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.
http://www.aweber.com/?289953
References:
Hormel Foods, Virtual Press Kit,
www.hormelfoods.com
Microsoft Corporation, MSN Hotmail Fun Facts,
www.microsoft.com
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