Marie, I'm not so sure we should be discussing spam and filters here, but before our fearless List Mom steps in I want to point out the main drawback in your suggestion. As an EarthLink subscriber myself for more than a decade, I am very familiar with the filters you refer to, and they are very effective and I use them a lot. That said, the optional setting you refer to, which requires someone writing to you to register with your filters and be accepted by you, is in itself a problem when it restricts or inhibits the free flow of list mail from the list, the list admin, OR A SUBSCRIBER WRITING OFF LIST," including the requirement to register to get a message to you. This type of filter is very effective at what it does, but when it requires a list subscriber or admin to register then it is creating a problem that will most commonly lead to the account with that filter to be restricted or unsubbed itself as the only solution available to the List Admin. I use the "medium" setting, and that is very effective against the spam and works well with all of my lists. Just a thought. David E. Cann decann@infionline.net or on Skype at "david.e.cann" -----Original Message----- From: listowners-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:listowners-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Marie Spearman Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 11:33 AM To: listowners@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [LO] Pet Peeve Joan, For what it's worth: I've used a spam blocker for mxworld_us@mindspring.com for over a decade. I check my spam filter at least daily and sometimes more. I get so much horrible spam daily I must use a filter. This means most folks who find my email and want to ask a Mx question do not fill out the Earthlink form to ask to be added to my approved address list - as I check the filter and approve them on my own. That said, I appreciate your frustration. My suggestion is that you reply by saying you are -offering- to work on a research question and ask the person to respond. Then if they do not approve your message/address but let it sit in their spam folder, you have not wasted your volunteer time researching their question. Marie Mx Spearman mxworld_us@mindspring.com www.mx-world.org