Open up an account with hotmail - I know, I know but we are trying to convert by comparision. Choose something a little strange, that might not have been used before.
Set up accounts in yahoo, and any other freebee e-mail you wish. Which one gets spammed first? which gets most spam? which one has the spam filter that barely works? Which one gets the most offensive spam? After a day you're hotmail should be 'spam active'. Note you probably have not even sent an e-mail out. Use the e-mail for subscription sites, if you want to speed the process up (commercial ones with no intention of selling you're info).
After a week or two use the block. Whilst the same sites will stop hitting you, you're spam count should now rise (in hotmail at least). Point out that spam addressed to only part of your address is hitting you (how?)
Now tell me M$ are not lame.
I have done this and started to convert people away from hotmail (two success stories, and a few I still need to beat over the head). One small step. It helps to have a few alternatives, search the web, there are loads. Point out, the extra space you get, the customer friendly terms and conditions. The helpful advice, the explanations of web beacons, and what info they gather from you, in clear language. These other companies tell you exactly what their motives are, I have found almost none who try to hide in language (those who do are generally aliasing sites, not free e-mail sites). And if they argue that M$ gets more attention, point them to Yahoo (which is also very high profile), I don't know the exact figures (but were they not one of the first to offer free e-mail?). once you start using these other services you can start using different browsers on sites that have good code behind them, so they work on Moz., and Opera (prove how discriminating M$ is in designing to benefit IE). My roommates LOVE mozilla.
And if you want to scare them, search the terms and conditons for : MATERIALS PROVIDED TO MICROSOFT OR POSTED AT ANY MSN WEB SITE.
Now forget the hotmail account. Never go back, never log in again. Also you should probably do this in an internet cafe, that way M$ can't spy on your system.
I currently have several accounts. I have been running a yahoo and a hotmail side by side. This is their six month anniversary.
Count: Yahoo = NO SPAM YET. Hotmail = up to 50 a day.
Try it out first if you want to make sure, or if you are a visitor and doubt the validity of this site. If you're results are seriously different to mine I will be very suprised.
Spam : E-mail sent to you, by third parties, unsolicited, in any form, and if it says you signed up to accept this e-mail and therefore it cannot be considered spam, despite the fact you did not sign up, is spam. E-mail purporting to increase the size of various body parts, pills that solve every problem on earth, sexual offerings, news offerings, investor offerings, etc, are all SPAM.
I am most assuredly sorry to be in any way advocating a M$ service, but it is by way of showing people there are alternatives to everything M$.
You just have to wake up, yes the sun is bright, but each day is a new day of wonder that is worth a minute of pain.
Okay that is an offering to convert the heathen. Does anyone have a fantastic link (for non-technical) to point out why XP should never be connected to the web (my roomie has XP on a laptop)
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