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November 17, 2004
SPAM not quite junk mail
People try to make similarities between SPAM (unsolicited email) and junk mail. I find that the only similarity between the two are that people associate the word mail with each. I do not use snail mail for quick communication. The US Postal service does not deliver mail every second. I do not depend on the Post Office for over half of my daily communications. I receive tons of email. Most of it is SPAM. It is disruptive, it uses my system resources and it even carries viruses that can corrupt my computer. It slows my productivity and most of all it slows my communication. When was the last time that the Mail Man couldn't deliver your mail, because he was carrying so many credit card applications that his truck couldn't make it to your house. When was the last time that you moved, just so that you could get a new address, and stop junk mailers from contacting you. It is very hard to compare the two forms of mail. SPAM is nothing like junk mail. I have changed my email tons of time just to stop the junk emailing. My internet has crashed because my server was overloaded with SPAM. SPAM is its own separate entity. It like nothing we have ever encountered. You can try to define it using terms that we are all used to, but you can not define it accurately. The problem is that there is no way to stop SPAM. SPAM defies borders and can not be stopped by legislation. The only cure to SPAM is OPT-IN email. You supply the addresses of the people you wish to receive email from, and all of the emails sent to you are either returned to the sender or are deleted. You never see them, they never bother you, and SPAM ceases to exist from your point-of-view. No legislation is needed, current technology can cover it, and after a few years SPAM will cease to exist.
Let me hear your thoughts,
Rex
Posted by Rex at November 17, 2004 01:56 PM