Abstract: A method and system directed to the communication of the trust characteristics of electronic messages using visual and audio postmarks. The postmarks may represent a particular trust level on a continuum that can range from suspicious to trusted. A message system may determine the baseline trust level of a message and assign a postmark to the message. The postmark can communicate the trust level of the message to a user without requiring the message to be opened or read. In one embodiment of the invention the user can create rules and filters to classify messages by trust level.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are directed towards managing unsolicited email messages, and the like, in part, by providing segmentation of an email inbox. In one embodiment, the email inbox is segmented into segments associated with a message from a trusted, trusted email address, an untrusted email address, and a segment for a bulk email message, such as spam, and the like. A determination that the message is from a trusted email address may be made based, in part, on whether the email address is associated with one's address book, a degree of separation that may be determined based on an association with another's address book, whether the email address was a sent email address, and the like. By segmenting the email inbox, the invention minimizes a risk associated with incorrectly discarding a message from a desired, but untrusted source.