What is SPAM? Here's a good article answering the question.
It's not an acronym, and originally, it had nothing to do with email. It was about posting repeated, meaningless, obnoxious, abusive, and silly content on electronic bulletin boards. It was childish, sophomoric behavior that, in retrospect, has seriously hindered legitimate group communication ever since, and goes to show that silliness is expensive, and how a few bad apples can ruin the whole barrel.
It's not an acronym, and originally, it had nothing to do with email. It was about posting repeated, meaningless, obnoxious, abusive, and silly content on electronic bulletin boards. It was childish, sophomoric behavior that, in retrospect, has seriously hindered legitimate group communication ever since, and goes to show that silliness is expensive, and how a few bad apples can ruin the whole barrel.
After the fact, an acronym was developed, sort of, in the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. It stands for [Non-] Solicited Pornography And Marketing. Understandably, it's focused on arresting deception and abuse.
Meanwhile, the well being of our country and our society depends on robust economic development which means, first and foremost, sales. The dilemma in sales is that vendors have an economic incentive to know more than customers know about the latest products and services.
The Inbound Marketing premise is flawed by the fact that customers can not search for what they don't know. Consequently, the responsibility to initiate and educate rests squarely on the shoulders of vendors. To do this, they must reach out. Email is one way they do that.
Meanwhile, the well being of our country and our society depends on robust economic development which means, first and foremost, sales. The dilemma in sales is that vendors have an economic incentive to know more than customers know about the latest products and services.
The Inbound Marketing premise is flawed by the fact that customers can not search for what they don't know. Consequently, the responsibility to initiate and educate rests squarely on the shoulders of vendors. To do this, they must reach out. Email is one way they do that.
Therefore, the next time you feel the urge to accuse a vendor of "spamming", please think again, remember Peter Thiel's reminder that regardless whether we admit it, in the final analysis we are all salespeople; and consider that the real offenders are not legitimate vendors trying to make a legitimate living supporting their families, educating the public about legitimate products and services; the real offenders are clowns and liars.
If the vendor who went to the trouble to offer you an informative message about a helpful product or service is not a clown or a liar, cut him or her a break and appreciate that he or she is trying to earn a legitimate living.
If the vendor who went to the trouble to offer you an informative message about a helpful product or service is not a clown or a liar, cut him or her a break and appreciate that he or she is trying to earn a legitimate living.
Salespeople are the vanguards of the economic development we all need to live. They are heroes. They take a lot of heat, abuse, rejection, and discouragement; they work long and hard with no guarantees.
We should thank them because as Red Motley once said, "Nothing happens until somebody sells something."
For a more thorough discussion of the importance of sales and of salespeople, please see the Benefits Manual.
We should thank them because as Red Motley once said, "Nothing happens until somebody sells something."
For a more thorough discussion of the importance of sales and of salespeople, please see the Benefits Manual.
Notes - Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells Something
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(1) Know what you are doing: understand how you benefit others.
(2) Believe in what you're doing. Example: selling zithers. Re-sell yourself on it.
(3) A professional want-creator uses common sense.
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Curating Emails
Facebook Reflection July 20, 2025
Facebook Reflection July 20, 2025
Recently, I bought a book about sales: Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Suby. The end game of the whole book is to build an email list.
Then I heard from an old friend today. He said he ignores his email because it has been overtaken by advertising and spam. The best way to reach him is via text. It is as if he has lost a battle and retreated to texting. To me that is like trading a Patriot missile system for a BB pistol.
And I thought, what a pity that he has allowed such a useful communication channel to be hijacked.
I know a lot of people in this situation. Overwhelmed. 10,000 or more messages in the in box. It's a kind of despair and, like I say, overwhelm.
Then I heard from an old friend today. He said he ignores his email because it has been overtaken by advertising and spam. The best way to reach him is via text. It is as if he has lost a battle and retreated to texting. To me that is like trading a Patriot missile system for a BB pistol.
And I thought, what a pity that he has allowed such a useful communication channel to be hijacked.
I know a lot of people in this situation. Overwhelmed. 10,000 or more messages in the in box. It's a kind of despair and, like I say, overwhelm.
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Have you ever seen image on the left? It's what appears on your phone when you're at Inbox Zero in Gmail, when you're no longer "in the weeds."
How does anyone like me attain Inbox Zero? How to win the battle? I've seen some people try to use folders, especially in Outlook. But they seem to fall behind because "Foldering" is a manual process. 
I stumbled upon a solution when I began experimenting with connecting my Gmail to QuickBase: It automatically "Folders" for me. I have contact records with a Gmail tab, and all inbound and outbound messages get routed there, permanently, because I have QuickBase make a copy of the emails - not everything, just the date, sender, subject, and hyperlink. If I ever want to read an email, I click the link and it sends me to Gmail.
In Gmail, I purge messages that are older than one year. I reckon after a year I'll probably not need to view a message again. If it's particularly noteworthy, like a business agreement, personal letter, something of legal consequence, something I might want to put in a book some day, I may pdf and archive it on my computer. This streamlines the import process from Gmail to QuickBase, keeps it pretty much glitch-free. If the Gmail collection piles up too much, I start getting import error messages. But aside from using a good CRM program (I use Karma), this "automatic Foldering" that QuickBase does for me is pretty much my secret for staying at Inbox Zero, my secret weapon. Email is here to stay. There was a time when some people thought it might be replaced by texting and social media, but no. Those channels skip along the surface; they're for short, quick, interactive messages. Email is for deeper and more thorough, professional work. So don't let life in a capitalist economy, where advertising is a necessary evil (although sometimes it can be entertaining when done well) and way of life, ruin your email. Fight back, and reclaim it. I can help with that. |
