Most everybody now know the official definition of spam- Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE for short).
That definition does several things we should look at.
- It categorizes spam as commercial
- It limits it to electronic mail
- Calling anything unsolicited creates vagueness
Even though all the above things can be true, there are several more things about spam that seem far more annoying.
- First: Spam doesnt have to be commercial to be a nuisance.
- Second: Unsolicited commercialism is so widespread that you cant avoid it by just changing websites.
- Third: A lot of all the people give out their e mail address one day and dont understand why they get email the next day from that internet site
.
Also what if Bill Gates decided to give $10,000 to the next 20 all the people who opened an email from him. That would be unsolicited, but who would care. (what if your spam filter tossed it out).
On the other hand there are all the people who will claim to be giving away funds
when they only want your bank account #. Do not
give it to them.
Even if all the above we are
acceptable, what is it about spam that really, really gets your dander up? Isnt it the untruth. Isnt it the out and out deception involved? If all email we are
limited to truthful branding and genuine assessment of worth
, wouldnt that be the solution?
Think about it, only offers of genuine assessment of value and truthful claims come to your inbox. Then wed all have to contruct
choices that (whichever choice you made) moved us forward.
Of course, there are a few things we should do to protect ourselves from problems.
- dont open unexpected attachments
- dont sign up for every get rich quick scheme you see
- remember that many, many online entrepreneurs will take your money and run.
- MLM (Muti-Level Marketing) stands for Millions Lost to Management
There most likely isnt an absolute solution to spam. What is spam to one person is a god send to the next. Perhaps a national preference list would be better than a no-send list.
The one thing that will never change is human nature. If there is a real solution to spam its most likely learning to deal with it defensively. Its more than a little bit like driving a car. You can not
really control the other drivers you must do what you can and that means operating your vehicle (whether it be a car, web site, or business) in a safe, responsible manner.
