What Does Spam Mean?

Spam is unwanted or unsolicited e-mail, frequently sent in large quantities to scores of addresses to infect computers with viruses or try to obtain money in a nefarious manner. Spam e-mail ranges in sophistication from content that comes from a reputable company to ridiculous banter that makes no sense.

History

The application of the word spam is unclear, but most attribute it to a funny sketch by Monty Python. Like the tasty meat substitute, spam looks like the real thing and, upon close inspection, can be easily identified, but not so easily avoided. Nobody is sure when the first spam e-mail was sent.

Significance

According to a 2005 study by TopTenReviews.com, spam costs noncorporate Internet users millions per year. This number includes lost productivity, server expenses and bandwidth usage. Despite efforts to curb spam, a massive amount of spam e-mail continues to deluge in-boxes. Efforts made to prevent spam are costing companies ever-increasing amounts of money.

Identification

Identifying spam is pretty easy. You are the master of your in-box--iif you did not request an e-mail or the e-mail bothers you, then you may consider it spam and report it using the spam button. E-mail marketers must take steps to ensure that you receive the e-mails that you want without offending you in some way, causing you to label them as spammers.

Prevention/Solution

Although new technologies and anti-spam measures are being adopted all the time, the nature of the Internet will prevent a global solution for the spam problem. To reduce spam on your own e-mail accounts, do the following.
* Only give your personal e-mail address to trusted friends and family members.
* Set up one or more free throwaway e-mail accounts where an e-mail address is required for registration.
* Set up another e-mail address specifically for subscribing to newsletters or serial e-mails or, better yet, find sites that offer RSS feeds.
* Keep track of which addresses you use where, so that, at the first sign of spam, you can track down the company who exploited or sold your list and report them to your ISP, their ISP, web host or black-hole list.

Expert Insight

Many spammers stay in business because a percentage of people actually make purchases through spam e-mails. The best way to stop spam is for everybody to educate themselves to the process and learn to avoid spam. When the costs of sending spam outweigh the benefits, spammers will move on to other criminal activity in which they can engage.

Resources

• EmailStatCenter.com
• Spam. Don't Buy it!