If you've been around the interenet any length of time then you probably know what spam is. However, if you're new to the internet you might be asking yourself the question "What is Spam?"

The best place to begin would be to explain to you exactly what spam mail is. Spam is basically just unsolicited commercial emails that companies send to your inbox.

There are a lot of ways these companies get your email address. You may have signed up for a newsletter or promotions with one of them, or you may have ordered a product or service that requires registration from a website first.

It is common for companies to share their mailing lists with their affiliate companies. It's one of the benefits to having affiliations. The only problem is that most companies hide this knowledge in their 'terms and agreements' of their websites. They count on the fact that most people do not read all the way through them. Of course since it is mentioned somewhere in their website, it is perfectly legal.

The average person can expect to receive anywhere from ten to twenty spam's a day in their inbox; depending on how many promos and registrations they fill out. Once a person accepts or opens an unsolicited email, they become plagued by receiving six more in its place. It is a vicious cycle.

As the internet has reached its peak popularity during the past couple of years, so have companies followed suit and expanded their abilities to advertise. The biggest problem is that they don't know when to stop advertising.

The best place to begin with this manual is to give you a list of some of the things that you may do that will leave your inbox vulnerable to receiving spam.

? Filling out a registration for an online newsletter is a common way for companies to use your inbox to advertise.

? Registering your inbox for promos and contests.

? When installing new software it is common to register your email address for updates, but it is also leaving yourself open to spam.

? Signing yourself up for just about anything online is leaving yourself open to receiving spam.

? Reviewing books online generally requires that you provide your email address.

One Common factor in all of these things listed is that you have to volunteer your email address to a company before it can be used. Of course, there are ways for a company to get your email address without you having to give it to them directly.