While the volume of spam reaching AOL email inboxes has remained at low levels compared to it's height in late 2003, the spam that's out there is more insidious, crafty, devious, and dangerous than ever.

There will be no requirement, ever, for not-for-profits who deliver e-mail to AOL members to pay for e-mail certification and delivery.

There's loads of it about at the moment. The volume of spam is ramping up as the day progresses.

The volume of spam has indeed gone up since Jan. 1. It's an unfortunate fact.

It won't reduce spam directly. AOL is already good at managing spam issues, and Yahoo is getting better. It may make it easier to filter mail, and may provide more resources for spam prevention, but it could also mean that people lose emails, and so change provider.

My computer terminal whistles at me: YOU HAVE MAIL. No shit, Sherlock, I always have mail. It's an existential thing: if I don't have mail it would mean that something is very wrong with the world