Microsoft Launches New Tools To Make Hotmail More Relevant, Interesting
In previous posts on our blog, we talked about how we’ve reduced true spam in the inbox to under 3% using SmartScreen filtering. But we realized that getting rid of true spam wasn’t enough, because 75% of the email messages that people reported as spam are really legitimate newsletters, offers, or notifications that you just don’t want anymore. We call this type of unwanted email graymail, and we’re excited to announce five powerful tools to help you take control of your inbox, get rid of graymail, and keep track of the email that’s important to you.
The problem with today’s inbox is that it is easy for it to get filled up with mail you don’t want. It could be newsletters you signed up for and forgot about (but keep getting), or it could be newsletters you get when you join a new service (and forgot to uncheck that pesky box that says “send me lots of email!”). Or it could even be updates you get from a social
network or website. What really characterizes graymail is that the same message that one person thinks is “spam” could be really important to another person. It’s not black and white, hence the name.
Personally, we think the term has more in common with "gray water"
Microsoft's solution to the graymail problem is a an option that allows users to categorize mail as newsletters and filter them appropriately. It's also introducing what it calls "one-click unsubscribe." Choose the option, and Hotmail will automatically take care of the unsubscription process (including blocking any future mailings from actually reaching your inbox).
Even if the site doesn't follow its own unsubscription policies, Hotmail will take out the garbage. Other new options include the ability to discard email from specific senders as they age (3, 10, 30, or 60 days), move messages to a specific folder after a set amount of time, and the ability to create more custom filters and folders for tracking specific email.
It's been a long time since Hotmail qualified as sexy, but we have to admit that the site's new features--particularly the 'Unsubscribe' option--are intriguing. Old email accounts tend to become cluttered with large amounts of what MS identifies as graymail, but a simple way to remove that clutter could make Hotmail usable again.
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Via:
Windows Blog | News Archive
| Tags:
Microsoft,
Gmail,
hotmail,
Ymail,
Youvegotmail,
graymail,
blackmail,
snailmail
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The part that says "newsletters and deals" is actually true spam also. Along with the "shopping" and their idea of "true spam," that comes to 58% spam. Which is pretty optimistic, considering that 100% of the 500 or more emails I have in my Hotmail account are *all* spam. Hotmail: Relevant if you're a spammer. Interesting if you're an idiot. |
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If 100% of the emails you receive are all spam then that's you're fault. I've used hotmail for years and the spam filters work for me just fine. I rarely ever get a spam email in my Inbox and all I have to do is add it to the filter list and I never get it again. While the new features should make it even easier and is a lot more than many other email services provide. Getting lots of spam has more to do with your surfing habits than the email service you're using. So just be smarter in your browsing habits, with the information about yourself that you give out, and you'll get a lot less spam. |
"Totally agree, I still have lots of active Hotmail accounts, a simple filter fixes any spam problem. And most of the spam is due to me giving out by signing up for something that usually leads to my email and info to be sold to other companies. But thats what those emails are for, and not my main."
"LMFAO??, nice catch."
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JDiaz:|
Hotmail has been my email account since the early 00's. It has been very good - I rarely get ANY spam at all, and the ones I do usually go directly to my junk mail box. Most of the junk mail I do get is my fault as well...I won't get into the details haha. Also LOL @ the tags for this article :) |
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I'm glad someone noticed the tags. :) |
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Well... At least it gives me a reason to use hotmail for the live.com domain. Also lol at the guy who has multiple hotmail accounts. The only way to prevent spam is to be cautious and check what you're signing up for, also Gmail seems to be blocking any spam that gets thrown at it well, therefore eliminating the usage of multiple accounts for me. Seriously, I don't know why anybody would need multiple accounts for anyway. |
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