Spam – Not the Monty Python type

After a naming contest in 1937, Hormel Foods came up with the name SPAM (SPiced hAM). The ingredient ? well here goes: Chopped pork shoulder, ham meat, sugar, salt, water, and sodium nitrite, a color preservative, often dubbed “mystery meat”. I fondly recall as a boy raised in a poor area of Glasgow thinking how lucky I was when my mum put SPAM as opposed to just JAM on my bread. If you had SPAM people in our scheme thought your were a snob. How times have changed !!

Who can say they like SPAM now or feel privileged to receive SPAM. The modern day electronic version is still a mix of ingredients and could now be dubbed “Mystery mail”. I despise, but can understand that there are professional SPAMMERS, typically trolling the Web for your email, then sending out their rubbish. I suppose in business and using the Web to advertise, it’s now just another cost to ensure you have good firewall protection and mailmarshall software.

What I hate though are those people that steal client lists or send me an email or newsletter when I have not asked them (the sender of the SPAM) to do so. There are rules to prevent this and complaints can be made, the problem is it’s just easier to delete. Even trying to “unsubscribe” can be a nightmare. Sorry Mum I don’t like SPAM anymore.