Spam is the term for unsolicited email, or junk mail, that shows up in our mailboxes every once in a while. The term Spam comes from a Monty Python skit in which a cafe served Spam with all of their meals. For these characters, the Spam just kept on coming.

How they get your email address

Listed below are the most popular ways that an email address gets on a Spam mail list:

Web Page Harvesting

Condition: Computer programs search the web and read the computer source code that generates web pages. If there is a "clear text" version of an email address in the web page code, the harvesting program with grab that address.
Solution: Encrypt the email address in the web page code. This can be done easily with JavaScript. Add the JavaScript code below to your HTML code and your email address will be protected.

<script language="JavaScript">
<!-- //hide script
var sb_domain="domain.com"
var sb_user="username"
var sb_recipient = sb_user + "@" + sb_domain
var sb_url = "mailto:" + sb_recipient
document.write(sb_recipient.link(sb_url);
// --> </script> 

Replace "username" and "domain.com" with the appropriate email address username and domain name. This script will break up the email address in the web page code. The web browser will read the code and display the linked email address as a standard mailto: function in the displayed web page.

List Sharing

Condition: You have submitted your email address to a business or organization. For some reason, be it a dishonest employee or a financially desperate company, your email address gets sold along with others to a Spammer.
Solution: Give your email address only to trusting organizations. For added security, use a temporary address from a free web mail service. You can also use services that set up a temporary email forwarding address that will automatically expire in 30 days.

Guessing

Condition: Some Spam lists were created using random user names at valid domain names. Your email address matched a random sequence.
Solution: Do not reply to the Spam!

There are many other considerations regarding the control of Spam. For more information, check out the Fight Spam web site.

Tips for Tackling Spam (From ABCNews.com) It's unlikely that anyone who has an e-mail account and regularly uses the Internet will be able to live a spam-free life, but there are ways to manage the flood of unwanted e-mail. Here are a few: 1.  Divert It. Most free e-mail providers, such as Yahoo! or Hotmail, allow you to divert spam to a Bulk Mail or Junk Mail folder. Although this won't stop the spam from reaching you, it will keep most of it from getting mixed in with the mail you actually want to read. 2.  Don't Respond. Although you might feel as though you're beating spammers by clicking on an "unsubscribe" link that appears at the bottom of many spam messages, you're probably not. In many cases, this actually confirms to the bulk e-mailer that your e-mail address is legitimate. The spammer can then include your e-mail address in a database that it may sell to another bulk e-mailer. If the spam comes from a company you're familiar with, or have done business with, it's probably safe to click that unsubscribe link. If it's a company you're not familiar with, just delete the message. 3.  Check Out Filters. There are many services and software programs that filter out unwanted e-mail. Some popular ones include Spam Buster, MailWasher, and Popcorn. 4.  Don't Publicize Your Address. The more places you post your personal e-mail address, the more you're opening yourself up to spam. You may want to set up separate e-mail addresses for use on Internet bulletin boards, chat rooms and newsgroups. Spam will still arrive at those addresses, but you'll have kept it at arm's length. 5.  Break the Chain. As convincing or worthy or innocuous as many of them may seem, do not forward chain letters. If you want to send a poem to 10 friends, support more funding for NPR, or sign a political petition, do it on your own. Many spammers use chain letters as another way of collecting unique and current e-mail addresses. — Rogene Fisher, ABCNEWS.com

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