Board index » Outlook » Outlook should automatically delete emails from blocked list

Outlook556
There should be an option in the Junk Email Options box that allows you to

automatically delete emails that come from addresses or domains that are in

your blocked list. These emails already get caught and sent to the junk mail

box. Why can't they just get deleted? I've already indicated that they

should be blocked.



However, I don't want to check the existing "Permanently delete suspected

junk mail..." box because I still want to scan the junk email box to make

sure something good didn't get through.



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http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=8fe746ba-3aef-4ea1-a7e1-0ac4bf827103&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.installation


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FWIW, the blocked list is a useless waste of time for all but a few

addresses (like from annoying people or companies that won't stop emailing

you).



For more information on using Safe and blocked lists, see

http://www.slipstick.com/emo/2005/up050120.htm#rules

http://www.slipstick.com/emo/2004/up040930.htm#safe

http://www.slipstick.com/emo/2004/up040722.htm#safe



--

Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours

Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Author, Google and Other Search Engines (Visual QuickStart Guide)



Outlook Tips: http://www.outlook-tips.net/

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com

Join OneNote Tips mailing list: http://www.onenote-tips.net/





"Erik F" <Erik F@discussions.microsoft.com>wrote in message



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I understand that trying to block spam using the blocked list is not very

effective because spammers change the address they use so often. However,

that was not the point of my suggestion (notice that I never once mentioned

spam). My point is that if you do have an address or domain already set to

be blocked, and an email arrives from one of them, you should be able to set

an option that would delete it automatically.



Besides, some might claim that companies that won't stop emailing you are

sending you a form of spam. Since these companies are probably using the

same address each time, the blocked list IS effective at blocking their

messages. It's just very annoying to have to keep deleting them over and

over again.





"Diane Poremsky [MVP]" wrote:

you can set up rules to delete mail from addresses or domains.



--

Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours

Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Author, Google and Other Search Engines (Visual QuickStart Guide)



Outlook Tips: http://www.outlook-tips.net/

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com

Join OneNote Tips mailing list: http://www.onenote-tips.net/





"Erik F" <ErikF@discussions.microsoft.com>wrote in message



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Erik F <Erik F@discussions.microsoft.com>wrote:



Actions>Junk E-mail>Junk E-mail Options. Put a check in the "Permanently

delete..." box at the bottom.

--

Brian Tillman



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Once again you're missing my point. I know that I can set up rules to delete

items from specific addresses or domains. However, I should not HAVE to set

up a rule for every single person/company/domain that sends me annoying email

and is on my blocked list. That is what the blocked list is for, so this

should happen automatically. Outlook already provides 95% of the solution by

letting you maintain a blocked list and easily adding addresses/domains to

that list. The only piece that is missing is the final step of automatically

deleting items from addresses/domains on your blocked list.



Alternatively, there should be a way to create a rule to delete items from

addresses/domains that are in your blocked list. Currently you can only

specify specific addresses, mailing lists, or domains. I haven't found a way

to set it to delete from items in the blocked list. If there is a way to do

this, it isn't obvious.



Diane - I appreciate all of your input in this matter. It's very helpful to

me and to others that may read this down the road. It's obvious that you

know a lot about this subject by the fact that you are a Microsoft MVP.



However, I believe that technology (software) should adapt to how people

want to do their work, not make people jump through hoops and adapt the way

they work to the technology. Obviously there has to be some give and take in

this area because software developers cannot account for every person's

idiosychracies. I am a software developer myself, so I know this fact very

well.



I'm sure your years of experience with Outlook have taught you how to

accomplish a lot of things with rules. But they can't do everything that

everyone would like. Microsoft has put a lot of work into Outlook, and I'm

sure they have spent a lot of time working on the junk mail stuff as well.



All I'd like to see is for them to complete the circle on this one little

thing and make a way to automatically delete items from addresses/domains

that have, for whatever reason, been put on your blocked list. Whether this

is an option in the junk email options dialog, or an easy to set up rule, I

don't care. It just needs to be available.





"Diane Poremsky [MVP]" wrote:

This is why so many 3rd party antispam products are popular. Outlook

provides just the basics and the 3rd parties provide more complete solutions

to meet the needs of those who aren't satisfied with Outlook's options.



They spent years studying how to get rid of junk mail painlessly without

affecting productivity - and will continue to study it for years to come.

They learned that expecting users to keep huge lists of safe and blocked

senders or training filters is an ineffiecent waste of time and computer

resources. They use what they learned studying hotmail's junk mail to create

(and update) filter files so they are more accurate and require no user

intervention.



It may be in the next version of Outlook, we'll have to wait an see. Until

then, you'll need to use rules or another antispam product.







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That option deletes ALL emails that are suspected to be junk mail, not just

the ones from the blocked list. I want to have the option to review the

items that Outlook has marked as junk before they are deleted, but have items

from addresses in the blocked list be deleted automatically.





"Brian Tillman" wrote:

Erik F <ErikF@discussions.microsoft.com>wrote:



You didn't state that at the outset, so I couldn't know.

--

Brian Tillman

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Actually, I did say exactly that - in the 2nd paragraph of the original post.



"Brian Tillman" wrote:

Erik F <ErikF@discussions.microsoft.com>wrote:



<blink><blink>Why so you did.

--

Brian Tillman

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I came here to make the exact same suggestion and wanted to say I can't

believe all the grief you were given.



Outlook essentially divides junk email into two classes: 1) Messages that a

computer algorithm "thinks" MIGHT be junk, and 2) Messages that I personally

specify as junk. It's perfectly reasonable for me to want to review

decisions made by a computer program but also tell Outlook that I don't want

to see anything from macys.com ever again.



As Outlook scans for incoming junk email, the program obviously can

distinguish between these two classes of junk messages. All of the pieces

are already in place to provide the requested functionality except the option

to only permanently delete "User Specified" junk.



Like one of your detractors, I have a background in software development and

was a manager of software developers for over 15 years. Not counting time

for testing this enhancement, I would question the integrity of Outlookâ??s

software design if this particular enhancement consumed much more than one or

two man-days of development time.



Finally, it strikes me a somewhat ludicrous to deny the validity of this

enhancement request by saying that the Blocked Senders List is essentially a

waste of time. If that is the case, then take away the Blocked Senders List

entirely. But as long as it exists, itâ??s inexcusable not to provide this

easily-accomplished enhancement.



"Erik F" wrote: