I always capitalize SPAM when I type it for some reason – could be because it makes me so frustrated! Not so much the “enhancement” ads, and other “Hey dude, increase your stamina… She’ll love you even more” type of SPAM. Those just make me laugh, roll my eyes and then I can send them into SPAM-oblivion with a click of my mouse.

The SPAM that frustrates me the most is that which comes from uneducated website and business owners who, I guess, don’t know any better – but should.

• If you took my email addy off of another website, and you’re contacting me to see if I want to be invited to join your site – but you don’t have your site listed, or any way for me to check out what site you’re talking about – I consider that SPAM!
• If I receive an email sent to every email addy off of one of my sites (eg. Lauren@, newsletter@, schedule@ – all @the same site) with an offer to join your mailing list – I think you’ve harvested all the mails off of my site, and I consider that SPAM!
• If I find that my email addy (whichever one it is) is listed along with every single email addy in your address book to receive your offer, or Specials – I don’t appreciate you circulating my email address to the other 25 people on the list and, I’m sorry but, I consider that SPAM!
• If I am continually being invited to join membership sites by someone I barely know, or who’s name I have to look up somewhere to recognize – I may not report it as such, but I consider that to be SPAM too!
• If I receive your newsletter out of the blus, and see down at the bottom that I have the option of opting out of receiving any more of your newsletters, BUT I never had signed up to receive your newsletter in the first place – yep, SPAM!

No, I don’t report everything that I consider SPAM, most often I just delete them. Occasionally I’ll even respond with a polite request to be taken out of their address book, or at least off the “invite list”. If I know you, and we’ve built a relationship then I am usually appreciative of the thought, and will consider the invite.

I guess what it all boils down to is – know who you are sending your emails too. Do not send unsolicited offers, or invites to people you really don’t know. NEVER grab emails off some random website. Have an opt-in list with a legit sign-up that has given you permission to send those recipients your offers, etc.

You save yourself, and others a whole lot of time, and have a better chance of getting your message in the right hands – not in the SPAM folder!

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