The Junk Mail Hater's Guide to Opting Out
If a Web site asks me whether I want to receive spam, and I say no, that means no. Earlier this year, Yahoo decided that even though many of its users had already opted out of its various e-mail marketing messages, it would nevertheless sign them up (see "Yahoo Resets Member Spam Preferences").
I guess the company is within its rights. After all, Yahoo users don't have to pay for such services as Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Mail. Fortunately, you can still opt out of receiving marketing messages from the company if you like. And while you're at it, you may want to review your personalization settings at other online sites and services to make sure your online privacy is protected and to keep your in-box free of clutter.
First, let's visit Yahoo. To review your personalization settings at the site, browse to my.yahoo.com, and sign in with your Yahoo ID and password (if you're not a Yahoo subscriber, you can sign up on the same page). Next, click the Account Info link that appears at the top of the page--you will be asked to enter your ID and password once again for security. Now you're looking at your Yahoo ID Card, which summarizes details that you've provided to Yahoo in the past, including your zip code, gender, occupation, and even your address and phone number.
To alter any of these items, click the small Edit button at the top of each ID Card section, and delete or change the information listed there.
Next, click the Edit your marketing preferences link in the center of the ID Card. If you haven't visited the site for a few months, it may look like mine (see FIGURE 1). Yahoo automatically signed me up for every category of its special offers and marketing communications. Click the No button next to those offers you don't want to receive. If you've supplied your street address or telephone number (you might want to think twice about that), scroll to the bottom of the page and check Do not contact me via postal address and the similar telephone option, unless you want to receive even more junk mail and telephone solicitations than you already do. For the Yahoo Delivers service, you can either deselect the service completely by clicking its No button, or leave it enabled and click its Edit your preferences link to select the product categories you do want to hear about. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page in order to make the settings permanent--we hope.
Other sites let you control your preferences and opt out of junk mailings in similar ways. For Microsoft services such as Hotmail and MSN Messenger, visit www.passport.com and click the Edit the information in your.NET Passport link. America Online offers two important personalization links: Go to keyword preferences, and click the Privacy and Marketing links there. If you receive the New York Times' free daily e-mail version (highly recommended), visit www.nytimes.com/membercenter to control personal information and the delivery and marketing options. Even PCWorld.com offers the same kind of controls for those who use its optional Member Services. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page, click the Member Services link, and log in.
Send your questions and tips to nettips@spanbauer.com. We pay $50 for published items. Scott Spanbauer is a PC World contributing editor.
OE: Log Out, Don't Just Exit
In the February issue, PC World gave Microsoft's Outlook Express 6 the Best Bet rating among e-mail clients ["Browsing and Beyond"]. However, I could not find any way to log off my identity after a given session--so when I close OE, anyone could open the program again and read all the e-mail in that account. Is there a better way to log off an identity than restarting Windows?
Anand Narayan, via the Internet
There are many reasons why I think Outlook Express is a good e-mail program, and an important one is its unique ability not only to manage multiple e-mail accounts, but also to allow multiple users (families, for example) to maintain individual, private in-boxes and address lists. The feature you are looking for is there, though it's easy to miss.
To log off an Outlook Express identity, choose File, Exit and Log Off Identity. You can also log off by selecting File, Switch Identities and clicking the Log Off Identity button (see FIGURE 2).
But don't allow your paranoia to subside completely. The strength of Outlook Express's log-on security depends greatly on which version of Windows you use, and on how your version of Windows is configured. If you're using Windows 95, 98, or Me, it's a trivial matter for knowledgeable snoops to view your in-box. So if you want to protect your e-mail and other files from the prying eyes of coworkers, curious teenagers, or the office janitor, you need the stronger log-on security, encryption, and file access controls that are offered by Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Professional.
How To Deal With 'Real'
When I picked RealNetworks' RealOne as my favorite media player in February's " Browsing and Beyond" story, several readers expressed shock that I recommended a program that charges by the month for downloads, takes over playing every kind of media file on your PC, and tries to install adware in the bargain. I still like RealOne and recommend it to you. But you don't have to pay a dime for it, and you can use it without giving up control of your PC to RealNetworks.
When you visit Real's Web site at www.real.com, avoid all the large Download Now links and instead click the little blue Our Free Player link that's located midway down the page. Subsequent screens will try to lure you into one-month trial subscriptions and other attempts to separate you from your cash.
Just keep clicking the links that lead to the free browser. After you give the company an e-mail address (it doesn't have to be yours), the downloading begins.
Real will first try to install the RealDownload Express 5 utility, an app that tracks the download process and forwards the information to RealNetworks. Just click No in the security dialog box that pops up asking you to allow the RealDownload installation.
If the download process fails, you can find the tiny, tiny link on the download page that says 'click here'. Congratulations! You have managed the nearly impossible task of downloading the free RealOne Player Gold.
Now for taming RealOne's hunger for your media file associations. When you launch the installation file, RealOne gives you the choice of Express or Custom installs. If you choose Express, RealOne will make itself the king of all media on your PC--so choose Custom instead.
During installation, RealOne will ask you to approve a long checklist of file types it knows how to play. Be sure to remove the check mark from file types that you want to continue playing on another program on your system, such as Windows Media Player or Winamp, and then finish the installation.
If you assign RealOne a file type that already belongs to another program, or if you install another program and tell it to take control of one of RealOne's file types, RealOne will eventually pop up a dialog box telling you that it's reasserting its claim (most media players and Web browsers do the same thing, but just don't post an announcement).
To get everybody cooperating, open RealOne's Preferences dialog box by choosing Tools, Preferences from RealOne Player's menu bar, select Media Types, check only those types you want RealOne to play, and click OK. Finally, look for a similar settings screen in your other media players and deselect the file types you assigned to the RealOne Player.
R.I.P. for Domain Name Buyers guide
The Domain Name registrar review site that I recommended in February's column, DomainNameBuyersGuide.com, is apparently no longer master of its own domain (name). The URL now takes you to a commercial site offering domain name registration. Until a review site similar to the original appears, you'll have to settle for The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' simple accredited registrar list .
MIRC 6.01
Chat, chat, chat. There are many kinds of chat. Internet Relay Chat is what got it all started back when the Internet was still an inside secret. IRC remains an important tool because it is uncensored, private, and not subject to any corporation's terms of service. Though there are many ways of plugging in to IRC, one of the best for Windows users is MIRC's $20 MIRC 6.01. The free 30-day evaluation version is a 1.1MB download from The MIRC Homepage.
Unlike AOL's, Microsoft's, and Yahoo's instant messaging systems, IRC consists of multiple networks of independent chat servers, each hosting multiple chat channels. Using a few basic commands, you join or exit existing channels, create your own channel, find out more about other users on the channel and send them private messages, and even decide who can and can't join your channel. In other words, getting started can be a bit daunting. Though MIRC's online help file is an excellent introduction to using IRC, you'll find even more guidance at www.irchelp.org. Now start tawking.