The Direct Marketing Association has an Email Preference Service to help you reduce unsolicited commercial emails.

How to register for Email Preference Service (EMPS)

Go to http://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/offemaillist.php. Your online request will be effective for one year.

Although registration with EMPS will help reduce the number of emails you receive, it will not stop all commercial emails. You may continue to receive emails from groups or advertisers who do not use EMPS to clean their lists. Email of a business-to-business nature received at your place of employment is also not affected through registration with EMPS.

Most email programs now offer effective “spam blocker” programs. Make sure your settings will block the emails you don’t want—and admit the emails you do.

Don’t unsubscribe to individual emails
Submitting an unsubscribe request can be used against you—your email address may be confirmed by or sold to spammers. When this happens, your spam will increase when you thought you’d submitted an unsubscribe request.

Avoid spiders
When you forward emails to long lists of recipients, those addresses are accessible to “spiders”—programs that roam the Web, harvesting addresses to sell to spammers. When you’re sending an email to a group of people, send it to yourself and blind copy (bcc) anyone you wish to receive it.