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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 - how hard 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.
http://www.aweber.com/lsp.htm
References:
Hormel Foods, Virtual Press Kit, www.hormelfoods.com
Microsoft Corporation, MSN Hotmail Fun Facts, www.microsoft.com
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