What Is Spam?

Everyone has heard about it, everyone has received it, but not everyone is exactly sure what it is. Spam in the strictest sense is the sending of copies of the same message to various individuals who have not chosen to receive the message.

Why is it called Spam? Most Americans think of Spam as having no value. Spam is often described as being "content free."

How do I know if I am Spamming? If you are sending a form letter to a group of individuals that haven't opted to receive your email, you are spamming. If you bought an email list or used a program to garner email addresses from a website or UseNet group the list you have is called a Spam List. Sending email to anyone on that list would be considered spamming.

How do I get an email list I can use without it being considered Spam? By creating an opt-in/opt-out mailing list. This requires that you set up a form on your site that allows your surfers to sign up for your mailing list or newsletter. It also allows for people to opt-out of receiving your email or newsletter after they have joined. They best of these types of opt-in/opt-out mailing lists require an email confirmation from the surfer. This prevents other surfers from signing up anyone they choose by using their email address.

Can I send email to someone that I don't know without it being considered Spam? No. And Yes. If you write a polite, personal letter to someone requesting information, a link to your site, etc., the recipient would be hard-put to label it Spam. Any email sent that is meant to hype a product or garner sales is considered Spam unless you have permission to send that email. Buying an email list is not considered permission to send email to members of the list. The list members are more than likely unaware they are even on a mailing list.

Why is Spam a bad thing? It steals bandwidth, (lifeblood of the internet), by flooding servers and email boxes with repetitive messages. It requires time for the recipient to sort through and the cost of sending and receiving the masses of email is passed down to the consumer in the form of higher access rates. Everyone suffers.

The cost to your business if you are labeled a spammer far outweighs any profit you could make by using questionable email tactics. Use email responsibly. Your surfers will appreciate it and the rest of the netizens all benefit as well. Happy surfing.

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