If you are tired of junk mail overwhelming your legitimate mail, take action now to reduce the unwanted stuff. It would be neat to see Idaho Falls become a demographic black hole to marketers from all the opt-out requests we could generate. Read further to find out how.
Stop the junk mail delivered through the postal service by writing a letter or postcard to the Direct Marketing Association at the following address:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
I did this several years ago for myself and not my spouse, and I can vouch that my junk mail dramatically reduced for a few years. I know it reduced because my spouse kept getting the junk mail while I did not. It is free, relatively easy, and lasts a few years (though you will have to update it if you change residences).
The DMA offers an online form to accomplish the same thing as writing in, yet they charge a ridiculous $5 fee to do it online, while it is free when mailed in. They claim online is faster since the process is automated, and mailed-in requests can take a couple months for effect since the process is human and manual. Why charge $5 for the automated process then? When have marketers ever displayed economic sense? If you really want to shell out the $5, go to http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist; otherwise just write to the address above.
Apparently the US Postal Service can help individuals stop sexually oriented advertising (SOA) from being delivered. Go the to post office and ask for Form 2150 or Form 1500 to stop this type of junk mail if it is a problem for you.
Stopping spam email is a little trickier. The DMA offers a free online registration service to stop unwanted emails, and all you have to do is enter your email addresses at http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumers/optoutform_emps.shtml. I have not used this and cannot verify the effectiveness. It is from the same group that offers the junk mail block, though, and that is effective.
I personally use Yahoo email as my primary email. Their spam filters work very well, it is easy enough to label as spam the unwanted emails that do get through the filter the first time, and web-based email means you can check it from any computer and your chances of catching viruses are reduced.
Stop those telemarketing calls by registering on the government’s Do Not Call list at dotnotcall.gov. It is free, takes only 2 minutes, and is effective for five years! I registered almost two years ago and have only suffered three telemarketing calls since then.
Some people claim they have registered on the DNC list, but that they still get the calls. If your neighbor’s home is being robbed, wouldn’t you call the police? Why would you not report telemarketers breaking the law by calling you if you are on the DNC list? Report errant telemarketers online also at https://www.donotcall.gov/Complain/ComplainCheck.aspx
Finally, you can apparently stop junk mail addressed to a deceased relative by registering online at https://preference.the-dma.org/cgi/ddnc.php. They charge a $1 fee to your credit card to discourage fraud.
Good luck in your junk-reduction efforts, and tell everyone you know about this article to help others reduce their junk. Let’s try to make Idaho Falls a marketing black hole in 2006.
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Gato got runned over by Marcus many moons ago. Be ye daft, 2486? 
Let's have a new poll, alright, Joe?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The easiest way I found to stop the junk email is to have two (or more email addresses). In my case MSN is my primary email address which I use for all of my personal business. I also have seperate Hotmail and Yahoo accounts that I use when I have to “register” for a website and I don’t want to deal with the spam. This way if they want to spam the account I don’t really care. I just go in every once in awhile and dump all of the messages (with the exception of the original registration email that you usually have to go read and click on some link to validate your account). I have had my MSN email address for about 4 years and I get maybe 1 or 2 spam emails in it a month.
Interesting story that the University of Idaho has decided they will no longer waste their time delivering junk mail to student, faculty, and staff mailboxes on campus. Wish we could get a service like that at the post office.
I try to send all junk mail that I receive back to the sender if they have included a postage paid envelope. Just make sure that there is nothing with your name or anyway to identify you on it. Or sometimes I switch the mail around and send it to some place entirely different. It doesn’t cut down on the junk mail, but it gives me a little bit of satisfaction.