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Have you ever wondered where the term "spam" came
from.
Don't worry, you're not alone. You are one of over tens of millions of people who surf the Internet, but have no
idea of where the word "spam" originated. Sure, you read the word "spam" countless times every
day. You probably have even used it in conversation.
We all know what "spam" refers to... unsolicited bulk e-mail. Junk e-mail. E-mail sent to zillions of
people who have not asked for it or requested to be on the particular mailing list of the sender.
And who sends spam? Who else but "spammers". Oh, those spammers. And they're everywhere.
There are tens of millions of people who surf the Internet. Internet traffic doubles every 100 days. And there
are over ten million business and personal websites.
Now here's the really big factoid(?): The word "spam" is used bazillions of times every hour (that number
has been confirmed by an actual physical count). With the word being used on web sites, in e-mail and in conversation
that many times per hour, do you know how many people actually know the true origin of the word? Practically none.
(Probably nobody!)
Here is one explanation:
The origin of this term is a comedy skit on Saturday Night Live in which a restaurant serves anything you want
as long as it is made of "Spam." It is the internet equivalent of junk mail.
That sketch was actually a takeoff of the original sketch by Monty Python (Read the Sketch).
Is "spam" actually an acronym of some sort? Nope. So, what is the REAL origin of the word "spam"
? Read on.
Here's the real (?) explanation of the origin of the word "spam."
Let us say that Puters R Us decides to spam 4 million people with e-mail about their 20% off sale, hoping to get
maybe 20 to 50 orders. How selfish! They're gonna bug 4 million people (plus waste tons of bandwidth) just for
a handful of orders.
Now open a can of spam. Flip it over and let the glob of meat plop into your open palm, goo and all. Now wind up
and throw the glob at the wall. What happens? Most of it bounces off. Some hits and then slides down. But a little
of it sticks. (if you are puzzled then re-read the previous paragraph)
Hope you enjoyed this little break from the serious studying that we're sure you are all doing, and by the way...
Don't ever Spam when Reselling
The BeastTamer!
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