What Is Spam?
By Lewis Leake |
If you've been around the interenet any length of time then you probably know
what spam is. However, if you're new to the internet you might be asking
yourself the question "What is Spam?"
The best place to begin would be to
explain to you exactly what spam mail is. Spam is basically just unsolicited
commercial emails that companies send to your inbox.
There are a lot of
ways these companies get your email address. You may have signed up for a
newsletter or promotions with one of them, or you may have ordered a product or
service that requires registration from a website first.
It is common for
companies to share their mailing lists with their affiliate companies. It’s one
of the benefits to having affiliations. The only problem is that most companies
hide this knowledge in their “terms and agreements” of their websites. They
count on the fact that most people do not read all the way through them. Of
course since it is mentioned somewhere in their website, it is perfectly
legal.
The average person can expect to receive anywhere from ten to
twenty spam’s a day in their inbox; depending on how many promos and
registrations they fill out. Once a person accepts or opens an unsolicited
email, they become plagued by receiving six more in its place. It is a vicious
cycle.
As the internet has reached its peak popularity during the past
couple of years, so have companies followed suit and expanded their abilities to
advertise. The biggest problem is that they don’t know when to stop
advertising.
The best place to begin with this manual is to give you a
list of some of the things that you may do that will leave your inbox vulnerable
to receiving spam.
• Filling out a registration for an online newsletter
is a common way for companies to use your inbox to advertise.
•
Registering your inbox for promos and contests.
• When installing new
software it is common to register your email address for updates, but it is also
leaving yourself open to spam.
• Signing yourself up for just about
anything online is leaving yourself open to receiving spam.
• Reviewing
books online generally requires that you provide your email address.
One
Common factor in all of these things listed is that you have to volunteer your
email address to a company before it can be used. Of course, there are ways for
a company to get your email address without you having to give it to them
directly.
About the Author
Lewis Leake is the webmaster of www.eMailCash.com There you will
find articles, resources, books and product reviews on eMail Marketing
Strategies and Tactics. You will also find a number of articles on SPAM and how
to prevent it. Get Your FREE Mini-Report Spam and It's Consequences!
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