by Edie Melson
Spam on the Internet is a big no-no. The definition has changed somewhat over the years and now includes social media posts as well as email. No average Internet user would ever dream of intentionally spamming, but without care we can be guilty of spamming.
Why is it called Spam?
There are a lot of theories about where the term SPAM originated, one school of thought is that it originated from the computer group lab at the University of Southern California. Those there applied that honorific because it has many of the same characteristics as the canned version we find in super markets.
Another accepted opinion is that it came from the Monty Python son, “Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam” since, Internet spam is often repetitious and worthless.
Regardless of where the name came from, we all try to avoid receiving it, and definitely want to avoid sending it.
5 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Spammer
1. Don’t Click on Suspicious Links. These can be found in email, as well as on social media and can infect you with a virus that sends spam to your contacts. If you get an email stating they’ve seen a funny video of you and including a link, do NOT click on the link.
2. Don’t hit LIKE on Facebook. I’m not talking about liking an update from a friend. I’m talking about some posts that originate somewhere else. They can even be those heartrending posts that include a picture and ask you to support a cause. There’s been a Facebook picture of a precious little girl that has Down’s Syndrome. The post says the little girl is someone’s sister and the girl in the picture doesn’t believe she’s pretty. The sister posted this picture to get likes and prove she is beautiful. Anyone with a heart would click LIKE. But you shouldn’t!
These posts are generated by spammers. Unscrupulous people use these posts to inflate a Facebook page, which they can then turn around and sell to a business. You give power to spammers by helping them circumvent the Facebook algorithm. You’re also helping them exploit those pictured in these images, which are often used without permission.
3. Don’t use the automatic scheduling option. Many ancillary programs, like Hootsuite and Buffer give you the option of letting the computer determine when to send out your social media updates. Most of the time this won’t get you in trouble, but in a small percentage of times, it will. The computer decides when the majority of your followers are online and schedules your social media updates turning that timeframe. At times the computer can send out all your updates in a short span of time and result in hogging the stream or spamming.
4. Don’t send out email notification of blog posts to large groups of people. This is tempting, especially if the number of your blog subscribers is low. But sending out unsolicited email to advertise something is the definition of spam. An occasional email about a post to several friends is probably okay. But I urge to resist the temptation.
5. Beware of Facebook tagging. Tagging on Facebook is a good thing—when used wisely and sparingly. You can identify friends in photos, or draw their attention to a post that interests them. Where it can go bad is when someone goes freebie hunting. It’s easy to pick up Malicious Facebook Applications that uses tagging to spread or create spam. You’ve probably come across some of these if you’ve seen any posts that promise a change or something cool will happen if you repost a picture. To avoid getting caught in someone else’s scam, turn on Timeline Review. This allows you to review any post or photo and approve it before you are tagged.
These are all things that can help you avoid inadvertently offending your friends and followers by becoming a spammer. I’d love to know what type of spam irritates you the most!