So many people want you to see their product or service, that SPAM (unsolicited e-mail from vendors with whom you have no previous relationship) continues to get worse and worse. As the problem grows – so do the solutions. So while there are a growing number of tools available, one free one I have used for a few years now has always proved to have a great many uses – unlimited e-mail addresses!

Depending upon which method you use to get e-mail, be it online, through an Internet Service Provider, or your Web host, you have an e-mail address. The vast majority of people use only one, or they may have arranged to have several “aliases” provided, like I do with Info@GaryHall.Net.

For unlimited e-mail addresses, you must first acquire your own domain name. What I have done is, through my Web host, I have what they call a “catch-all” address, and it requires no notification to anyone. In other words, no matter what e-mail address anyone uses, as long as it ends with my domain, “@GaryHall.Net”, that e-mail will get to me.

If you do not have a Web host that provides this service, it is available through some ISP’s and other e-mail services such as Internet Crusade.

What are some uses for this tool?

OK – I’m on a Web site, and they have some information I want, and in order to receive it, I have to give them my e-mail address. Are you hesitant to do that now? Of course you are, because you don’t want to start getting a lot of junk mail if other people get your e-mail address from them, am I right? With unlimited e-mail addresses, that’s no longer a concern.

Let’s say the site I’m on is called www.AgentTools.Net When I give them my e-mail address, I give it as AgentTools@GaryHall.Net. Why? If, tomorrow, I get an e-mail from AgentTools.Net addressed to AgentTools@GaryHall.Net, that’s OK. I asked to receive mail from them at that address. Now suppose a few weeks later, I start getting e-mails addressed to AgentTools@GaryHall.Net, but they are from spammers. I have to assume that either the AgentTools site sold my e-mail address to the spammers, or that the spammers somehow got it some other way. Either way, I don’t want to receive these e-mails. The answer is simple. Automatically delete them, based on that unique e-mail address.

Create a “Message Rule” as it would be called in Outlook Express, or the “Rules Wizard” as it is called in Outlook, or use a similar tool in any other e-mail software. They all accomplish the same thing, and that is: If I get an e-mail addressed to AgentTools@GaryHall.net, delete it. The point here is that I can positively identify this as a unique e-mail, because it’s to a specific e-mail address. If you are using filtering in your e-mail software now, you’ve seen that there are many instances where the spammer does not use the same from-address or subject, each time they mail you, so there is no way to filter that e-mail out. With your unique e-mail address, you can use the filter to delete this unwanted e-mail.

NOTE: If you must keep receiving e-mail from AgentTools, then you must go back to their site and give them a new address, because from now on, that one is being “Filtered Out”, and deleted.

A second use for unlimited addresses is filtering mail into folders. I am a member of several list-servs(tm), and the address at which they e-mail me is the unique one for their list-serv. One list-serv I am a member of sends me about 100 e-mails per day. Wouldn’t that be a mess in your inbox? Because the address they send to is unique, I just use a filter to move it from the inbox to that list-serv’s folder when it comes in.

How about one more? A great marketing tool! Suppose you place identical ads in two different print media, and you want to track how well each does. In one ad you ask people to e-mail questions to, say, VineStreetInHomesMag@GaryHall.Net and in the other ad you give them VineStreetInRealtorMag@GaryHall.Net . It’s now just a matter of counting the number of responses to each, to see which magazine is getting you more leads!

The uses for unlimited e-mail addresses are limited only by your imagination! Try it – you’ll like it!

Published: April 30, 2003

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Gary Hall, RECS, GRI is the owner of RE-ACT, Real Estate Automation, Consultation, and Training. Gary obtained his real estate license in 1987, and was a successful RE/MAX agent, as well as having been a new construction sales manager, a mortgage loan originator, and a real estate trainer/consultant to offices and individuals since 1995. He also teaches MCE, RECS Designation, and other classes. His most popular training program is "Get up to Tech-Speed.", a two-day, hands-on customization of Online Agent Software in your office, and includes File Folder Organization, Back-up and E-mail training as well. Visit his Web site at www.GaryHall.Net, or e-mail Gary at RealtyTimes@GaryHall.Net.