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Is it possible to create a simple Spam filter within Gmail?

My previous email address became saturated with junk email. So I
realized that several extremely simply filters could create an
extremely effective Spam filter. However I noticed that the filters
at Gmail and Hotmail apparently couldn't accommodate such simple
filtering.

For example: If I see the From Address with the word "ABC", then
simply put that mail in the Inbox. Several of these one-word filters
could save all my known emails coming in. All the rest could be
handled with a test for a word in the Subject Area. Such as: If a
Subject Line contains the word XYZ then place the email in the Inbox.
For everything else, throw just it in the trash. Of course an
outgoing message could instruct anyone what the Code Word would be,
such as XYZ. I don't believe that spammers are going to put unique
passwords on each Spam, and of course I could change the password if
they did. Of course it's also easy to make the code word I provide
not machine readable.

However I don't see how such simple one-word filtering could be done
in Gmail. Is testing for one-word in an Address or a Subject Line too
complicated to be implemented in Gmail? Apparently there's no way to
choose what goes into the Inbox in Gmail. So an effective email
filter actually can't be created in Gmail?

Thanks, Ed 3/11/2007

"Ed" <> wrote:


<snip>

>However I don't see how such simple one-word filtering could be done
>in Gmail. Is testing for one-word in an Address or a Subject Line too
>complicated to be implemented in Gmail? Apparently there's no way to
>choose what goes into the Inbox in Gmail. So an effective email
>filter actually can't be created in Gmail?
>
>Thanks, Ed 3/11/2007

The spam filtering at Gmail is pretty much the best that I have seen
anywhere.

I have been using a Gmail address on my public newsgroup postings for
over two years now, so it does attract a fair amount of spam.

In the past 2 days the Gmail automatic filters have put about 100
messages directly into the spam folder, and none of these was a legit
email. In that same period there were 9 message into my inbox, 4 of
them legitimate messages that I wanted to see and 5 spams.

I consider that to be a pretty high quality performance. I used the
Gmail "report spam" function to add the 5 spams to their filters.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

"Ed" <> wrote:


>However I don't see how such simple one-word filtering could be done
>in Gmail. Is testing for one-word in an Address or a Subject Line too
>complicated to be implemented in Gmail? Apparently there's no way to
>choose what goes into the Inbox in Gmail. So an effective email
>filter actually can't be created in Gmail?
>
>Thanks, Ed 3/11/2007

One further thought. Have you looked into Gmails feature to allow
you to access the inbox from Outlook Express? That would then allow
you to apply additional rules in OE to anything that got past the
Gmail filters.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."