More and more often these days different email providers are using algorithms to block unwanted email, often referred to as "spam".

Sometimes, however, these algorithms block email you actually want to get!

To be sure you receive emails from people you want to hear from, follow these quick steps below.

Every email service is different but below are instructions for some of the more popular ones.

GMail

• In your inbox, locate an email from the person you want to whitelist. Check in the "Promotional" tab if you can't find one.
• Drag this email to the "Primary" tab of your inbox.
• That's it! New emails from this person will go to your Primary folder in the future.

Yahoo! Mail

• When opening an email message, a "+" symbol should display next to From: and the sender's name.
• Select this and an "Add to contacts" pop-up should appear. Select "Save".

Mac Mail

• Select "Mail" and "Preferences" from the top menu.
• In the "Preferences" window, click the "Rules" icon.
• Click the "Add Rule" button.
• In the "Rules" window, type a name for your rule in the "Description" field.
• Use the following settings: "If any of the following conditions are met: From Contains."
• Type the sender's email address in the text field beside "Contains."
• Select "Move Message" and "Inbox" from the drop-down menus.Click "OK" to save the rule.

Outlook 2003 & Later

• Right-click on the message in your inbox.
• Select "Junk E-mail" from the menu.
• Click "Add Sender to Safe Senders List."