©1997 Network World – January 27, 1997 Volume 14, Number 4.

I agree! Spam is not inherently a bad thing, though it’s often portrayed that way (Jan. 13, page 1.). It currently suffers from two major problems: the non-existence of an acceptable-use policy and lack of a sure-fire way for Internet users to remove themselves from mailing lists.

Before you fill up my mailbox with angry retorts, let's look at this phenomenon from a business standpoint. Die-hard, true-blue spam haters define spam as unsolicited E-mail -- period. The majority of Internet users define spam as unsolicited E-mail sent to a large number of people, or posted messages to several newsgroups that are unrelated to the stated purpose of said newsgroups.

Now, if I were a lawyer defending my client, I would claim that all these definitions are too broad to be accurate. Unsolicited E-mail could be considered, in the broadest sense, E-mail from anyone you did not expect to hear from. In a more narrow view, spam can be considered E-mail from companies whose sole mission of filling up your mailbox with junk E-mail.

As a businessperson, I need to market my wares in order to make money. I can advertise in magazines (or on Web sites) or have my tele-marketer call you (or send a fax, although that is now illegal in some states). Or I can utilize the time-honored mass mailing -- either via the U.S. Postal Service or via the Internet.

What do you do with all the junk mail you receive? I throw it out. With junk E-mail, I hit the lovely delete key. Presto, no more spam -- I mean, unsolicited E-mail.

Those with neither the time nor the inclination to hit the delete key may wonder what their options are. A good place to start is SPAMAD, a new mailing list that acts as a forum for discussing the problem of unsolicited advertising via E-mail and on Usenet, as well as potential solutions.

It is unmoderated but manages to stay on topic. To subscribe, send E-mail to listserv@internet.com and in the body type ``subscribe SPAMAD.''

Another suggestion proposes the creation of an accreditation process that rewards Internet service providers who take an active stance against spam mongers by allowing such ISPs to display an icon on their home pages similar to the blue ribbon denoting freedom of speech online.

Still another suggestion advocates enhanced E-mail programs that allow filtering. One example is the ListWasher by Peter Hartley (http://www.hartley.on.ca/). Marketers use this program to "wash out" domains that don’t want solicitations, as well as addresses registered with Hartley’s cancelbot. With ListWasher, users can remove themselves from -- or add themselves to – mailing lists.

Unfortunately, sending E-mail to cancelbots or to many spam originators doesn't always work. Many spam mongers use fictitious domain names or don't follow RFC specifications. And even if you do succeed in sending a ``Don't spam'' message, it may not stop them...yet. But in time, when this new venue matures, so will compliance with acceptable use.

In any event, while unsolicited E-mail can be exasperating, time consuming and for some, expensive, I'm still for it. This country is built on the premise of free enterprise, and the new Internet -- the commercial Internet -- is also built on that premise. So let's call spam free enterprise, set up equitable rules, enforce these rules and move on to more important topics -- like making money.

Spivak is president and owner of SBA * Consulting, an IT consulting firm, and SBA.NET.WEB, an Internet consulting company. He can be reached via the Internet at wspivak@sbanetweb.com.