Junk-Out™ extends Microsoft Outlook® for junk mail filtering, so it's there only when you need it, and always when you want it:

• An icon in the System Tray lets you know when you have messages you'll want to read
• Animated icons tell you when Junk-Out™ is working, what it's doing, and what the results are - have a look!
• Icons and flags explaining how Junk-Out™ has classified your messages are displayed with your other Outlook® message information
• Junk-Out™'s toolbar is added into the Outlook® Menu Bar toolbar, and you can reach its Help and About information
  from Outlook®'s Help menu - have a look!
• You can use the Junk-Out™ toolbar in both Explorer (folder) and Inspector (message) windows - have a look!
• You can find your junk mail any time, directly from the Outlook® Shortcuts Bar
• You can access many of Junk-Out™'s commonly used features directly from its icon in the System Tray - have a look!

Professional Version:

Using the Professional Version, you can also:

• Choose which of Junk-Out™'s extensions to Outlook® you want to use - have a look!
• Optionally include those you identify in Outlook® as 'Junk Mail Senders' in Junk-Out™'s junk mail filters

Junk-Out™ doesn't 'hide' or 'throw away any of your e-mail without explicit authority from you:

• All messages classified as junk are moved automatically into the Junk Mail folder
• You can review your junk mail at any time; Junk-Out™ puts a shortcut to the Junk Mail folder in the Outlook® Shortcuts bar automatically
• Junk-Out™ moves any messages left in your Inbox which you classify as junk into the Junk Mail folder after confirmation from you

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• Configure the name and location of the Junk Mail folder - Junk-Out™ updates the Outlook® Shortcuts bar automatically
• Direct Junk-Out™ to move junk mail directly to the Deleted Items folder
• Choose a period of time after which Junk-Out™ considers messages in the junk mail folder to be 'expired'
• Configure what Junk-Out™ does with expired junk mail

Junk-Out™ uses statistical ( Bayesian ) techniques to classify each e-mail message as 'junk', 'possible junk' or 'not junk'. In principle, this means that Junk-Out™ scans the content of each message's body and header, then uses past experience of 'good', 'bad' and 'neutral' words
in both junk and non-junk messages to arrive at an overall probability for the current message being junk. It then uses probability thresholds to classify each message. To make this possible:

• Junk-Out™ includes a 'seed vocabulary' of over 30,000 'bad' words to provide initial 'past experience' to the filter
• Junk-Out™ tailors Bayesian filtering to your individual e-mail style. Use the Start Up Wizard to provide the initial 'past experience' of non-junk mail from your Sent Items, and other folders you choose as good examples
• Junk-Out™'s Bayesian / content-based filter goes on learning as long as you go on using it. Junk-Out™ adapts to changes in your own e-mail style and to the ever-changing stratagems used by junk e-mailers

You can read more about Bayesian / content-based e-mail filtering in articles by Paul Graham, Gary Robinson, and Greg Louis, whose work is gratefully acknowledged by The Office Maven.

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• See how the Bayesian / content-based filter has analysed an individual message - have a look!
• Access details of the Bayesian / content-based filter - have a look!
• Review statistics on its content and performance - have a look!

Experts can change the statistical model used in filtering, adjust junk mail thresholds, and even remove
words from the filter - have a look!

The Bayesian / content-based e-mail filtering method can produce a small number of false positives (innocent messages appearing to be junk mail) and false negatives (junk messages not identified by the filter). If Junk-Out™ gets it wrong, it's important that you add to the 'experience' of the filter by 'training' it.
You use:

• One button on the toolbar to train the filter with a junk message
• One button on the toolbar to train the filter with a non-junk message

You can even use the buttons to train the filter with 'old' messages.

Junk e-mailers have lots of tricks! TOM knows that there are a number of ways that they work to avoid detection by programs like Junk-Out™. To foil the bad guys, Junk-Out™ includes internal filters to catch junk mail ploys designed to get past Bayesian / content-based filters, and classifies messages which use them as junk mail.

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• Turn off Junk-Out™'s internal filters
• Configure what Junk-Out™ does with messages identified by these filters

Some types of e-mail are always accepted as 'non-junk' by Junk-Out™, regardless of their content, on the assumption that any message so carefully prepared requires your attention. These are:

• Digitally signed messages
• Encrypted messages

Professional Version:
Using the Pro Version, you can choose to have Junk-Out™ filter these types of messages also.

Never miss a message from a friend:

• One click on the Junk-Out™ toolbar identifies a friendly sender
• E-mail from friends is never filtered, so you see their messages regardless of content
• Use the same button to manage your Friends list as needed - have a look!

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can manage your Friends list directly using the Junk-Out™ Options - have a look!

Use your existing Outlook® Contacts and/or Address Book(s) to ensure you always see messages you need in your Inbox:

• Use the Getting Started Wizard to load Contacts and Addresses
• Thereafter, Junk-Out™ refreshes its list of your Contacts and Addresses automatically each day when you start Microsoft Outlook®

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• Load Contacts and Address Book(s) any time
• Change which Lists Junk-Out™ refreshes
• Configure the automatic refresh period
• Refresh the Lists in Junk-Out™ on demand
• Adjust Junk-Out™'s Lists as required

Junk-Out™ helps you to handle your e-mail correspondence efficiently, keeping track of whom you reply to, and ensuring that their messages stay in your Inbox, by:

• Marking anyone you reply to twice within 14 days as a Frequent Correspondent
• Automatically 'promoting' your Frequent Correspondents to Friends after 5 replies

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• Choose the criteria Junk-Out™ uses to define a Frequent Correspondent
• Manage the Frequent Correspondents list
• Review the status of your Frequent Correspondents

The most important housekeeping Junk-Out™ can do for you is to keep Junk-Out™ of your Inbox!
However, to make sure that its features stay current and efficient, Junk-Out™ also:

• Compacts and repairs your junk mail database roughly every other time you start Microsoft Outlook®
• Refreshes your Contact/Address Book(s) Friends list from the sources you chose each day when you first enter Microsoft Outlook®
• Cleans up your Frequent Correspondents list by removing any correspondents you haven't replied to in the last 180 days
• Cleans up your Bayesian / content-based filter's dictionary every 30 days, removing any words which have not received 'hits' in the last 90 days
• Allows you to filter new mail already in your Inbox but not previously scanned by Junk-Out™ each time Microsoft Outlook® is launched
  (of particular value to Microsoft Exchange Server users)

Professional Version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• Turn all automatic housekeeping functions on and off, and choose the frequency of each one
• Perform each housekeeping function on demand, and/or selectively
• Delete expired messages in the junk mail folder on demand

TOM wants to be sure you're always getting the best service from Junk-Out™:

• All users can check and/or download the latest version of the program from the About window Update page
• Licensed users of the Basic Version automatically get free program updates every 30 days and
  free filter updates every 14 days when available

Professional version:

Using the Pro Version, you can also:

• Configure the intervals at which Junk-Out™ checks automatically for program and filter updates - have a look!
• Check for program and/or filter updates on demand

Junk-Out™ includes extensive Help for all its features, at both the Basic and Pro levels. You can use the Help to:

• Understand what Junk-Out™ does, why, and when it does it
• See what to enter, and what your choices are, when completing fields in Wizards and other menus

In the Pro Version, Wizards help you to define your own junk mail filters, and the action Junk-Out™ takes when your conditions are met, for various parts of e-mail messages as follows:

• Sender
• Subject
• Body
• Header
• Country of origin

Have a look!

You can also test your filters on messages you've already received with one click of a button on the Pro Version Advanced Toolbar

Using the Pro Version, you can:

• Define conditions under which message is bounced back to the junk mail sender (a Bounce message)
• Use Junk-Out™'s pre-defined Bounce Message, or choose one of your own
• Choose the recipient(s) of your Bounce Message
• Define and choose which of your accounts sends the Bounce Message by default

Have a look!