Spam: Where it Came From, and How to Escape It

Written by Tom Kulzer (AWeber CEO)

• Who Cooked This!? (How did it all start?)
• Why Does Bad Spam Happen to Good People?
• Stop The Flood to Your Inbox
• Stay Off Spammed Lists in the Future
• Think You’re Not a Spammer? Be Sure.
• The Final Blow

Who Cooked This!? (How did it all start?)

The modern meaning of the word “spam” has nothing to do with spiced ham. In the early 1990’s, a skit by British comedy group Monty Python led to the word’s common usage. “The SPAM Skit” follows a couple struggling to order dinner from a menu consisting entirely of Hormel’s canned ham.

Repetition is key to the skit’s hilarity. The actors cram the word “SPAM” into the 2.5 minute skit more than 104 times! This flood prompted Usenet readers to call unwanted newsgroup postings “spam.” The name stuck.

Spammers soon focused on e-mail, and the terminology moved with them. Today, the word has come out of technical obscurity. Now, “spam” is the common term for “Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail”, or “UCE.”

Why Does Bad Spam Happen to Good People?

Chances are, you’ve been spammed before. Somehow, your e-mail address has found it’s way into the hands of a spammer, and your inbox is suffering the consequences. How does this happen? There are several possibilities.

Backstabbing Businesses
Businesses often keep lists of their customers’ e-mail addresses. This is a completely legitimate practice and, usually, nothing bad comes of it. Sometimes though, the temptation to make a quick buck is too great, and these lists are sold or rented to outside advertisers. The result? A lot of unsolicited e-mail, and a serious breach of trust.

Random Address Generation

Computer programs called random address generators simply “guess” e-mail addresses. Over 100 million hotmail addresses exist – howhard could it be to guess some of them? Unfortunately for many unsuspecting netizens – not too hard. Many spammers also guess at

“standard” addresses, like “support@yourdomain.com”,

“info@yourdomain.com”, and “billing@yourdomain.com.”

Web Spiders

Today’s most insidious list-gathering tools are web spiders. All of the major search engines spider the web, saving information about each page. Spammers use tools that also spider the web, but save any e-mail address they come across. Your personal web page lists your e-mail address? Prepare for an onslaught!

Chat Room Harvesting

ISP’s offer vastly popular chat rooms where users are known only by their screen names. Of course, spammers know that your screen name is the first part of your e-mail address. Why waste time guessing e-mail addresses when a few hours of lurking in a chat room can net a list of actively-used addresses?

The Poor Man’s Bad Marketing Idea

It didn’t work for the phone companies, and it won’t work for e-mail marketers. But, some spammers still keep their own friends-and-family-style e-mail lists. Compiled from the addresses of other known spammers, and people or businesses that the owner has come across in the past, these lists are still illegitimate. Why? Only you can give someone permission to send you e-mail. A friend-of-a-friend’s permission won’t cut it.

Stop The Flood to Your Inbox

Already drowning in spam? Try using your e-mail client’s filters – many provide a way to block specific e-mail addresses. Each time you’re spammed, block the sender’s address. Spammers skip from address to address, and you may be on many lists, but this method will at least slow the flow.

Also, use more than one e-mail address, and keep one “clean.” Many netizens find that this technique turns the spam flood into a trickle. Use one address for only spam-safe activities like e-mailing your friends, or signing on with trustworthy businesses. Never use your clean address on the web! Get a free address to use on the web and in chat rooms.

If nothing else helps, consider changing screen names, or opening an entirely new e-mail account. When you do, you’ll start with a clean, spam-free slate. This time, protect your e-mail address!

Stay Off Spammed Lists in the Future

Want to surf the web without getting sucked into the spam-flood? Prevention is your best policy. Don’t use an easy-to-guess e-mail address. Keep your address clean by not using it for spam-centric activities. Don’t post it on any web pages, and don’t use it in chat rooms or newsgroups.

Before giving your clean e-mail address to a business, check the company out. Are sections of its user agreement dedicated to anti-spam rules? Does a privacy policy explain exactly what will be done with your address? The most considerate companies also post an anti-spam policy written in plain English, so you can be absolutely sure of what you’re getting into.

Think You’re Not a Spammer? Be Sure.

Many a first-time marketer has inadvertently spammed his audience. The first several hundred complaints and some nasty phone messages usually stop him in his tracks. But by then, the spammer may be faced with cleanup bills from his ISP, and a bad reputation that it’s not easy to overcome.

The best way to avoid this situation is to have a clear understanding of what spam is: If anyone who receives your mass e-mails did not specifically ask to hear from you, then you are spamming them.

Stick with your gut. Don’t buy a million addresses for $10, no matter how much the seller swears by them! If something sounds fishy, just say no. You’ll save yourself a lot in the end.

The Final Blow

The online world is turning the tide on spam. In the end, people will stop sending spam because it stops working. Do your part: never buy from a spammer. When your business seeks out technology companies with which to work, only choose those with a staunch anti-spam stance.

Spam has a long history in both the food and e-mail sectors. This year, Hormel Foods opened a real-world museum dedicated to SPAM. While the museum does feature the Monty Python SPAM Skit, there’s no word yet on an unsolicited commercial e-mail exhibit. But, if all upstanding netizens work together, Hormel’s ham in a can will far outlive the Internet plague that is UCE.

Tom Kulzer, CEO, Aweber

You may recall my recent article, published here on June 3rd and in my eZine The Marketing Edge entitled: Right vs Wrong: How To Build an Email List wherein I outlined some of the dishonest, and soon to be illegal ways that many businesses and email marketers grow their email subscriber lists.

Many so-called marketing experts and self-proclaimed gurus are the worst offenders – adding every email address they’ve ever collected onto their unauthorised s*p*a*m*m*i*n*g lists.

I also outlined a number of best-practices for building an eZine (or email newsletter) subscriber database with people who have chosen to subscribe, by opting-in to receive emails from you. 

Few other email marketers would be prepared to share their statistics or inside information, but I would like my clients, subscribers, and readers to feel comfortable that I not only ‘walk the talk’ but can substantiate advice I give them, based on my own experiences.

You will notice from the screenshot I took from Aweber (my highly recommended list manager) earlier this evening, that my current new subscriber statistics over the last week show 37 new opt-in subscribers. That’s an average of over 5 new subscribers EVERY DAY.

That quickly adds up to well over 1800 new, qualified subscribers every year.  People who want to receive my newsletters because they have decided it is relevant to them.  Wouldn’t you want to grow your mailing list that way – rather than by dishonest means?

Are you struggling with your marketing efforts? Not attracting enough of the right clients? Visit my website NOW to see how I can help you take your business to the next level!

Email newsletters (aka E-zines) can be regarded as one of the best business communication tools invented for a long time. 

• They are low cost – even no cost in comparison to paying for paper, printing, envelopes, and postage. 
• They are instantly deliverable directly to the desired recipient. 
• They are created with ease and minimal fuss.
• They are environmentally friendly – no paper or transport to distant subscribers.
• They allow you to stay on the radar of qualified prospects and existing customers in a low-key, non-threatening way.
• They position you as an expert, authority, and credible resource in your industry.

Little wonder that so many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon with aggressive list-building tactics. The choice between right and wrong becomes paramount, and YOUR ethics, credibility, and reputation all come in to play when you choose how to build your list.

The wrong ways, while not yet illegal, are currently under review and challenge by both the European Union and the United States of America. Some dodgy tactics include:

• Buying databases and mailing lists from vendors who sell them
• Adding every contact you meet at networking events
• Mining other databases like Chamber of Commerce member lists and the Yellow Pages
• Using ‘Opt-out’

(Please note that I am NOT talking about occasional ad hoc emails, I am specifically referring to adding these names to your regular E-zine subscriber list)

Doing so will add thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of names to your list. 

What is the point of a subscriber list of thousands who never asked to receive your information, probably will never even open your messages, and certainly will never do business with you?  It’s a case in point of quantity rather than quality.

 How will unsolicited SPAM position you as credible?

 How will it draw prospects to doing business with you?

As an example, just this week I received an email from a local Law Firm that I have NEVER had any dealings with. Somehow I have landed on their subscriber list. (You’d think a law firm would lead by example!).

The email is addressed: ‘Dear Client’. Ahem – I am not, never have been, and now certainly will never be.  They have completely blown their own credibility in my eyes.

 At the end, they have their ‘Opt-Out’ clause: ‘This newsletter is sent in accordance with the EU Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive.  If you no longer wish to receive it please send an email to **** to unsubscribe‘.

Why must I have the hassle of asking them to remove me from a subscription service that I never asked to be a part of in the first place.  The next one I receive will be flagged as SPAM.  They will learn the hard way when the ISPs blacklist their outbound emails.

(NB:  If you are having problems with sending outgoing emails, and have an email newsletter with subscribers who haven’t subscribed themselves, you may want to check your ‘blacklisting’ status with your Internet Service Provider)

Do you even trust Unsubscribe links anyway?  How many times have you tried following one and then either being asked to log in (eh? With what details??) or received a ‘successfully unsubscribed’ message only to find you continue receiving the newsletters anyway?

The above tactics only serve to destroy your own credibility and reputation. Rather than being on the radar in a non-threatening way you may be pushing your prospects away.

Don’t despair: There are better ways! 

There are many reputable businesses and E-zine publishers who are getting the process right. In so doing they are growing their lists with warm, qualified subscribers who have a much higher likelihood of becoming paying clients in time.  Look at what they are doing so you can emulate their techniques as well as their success.

Here are some of the ethical, honest, and best-practice methods that they (we) use:

• Use Verified Opt-In services.  It will take longer to grow a list this way, but each and every person on that list has chosen to be there.  They have qualified themselves in, are expecting to hear from you, are most likely to open and read your messages, and have an even higher likelihood of doing business with you when ready.  The best way to do this is to use one of the reputable list managers in the market. Get recommendations.  We love Aweber        
• Have a Clear Privacy Policy. Email addresses are like gold.  Let your subscribers know that they can trust you to treat theirs as such. Make is clear that you will not rent, sell, or share their information with any third parties.  Also make it clear what you will do with their subscriber info. For example read Zee2A’s Privacy Policy HERE
• Only send relevant information. Set expectations upfront about the kind of information you send your subscribers and then keep your promises.  If you offer a Tax Consulting service your subscribers will expect information relating to that. They don’t want emails from you marketing Time-Share in Spain.  Here at Zee2A we help our clients grow their businesses, so our emails will always contain articles, hints, tips, and suggestions on doing just that.  Not the latest Make-up and fashion trends!
• Make it easy to get in touch with you. The internet can be a vast, impersonal, black hole.  Show your subscribers the real ‘you’ behind the website and the E-zine.  We always include a photograph to make it more personal and so that you can put our names and faces together.  We also include contact information so that you can write, email, or call us. 
• Make it easy to unsubscribe. If your readers choose to no longer receive your newsletters they should not need to jump through hoops to have their wishes granted.  There should be no shenanigans.  Your privacy policy and use of a reputable list manager will ensure integrity in this matter. 

Keep an eye out for my follow up article. In it I will outline various tried and tested methods to grow your E-Zine list with quality subscribers who look forward to hearing from you.

©Vanessa Deakin and Zee2A Limited 2008. Would you like to reprint this article? You may do so as long as you include the copyright notice and the following paragraph: Vanessa Deakin, Operations Director at Zee2A, is a Marketing Coach who works with Professional Service Executives frustrated and disappointed with their current growth rates, marketing efforts, and business profitability. Through one-on-one and group mentoring programmes she helps them to skyrocket their results and break their own best records. To learn more, sign up for her e-zine, or make an enquiry please visit our website at www.zee2a.com

Vanessa could help you with your overall online (and offline!) marketing strategies. Get in touch NOW to arrange a complimentary telephone consultation.