this page may not be current. The archive is a collection of content previously published on one or more NAR web properties. Archive pages are not updated and may no longer be accurate. Users must independently verify the accuracy and currency of the information found here. The National Association of REALTORS® disclaims all liability for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information or data found on this page.

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