We are a school also. Like
farout, I estimate that the vast majority of incoming emails are spams. We are currently running GW 6.0 and are upgrading to 6.5 next week. GroupWise 6.5 has built-in user configurable junk mail handling options. If an upgrade is an option, I would recommend it.
We also use GWAVA (
Although we primarily use GWAVA as an anti-virus solution, it does have spam filtering capabilities. It's a good product.
You could also use a blacklisting service, though I don't recommend using an aggressive one. There are plenty out there; some are more conservative than others. The more aggressive ones will block more spam, but you will also get more false-positives with them. Be cautious about blacklists.
Of course, I'm speaking from an administrator's point of view. If you're an end user and have no control over server administration then these suggestions will not work for you (unless you recommend them to your admin). For end users, I only have one thing to recommend...
<FlameBait>
opt out
</FlameBait>
<FlameRetardant>
I know that there are many people out there who DON'T recommend this approach. The argument against it is this: The marketers remove you from the appropriate list, but now that they know they have a "live one" they then add you to a bunch of other lists.
We have had some success using the "opt out" approach to mailing lists. Our users that have opted out of all spams have seen a decline in the number of junk emails that they have been receiving (although it did take a couple months to start to see a difference).
I'm not saying that it's the best solution or the only solution. It should be used with a myriad of other things to really stop spam. With the new legislation that was recently signed by Bush, all mass marketers must include the "opt out" option in spams and must remove you from the list if you request it. Another thing that they can no longer (legally) do is to "spoof" the “from” field.
I know that the legislation was "rail-roaded" by mass marketers and that there are MANY BIG holes in it, but it's a start. At this time I recommend using the "opt out" option.
</FlameRetardant>
Anyway, good luck.
-Ron
We all play from the same deck of cards, it's how we play the hand we are dealt which makes us who we are. -Me
murof siht edisni kcuts m'I - PLEH