The Future of Internet - Toward a Spam-Free Future

Most of us have an unwanted habit whenever we logged onto the internet - removing a few dozens of spam emails that often clutter our mailbox. The email's popularity as one of the fundamental internet tools has produced one niggling side effect: spam.

Unsolicited commercial and non-commercial emails are spreading like plague that feed off the Internet to connect hundreds of millions of computer users around the world, at virtually no cost. Most of these nuisance and distraction come in the form of offering to help us get rich quick or shed pounds in a few days. Amazing? Not quite, more like ridiculous.

There is no doubt that spam is a drain on productivity, a frustratingly costly waste of time and resources for Internet service providers and for businesses. It clogs corporate networks, and can be a vehicle for viruses that often cause serious damage and hefty economic losses. As we continue to wage the war in attempt to sift spam out of our inboxes, valid messages are unintentionally overlooked or deleted, which makes email less reliable as a channel for communication and legitimate e-commerce. Spam is such a worrying problem that it threatens to undo much of the good that email has achieved.

Reactive measures to stop spam includes installation of spam filters. However it is not simply to block out all spam, a smart filter can be customized to suit the preferences of the individual user. Not all spam is pure junk, it is not clearly distinguishable from a broad and global criteria. Thus it is critical to have a smart filter system that learn from a user's personal preferences to create a unique anti-spam program that is tougher for spammers to break down.

Proactive measures involve going out to stop spam before it gets distributed. Provider of email services should enforce regulations against spamming, accounts that violate anti-spam policies should be terminated immediately. The government and industry must work hand-in-hand to exposed spammers' deceptive practices. They used multiple servers to hide their origins and change to new ones frequently to avoid detection.

These and many other efforts across different fronts will lead to a world where we are less troubled by spam. And as violators faced stiffer sanctions, the incentives for them will decrease and spamming will lose much of its appeal.

An Introduction to Social Networking Sites

Facebook, Friendster, MySpace. These are familiar names, you've probably have heard of at least one of these sites. And they have one thing in common - all of them are social networking sites, where users create a personal profile and create connections. People use these sites for a variety of reasons, ranging from finding dates and clients, to selling products or services, or making new friends and colleagues.

The majority of social networking sites allow users to decide how much of their information they want to share with the public. Users can hide their pages from the public so that only selected friends can view their information. Email notification is a popular feature that sends users an email whenever something changes on their profile. The email could be used to notify the user when someone posted a comment, someone sent or accepted a friend request, or a connection has an upcoming birthday.

Social networks may seem to provide opportunities for students, but they have their issues. Users often receive invitations from people they don't know. These strangers tend to try to connect with everyone they find on the network to drive up their connection numbers. Thus, the friends of a person who blindly accepts an invitation from a stranger might think that stranger is a trusted contact. Privacy is a major concern. Younger users may be unaware of the problems in revealing too much information. Thieves might use profile information for identity theft. Businesses worry about their employees giving out proprietary information or using the business brand in an inappropriate way.

But it's not all negatives though. People find jobs, bands find audiences, professionals find clients, people with shared interests make friends, friends stay connected. One site can provide a user with all the needed tools to keep a journal, manage appointments, receive customized news, and converse on hot topics. In short, social networks help users connect and share information as well as organize our lives.

Businesses with their own Web sites create profiles with links back to their sites to improve their site's search engine ranking. A user looking for a product or service might prefer to search for the product or service on a social network site rather than using a basic search engine. Or, a potential customer may stumble upon the company while browsing connections of connections.

To surmise, with so many different social networking sites out there that there is surely one for anyone inclined to go out and make a connection. Use caution, exercise common sense and the rewards of sharing information will soon be at your fingertips. Good luck!