Spam: Where it Came From, and How to Escape It
By: Beka Ruse
In 1936, long before the rise of the personal computer, Hormel Foods created
SPAM. In 2002, the company will produce it's six billionth can of the processed food product. But
that mark was passed long ago in the world of Internet spam.
Who Cooked This!? (How did it all start?)
The modern meaning of the word "spam" has nothing to do with spiced ham. In the
early 1990's, a skit by British comedy group Monty Python led to the word's common usage. "The SPAM
Skit" follows a couple struggling to order dinner from a menu consisting entirely of Hormel's
canned ham.
Repetition is key to the skit's hilarity. The actors cram the word "SPAM" into
the 2.5 minute skit more than 104 times! This flood prompted Usenet readers to call unwanted
newsgroup postings "spam." The name stuck.
Spammers soon focused on e-mail, and the terminology moved with them. Today, the
word has come out of technical obscurity. Now, "spam" is the common term for "Unsolicited
Commercial E-Mail", or "UCE."
Why Does Bad Spam Happen to Good
People?
Chances are, you've been spammed before. Somehow, your e-mail address has found
it's way into the hands of a spammer, and your inbox is suffering the consequences. How does this
happen? There are several possibilities.
Backstabbing Businesses
Businesses often keep lists of their customers' e-mail addresses. This is a completely legitimate
practice and, usually, nothing bad comes of it. Sometimes though, the temptation to make a quick
buck is too great, and these lists are sold or rented to outside advertisers. The result? A lot of
unsolicited e-mail, and a serious breach of trust.
Random Address Generation
Computer programs called random address generators simply "guess" e-mail addresses. Over 100
million hotmail addresses exist - howhard could it be to guess some of them? Unfortunately for many
unsuspecting netizens - not too hard. Many spammers also guess at
"standard" addresses, like "support@yourdomain.com",
"info@yourdomain.com", and "billing@yourdomain.com."
Web Spiders
Today's most insidious list-gathering tools are web spiders. All of the major search engines spider
the web, saving information about each page. Spammers use tools that also spider the web, but save
any e-mail address they come across. Your personal web page lists your e-mail address? Prepare for
an onslaught!
Chat Room Harvesting
ISP's offer vastly popular chat rooms where users are known only by their screen names. Of course,
spammers know that your screen name is the first part of your e-mail address. Why waste time
guessing e-mail addresses when a few hours of lurking in a chat room can net a list of
actively-used addresses?
The Poor Man's Bad Marketing Idea
It didn't work for the phone companies, and it won't work for e-mail marketers. But, some spammers
still keep their own friends-and-family-style e-mail lists. Compiled from the addresses of other
known spammers, and people or businesses that the owner has come across in the past, these lists
are still illegitimate. Why? Only you can give someone permission to send you e-mail. A
friend-of-a-friend's permission won't cut it.
Stop The Flood to Your Inbox
Already drowning in spam? Try using your e-mail client's filters - many provide a
way to block specific e-mail addresses. Each time you're spammed, block the sender's address.
Spammers skip from address to address, and you may be on many lists, but this method will at least
slow the flow.
Also, use more than one e-mail address, and keep one "clean." Many netizens find
that this technique turns the spam flood into a trickle. Use one address for only spam-safe
activities like e-mailing your friends, or signing on with trustworthy businesses. Never use your
clean address on the web! Get a free address to use on the web and in chat rooms.
If nothing else helps, consider changing screen names, or opening an entirely new
e-mail account. When you do, you'll start with a clean, spam-free slate. This time, protect your
e-mail address!
Stay Off Spammed Lists in the Future
Want to surf the web without getting sucked into the spam-flood? Prevention is
your best policy. Don't use an easy-to-guess e-mail address. Keep your address clean by not using
it for spam-centric activities. Don't post it on any web pages, and don't use it in chat rooms or
newsgroups.
Before giving your clean e-mail address to a business, check the company out. Are
sections of its user agreement dedicated to anti-spam rules? Does a privacy policy explain exactly
what will be done with your address? The most considerate companies also post an anti-spam policy
written in plain English, so you can be absolutely sure of what you're getting into.
Think You're Not a Spammer? Be Sure.
Many a first-time marketer has inadvertently spammed his audience. The first
several hundred complaints and some nasty phone messages usually stop him in his tracks. But by
then, the spammer may be faced with cleanup bills from his ISP, and a bad reputation that it's not
easy to overcome.
The best way to avoid this situation is to have a clear understanding of what
spam is: If anyone who receives your mass e-mails did not specifically ask to hear from you, then
you are spamming them.
Stick with your gut. Don't buy a million addresses for $10, no matter how much
the seller swears by them! If something sounds fishy, just say no. You'll save yourself a lot in
the end.
The Final Blow
The online world is turning the tide on spam. In the end, people will stop
sending spam because it stops working. Do your part: never buy from a spammer. When your business
seeks out technology companies with which to work, only choose those with a staunch anti-spam
stance.
Spam has a long history in both the food and e-mail sectors. This year, Hormel
Foods opened a real-world museum dedicated to SPAM. While the museum does feature the Monty Python
SPAM Skit, there's no word yet on an unsolicited commercial e-mail exhibit. But, if all upstanding
netizens work together, Hormel's ham in a can will far outlive the Internet plague that is
UCE.
Beka Ruse fights spam as the Business Development Manager at AWeber Communications.
Ad tracking, live stats, and a strict anti-spam policy: Automated E-Mail Follow Up From
AWeber. aweber.com
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