Gmail in Google Apps now catching too much spam

Okay, this question is still getting a lot of views so I figure it's a good idea to post up the solution for my case at least.

What was happening, is regardless of my Gmail settings, Windows Live Mail was taking over and moving emails back into my spam, even if I used the "Never send to spam" filter as recommended by AI E.

To this this, I took the following steps:

1. In Windows Live Mail click the Tools menu, and then click Junk e‑mail Options.

2. Select the protection level you want. In my case I did No automatic filtering which just lets Gmail manage the spam folder entirely on it's own.

More info here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-vista/block-spam-and-other-unwanted-e-mail

Hopefully other people find this useful too.

It sounds stupid but I just never thought for a second that Windows Live Mail would so aggressively manage my spam folder, particularly not to constantly move any mail back to the spam after I've flagged it as safe.

Clearly there is no daily quota - unless my experience is untypical. It can be months before even a single one of my Gmail items is sent to Spam. I have been careful about disclosure of my Gmail address (I use an address at a different service provider when obliged to provide such a means of contact to those I do not fully trust. I have even set up a temporary account at a third service provider for a contact I did not trust at all.)

As you mention, the general public does not know all the details of how Gmail decides what to treat as spam. What we do know, or can predict with reasonable certainty, is that a lot of the factors taken into consideration are to do with the message itself or the sender - not the recipient. For example blacklists of sources, content analysis (including Subject, other 'header' details, multiple addressees), frequency of submissions and spam reports.

A recipient can do little to affect this other than to report as spam (no use to you when you want less aggressive treatment) or, probably, to delete without opening the mail.

So I suggest you either "Mark as read" before deletion, or you open emails before deleting those from people you do not want to be treated as potential sources of spam. Moving them (even if unread) to a folder (other than Spam!) prior to deletion might help.