Spam: The Internets Most Overused Term

Imagine a world of no television commercials, no radio commercials, no newspaper ads, no magazine ads, no ads of any kind. Some of us would like that very much but there is a downside to this kind of thinking.

How does anyone learn about anything new without advertisements? The truth is they won’t.  Advertising educates, informs, advises and creates interest.

Spam is the most overused term today associated with the internet. Consumers want and need to know about what’s new, what’s exciting, what’s going on and I’m appreciative of ad spending to keep me informed.

Something to consider: If the government is concerned about spam, how is it that they push millions and millions of print pieces through the mail about the census, about elections, about services. If marketers can’t email without permission exactly how will they get a message to you in the future?

Spam in my opinion is something that comes to me only once I’ve opted out.
Prior to that it’s unsolicited mail which is as old as communication itself.

 What is Spam? 

Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages, especially advertising, indiscriminately. While the most widely recognized form of spam is

e-mail spam, the term is applied to similar abuses in other media: instant messaging spam, Usenet newsgroup spam, web search engine spam, spam in blogs, wiki spam, online classified ads spam, mobile phone messaging spam, Internet forum spam, junk fax transmissions, social networking spam, social spam, televisions advertising and file sharing spam.

It is named for Spam, a canned luncheon meat, by way of a Monty Python sketch in which Spam is included in almost every dish.

CanSpam and Privacy

Something new in the works … Here’s the latest, check it out when you have a minute.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN-SPAM_Act_of_2003

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spam_legislation_by_country

Michael Bickerton, Raven5 Ltd, Oakville and Toronto Ontario, September 2013

---

View All