Spamming The Internet ...Are YOU the next Vicitim?

By Debbie Solomon
Posted Wednesday, December 8, 2004

When you hear the word SPAM, what comes to your mind? Is the term worse then the meaning? This word SPAM has been blown out of proportion. It is causing unbelievable hysteria on the internet.

Many businesses are spending more and more time each day getting frustrated, yelling at the spammers, and reporting the spammers.
-Is it really worth it?
-Is there a way OUT?

Unfortunately we will never get rid of spam. It is like getting rid of the junk mail in your mailbox. It is always there. You can bank on it almost everyday. It is the same way with SPAM. As long as you have any kind of existence online, your email box will be littered with SPAM.

There is a way to cut a lot of it out though. Ever since I got my new email server, I have had very little spam in my email box. Sure I get one or two a day, but it is not like it used to be.

So, HOW do we get rid of SO MUCH spam mail?

The BIGGEST CULPRIT of Spam is FFA LINK pages. Now, I know many people feel that since they agreed to receive this junk mail in exchange for placing their link that it is not spam. Well, SPAM is basically unwanted EMAIL. Do you WANT to receive all these emails?

Many business who host an FFA LINK page do it for one reason and one reason only - FOR YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! I am not saying ALL FFA Link pages do this, but MOST of them do. If you submit to FFA LINK pages, you can be guaranteed at least 100 emails a day. And then all the follow-up emails after that, so it is never-ending. You will be automatically subscribed to ezines and newsletters, which you never personally subscribed to. But somewhere on the FFA page in real small writing is your agreement. In fact, a lot of these newsletters even put on top of their publication that you have agreed to receive this newsletter by subscribing, corresponding with them, or placing your LINK on their FFA page.

Of course the owners of FFA Pages will not agree with me. But, if you want complete honesty- -you will not increase traffic to your site. -you will not reach thousands and millions of people to view your ad. -you will not even be able to keep your link there for more than one day.
(and that is good for FFA pages. Normally you are off within hours).

-So WHY post to FFA sites when you are off of them in hours or a day? -So WHY post to FFA sites when your email box is flooded with Emails? -So WHY post to FFA sites to gain exposure when all you get is hundreds of emails selling their product?

-Don't you want people to read about YOUR product? -Don't you want people to see YOUR link? -Don't you want people emailing you about YOUR product?

FFA LINK pages do you more harm than good. The time and energy you spend at posting to these links, could be time and energy spent on doing something productive for your business. These pages are there only to get your email address. Many of these pages have members who pay to get your email address and spam you. These are called, "Opt-In email Lists for SALE, or for RENT". That is where many of these companies get their addresses. Don't get me wrong, I am sure there are legit ones out there, but they are few and far between.

People who do post to FFA LINKS will never read all the junk mail in their in-box, they just delete it. So what is the point? It is like a cat and mouse game that will never end. So, is that what you really want? Because it does not stop there. Your email address is added to spam databases, and posted to opt-in mailing lists (real "opt-in", huh?). NOW, your email address is a pawn for spammers. Every piece of software for harvesting email addresses will grab yours, and now your email address is for sale everywhere.

Do yourself a favor.... There are so many ways to do productive advertising. Stay away from FFA LINKS. You will make NO money, and you will be a VICTIM of constant SPAM. You will NEVER see a successful business entrepreneur posting to FFA Sites. Ask them where to advertise, they will tell you.

When I was a newbie, I submitted to every FFA link I could find. Gee, submitting your link to hundreds of thousands of possible clients? And for FREE? How could you go wrong? It was SO easy!

I would wake up the next morning with hundreds of emails in my box. In my opinion, YES< it is SPAM! Because I DO NOT WANT THEM! I posted to an FFA LINK page, that is all. I HAD to agree to receive some emails, but not HUNDREDS!!! That was the only way to get my link on the page! I was in for a rude awakening. Not one thread of business came through and I could not decipher what was JUNK MAIL, and what was business.

I literally had to get another email account. I do not touch FFA Pages, and I get an average of a few spam mails a day.
Everything else is business. I love it! I will never totally get rid of spam. In fact, now it is a pleasure, because I just reply with my AD. Anyone who does business online is guaranteed to receive some. But if you want to get rid of the hundreds of emails in your box, then STOP POSTING TO FFA Pages! They are, in fact, the biggest culprit of SPAM.

Most successful businesses have learned to stay away from FFA Pages. These practices are not part of a successful business. They are part of a desperate ploy to make money without spending any.

Now, not everyone will agree with what I am saying, however, the facts are in front of you. You decide whether you want to deal with all the junk mail. I, for one, can say that it is a pleasure doing business online, now that I do not have to wake up to hundreds of spammers.

You can save yourself a lot of headaches by NOT falling VICTIM to SPAMMERS!

About the Author
Debbie is the Creator of The HomeSource Arena, which is The Leading Source in Certified Home Employment, and owner of The Online Exchange Ezine, a Top Rated, world renowned Ezine.
Please visit her site at: (http://www.marketingtrendz.com) editor@marketingtrendz.com