Your Craigslist Classifieds Authority Site

SPAM

I'm sure you've heard the term SPAM before but do you know what it is? Need a real definition of “Spam”? Wikipedia defines spam as:

Spam (electronic): Unsolicited or undesired bulk electronic messages.

There are many types of electronic spam, including
* E-mail spam: Unsolicited e-mail.
* Forum spam: Posting advertisements or useless posts on a forum.
* Spamdexing: Manipulating a search engine to create the illusion of popularity for webpages.
* Spam in blog: Posting random comments or promoting commercial services to blogs, wikis, guestbooks.
* Newsgroup spam: Advertisement and forgery on newsgroups.
* Messaging spam ("SPIM"): Use of instant messenger services for advertisement or even extortion.

You don't want to be put on a spam list because once you are on one, it is very hard to get off. Spammers do not respond to unsubscribe requests. In most cases, they will use your removal request to propagate your email address the even MORE spam lists because by responding you gave evidence to the spammer that your email address is valid and there is a live person at the other end. The best thing to do is NOT respond to spam not even to berate the sender. Doing so just proves that you have a good email address and are reading your emails which is EXACTLY the kind of person a spammer wants at the receiving end of their inane messages.

I've been put on my share of spam lists in my time and I just recently changed my email address because even my spam filters were having a tough time with it lately. I was just getting too much. You can only use a spam filter so much before it just becomes pointless.

How do you get on spam lists? If your email address is posted on the Internet on a public page there is a chance that you will be put on a spam list. If you have your email address on file with a site like Myspace, Facebook, or any legitimate subscription site, you are probably safe (if that site is reputable). because your address can not be accessed by the general public, but is privately being held by that site.

Spammers have robots (called spiders) that comb the entire Internet looking for email adresses to add to their lists. If that spider combs over the page with your email address, you will be added to the spam list.
Many people ask me: 'Why do spammers do it? Do they actually make money?”

The sad fact is “yes”.

A spammer can make money because he plays the numbers game. Think about it: sending email is free. So a spammer can collect 5 million emails addresses and send them an email about buying Viagra or some such thing. If only 5 people respond to and buy the Viagra, the spammer made money. In actuality he probably gets much more sales than that. Good spammers actually make thousands of dollars in one email shot. (hey, don't get any ideas, spamming is illegal, and also disgusting).

Next Page