Over the next few weeks, the weekly tip will focus on the creation of email filters with the various email packages. See last month's tip [1]for a general description of email filters.

This week's tip describes email filters using Outlook Express and its rules based system:

1. Create mail folders for Jokes, Spam Saved mail, etc by RIGHT clicking on Local Folders from the folder list, then clicking on New Folder. Creating folders will give you a chance to really organize and sort email with this rules technique
2. Click on Tools --> Message Rules --> Mail
3. In the first box, choose a parameter like "where the subject contains specific words" (you can choose more than one parameter) OR where an email address appears in the To or CC
4. In the second box, choose an action like "delete it" or "move to specified folder"
5. In the third box, click on any underlined words to set the parameter (ex: specified words = spam or viagra)
6. In box four, name your rule something descriptive
7. Click OK
8. Click New and repeat the steps to add new rules