Spam is a word that is understood in context. In context of email, it is as you say. In context of meat, it is as you buy in the can in the grocer. In context of a forum, it is useless posting with no relevant statements, and to some it is to increase their post count.

Sir Spectre

Spam is tasty stuff that comes in a can.
It is excellent fried.


I would guess it is at more than TLR, but I havent checked the other forum I go to lately.

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Heh heh. Big words look big. Big words funny. Big words make Grog's head hurt.

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Anyway, it seems like 'spam', on most internet forums or bulletin boards I've visited means pretty much 'posts with little useful content often with a purpose to either increase one's post count or for annoyance.'

Erg... I'm not really good at explaining. Spam doesn't mean just off-topic posting, but useless posting too. (Ie: a thread titled: 'I love Pickles!' and the body of the post is "Pickle! Pickle pickle pickle pickle! They're so guud and yuumy!" would be spam, even if it's on a board dedicated to pickles.)

Jeez! There I go again! I severely lack cohesion in my posts. Then I'm too afraid to delete it all.

Anyway. It isn't something isolated to TLR, as I've seen it used simlarly on other boards. It also is used differently. There's "unsolicited e-mail", "off-topic posting", "meat 'product' " (with 'product being used loosely ), and as an enourmous amount of a particular item. (ie: He 'spammed' MSN messages at me; or some game related things like 'missile spam', referring to a lot of missiles being fired indiscriminately)


Well, I hope you can wade through that and find what I meant to say. Oh, well.

Edit: Jeez! I thought I would have been the first to post, but apparantly I'm too slow a typer. (And thinker.)
Sir Spectre defines it much more clearly than I do.

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Why make your own mistakes when someone else has already made them for you?
-Learn from the skeletons floating in the piranha pool: NO SWIMMING!


Edited by - Whasp Commander on 15-12-2003 03:33:33

It is a delicate question. Useless doesn't cut it, because in some eyes this whole forum is useless. Better imo to have a definition of what is not spam:

Posting content relavant to any post in the thread as long as it contains some new input, be it your own opinion. If such a post is for example 6 pages back, a quotation may be necessary to avoid confusion. Such a post could (imo!) be considered off topic, but not spam.

Here are just some things that qualify as spam:
-Posts consisting of (for example): "lol"
-Un-inteligible posts
-Somthing like the afore mentioned "I love pickles thread", although with some creativity you could buy such a thread a few days of life at least
-A total topic change without provocation in the form of another post. (Had there been "provocation" it would than be hijacking, still a no no)
-And, what mu//et did, naturaly

I for one shall be interested to read Wizard's definition...

Strange that a thread about spam brings Whasp Commander back
Where have you been?

Anyway, spam sucks @$$.

Spam: Synchronised Personnallized Automatically-generated Message

Edit: Damn spelling.

Daft Vader - I am your father.
sS - Noooooooo! I demand a DNA-test.
---------------------------------------------------------------
They call me spammer, but you may call me Master.
It's better to chase a rabbit then to catch a hare...

spam goes in sandwiches as well

It is better to aim for the stars and hit the tops of the trees than to aim for nothing and hit it dead on.

HAve any of you heard of Wierd Al's song spam? if you haven't listen to it it introduces you to the world of spam lovers

If life is unfair how come I haven't won yet?

Thanks guys, I believe that I understand the concept now. I do however, find it quite ironic that there are a number of posts in this topic that could be considered spam. No I'm not going to provide examples, have a look for yourself and tell me that you agree (or disagree).

Whasp - Thanks for the reply, and good to meet you! By the way, I wouldn't say that your posts lack cohesion. You should see some of the other posts around the boards (shudder) .

BEvilR - I am familiar with Weird Al, unfortunately I have not heard the song you are referring to. My knowledge begins and ends with the 80's parodies such as "King of Suede", "The Rye or the Kaiser", etc.

Actually, before I forget, the notion of someone bumping up their number of posts through spam never really occurred to me. Is rank really that important to some people?

By the way, I'm a 'Captain'. "Make it so."

Esquilax

============================================================
The above post is true, and by true I mean "false". It's comprised of lies, but they are entertaining lies and in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is "no".

Spam's just posting something that's already been said or has no meaning. Take a look at some of Ryan100's posts for some examples .

@ esq, unfortunatley some people think it gives them privilages.

It is better to aim for the stars and hit the tops of the trees than to aim for nothing and hit it dead on.

Meet me? No, you didn't. I was never here.

*pooof*

Dafty: I was never really gone. It's just somebody glued the switch to my lurk-device to 'on.'

Hey! You're not Dafty anymore! Dangit! I'll have to call you Fivey now.

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Why make your own mistakes when someone else has already made them for you?
-Learn from the skeletons floating in the piranha pool: NO SWIMMING!

Whasp - Looks like you're here to me .

By the way, I'm now a "Flight Captain"! Yesssss!!!! More power for me!!!!

Esquilax

============================================================
The above post is true, and by true I mean "false". It's comprised of lies, but they are entertaining lies and in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is "no".

120 posts? tss, I write 120 in one day. Big deal. Try getting 2370 posts

@Whasp:

Edit: Damn spelling.

Daft Vader - I am your father.
sS - Noooooooo! I demand a DNA-test.
---------------------------------------------------------------
They call me spammer, but you may call me Master.
It's better to chase a rabbit then to catch a hare...

Edited by - Nickless: Episode V on 16-12-2003 08:55:47

Speaking in terms of Mail Spam. Does anyone know or heard of any statistics as to how effective Spam mail is as an advertising medium? I've always wondered about that.