Junk E-mail Filters

Most e-mail accounts are set up to protect users from receiving unsolicited junk e-mails, also known as "spam" e-mails. Junk e-mail filters and parental controls are a necessity to ensure that your e-mail inbox does not get clogged up with unsolicited, and often inappropriate, junk e-mail messages.

At the same time, however, these filters can sometimes block legitimate e-mail messages as well. In some cases, it is possible that e-mails from your e-Buddy or from Best Buddies are not being delivered into your inbox.

e-Buddies does NOT recommend disabling your e-mail provider's junk e-mail protection to ensure that you receive all e-Buddies-related e-mail. Keeping spam out of your inbox is important! Instead, here are some steps that can be taken to ensure that you receive your e-Buddy's e-mails without exposing your e-mail account to spam.

General Tips

Online Address Book
In general, it is always recommended to add the e-mail addresses of your online contacts to the address book available through e-mail provider's webmail service.

All participants should add the following e-mail addresses to their online address books:

ebuddy@ebuddies.org
ebuddiesmatches@bestbuddies.org

Safe Lists
In addition to your online address book, some e-mail providers allow users to specify e-mail addresses or domains on list of permitted senders, known as a "safe list" or "white list."

If possible, please add the following e-mail addresses to your e-mail provider's safe list:

ebuddy@ebuddies.org
ebuddiesmatches@bestbuddies.org

If your e-mail provider allows you to specify domains on your safe list, please add the following domains:

ebuddies.org
bestbuddies.org

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Tips for Commonly-Used E-mail Providers

The junk e-mail controls offered by your e-mail provider can vary greatly from one e-mail service to the next. Below are some step-by-step instructions on how to configure your e-mail account to ensure the proper delivery of e-Buddies-related e-mail messages.

Select your e-mail provider:

1. MSN Windows Live Hotmail
2. AOL Mail
3. Yahoo Mail
4. Verizon

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Windows Live Mail (Hotmail):

1. Log into webmail at http://www.hotmail.com/
2. At the right side of the page, click on the "Options" button
3. On the "Options" page, click on "Safe and blocked senders" (listed under "Junk E-mail")
4. On the "Safe and blocked senders" page, click on the "Safe senders" link
5. In the "Sender or domain to mark as safe:" field, please enter "ebuddies.org" and click the "Add to list" button
6. In the "Sender or domain to mark as safe:" field, please enter "bestbuddies.org" and click the "Add to list" button
7. When you are done, your screen will look similar to this:

Click here to enlarge image.

AOL:

1. Log into webmail at http://webmail.aol.com/
2. At the top of the page, next to the AOL Mail logo, click on "Settings"
3. On the "Settings" menu, click on "Spam Controls"
4. Under "Spam Filters by Address," select the "Allow mail from" option
5. Enter "ebuddies.org" into the text box and hit the green "+" icon - "ebuddies.org" should now appear in the box below.
6. Enter "bestbuddies.org" into the text box and hit the green "+" icon
7. Click the "Save" button at the top of the page. Your Safe List will look similar to this:

Click here to enlarge image.

Yahoo:

1. Log into webmail at http://mail.yahoo.com/
2. On the right side of the page, click on "Options"
3. Under "Management," click on "Filters"
4. On the "Filters" page, click the "Add" button
5. On the "Add Message Filter" page, enter "ebuddies" into the "Filter Name" field
6. In the "From header:" field, enter "ebuddies.org" (leave the box that says "Contains" alone, and leave the "match case" box unchecked; leave all the other boxes empty)
7. In the "Move the message to:" box, select "Inbox" - your screen will look like this:

Click here to enlarge image.

8. Click on the "Add Filter" button
9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 again, using "bestbuddies" as the "Filter Name" in step 5, and specifying "bestbuddies.org" in the "From header:" field. When you are done, your screen will look like this:

Click here to enlarge image.

Verizon:

1. Log into webmail at http://netmail.verizon.net/
2. On the "E-mail & More" Menu, select "Options"
3. On the Options screen, click on the "Block Senders" tab.
4. Scroll down to the "Safe List" box.
5. Enter "ebuddies.org" into the text box and hit "Add." "ebuddies.org" should now appear in the box below.
6. Enter "bestbuddies.org" into the text box and hit "Add." Your Safe List will look similar to this:

Click here to enlarge image.