Anyone that has a website, webpage or electronic newsletter and communicates using email, publishes articles or promotes their URL can be accused of being a spammer.

First, knowledge is first step to prevention. Unfortunately, to date there is no official or agreed upon definition of what constitutes spam.

The internet today is result of collaborative efforts of Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). IETF is a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with evolution of Internet architecture and smooth operation of Internet. These are guys that write guidelines (RFC) and standards to which everyone adheres to make internet function. They wrote Netiquette Guidelines (RFC1855). For more info, visit http://www.ietf.org/

The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE) according to their website (http://www.cauce.org) was created by netizens to advocate for a legislative solution to problem of UCE (a/k/a "spam"). Unfortunately, they do not specifically define spam other than provide a list of characteristics of email sent by unreputable marketers promoting pyramid schemes, chain letters, etc.

>From my research, I have concluded that spam has been defined as junk email, unsolicited bulk email (UBE), unsolicited commercial email (UCE), unrequested email and more.

Here is a quick check list of things that would possibly be considered spam:

=>Sending advertisements, solicitations, or any type of mailing that was not requested (even if only sent to a single person)

=>Posting advertisements for your web site in news groups, bulletin boards, or any other public medium where such posts are not appropriate

=>Having other people do either of above.

Most Internet Service Providers and web hosting companies are anti-spam. They have to be because of severe consequences of being labeled tolerant of spam, and, particularly being listed on Realtime Blackhole List maintained by Mail Abuse Prevention System LLC (MAPS).

In skit there is a table of Vikings singing, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam. While skit does arouse laughter, receiving of spam e-mail usually does not do same for our demeanor.

It is rare inbox which hasn't been visited by some sort of un-wanted message containing anything from get-rich-quick schemes to Cyber-Porn.

Most email browsers or accounts allow a person to use blocking or filtering mechanisms which send junk mail directly to trash bin.

Professional spammers use sophisticated software that actually spiders Internet gleaning e-mail addresses from Web sites.

If you have ever filled out an online survey, your e-mail address has most likely ended up on a for sale list of targeted buyers.

While most spam and postal junk mail is annoying, it can have some benefits. Running an online business requires us at times to be effective ad writers. Immediately deleting all this junk mail means you are throwing way an opportunity to learn ad strategies.