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In 1936, long before the rise of the personal computer, Hormel Foods created SPAM.
In 2002, the company produced it’s six billionth can of the processed food product.
That number was passed long ago in the world of Internet spam.

How did it start?

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 say the word “SPAM” more than
104 times in a 2.5 minute skit!
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 Spam Happen?

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?

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.
Then what? A lot of Spam coming your way.

Random Addresses
Random address generators are computer programs that “guess” e-mail addresses.
Over 100 million hotmail addresses exist - How hard could it be to guess some of them?
Unfortunately for many unsuspecting people – not too hard. Many spammers also guess at “standard”
addresses, like:
“support@yourdomain.com”,
“info@yourdomain.com”, and
“billing@yourdomain.com.”

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 website lists your e-mail address? Prepare for the result!

Chat Room Harvesting
ISP’s offer vastly popular chat rooms where users are known only by their screen names.
Spammers know that your screen name is the first part of your e-mail address (followed by your ISP’s suffix).
It’s that easy.

The Poor Man’s Bad Marketing Idea
Some spammers 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 illegitimate. 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

Try using your filters to block specific e-mail addresses.
Each time you’re spammed, block the sender’s address. This will slow the spam down.
Use more than one e-mail address, and keep one “clean.” Use one address for only spam-safe
activities like e-mailing your friends. Never use your clean address on the web!

If nothing else helps, consider changing screen names, or opening an entirely new e-mail account.
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, 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 them 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.

Be Sure You’re Not a Spammer

Many a first-time marketers inadvertently spam their audience. The first several hundred
complaints and some nasty phone messages usually stop it, but by then, the spammer
may be faced with cleanup bills from his ISP. Also, a bad reputation is 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. If something sounds fishy, just say no.
You’ll save yourself a lot in the end.

Final Notes

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.

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