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 Category :: Spam |
Author :: Beka Ruse  |
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| Article Title :: WHO COOKED THIS!? HOW DID IT ALL START? |
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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 buisnesses 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.
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