Spam

Spam is an amalgamation of "Spice" and "Ham" (SPiced hAM), and was a trademark for a tin full of spiced ham.

Spam was incredibly popular in the mid-late 1980s, which led to Monty Python running a sketch on the product, which was based on their incredibly catching (and annoying) advertising slogan, which, basically, went "Spam Spam Spam Spam".

When internet advertising truly started in the early 1990s, the name "Spam" was chosen to reflect its similarity to the annoying advertising of the Spam product.

Spam the food is still sold today, although it is not as popular as it once was. Some people love it.

Spam, meaning unwanted internet advertising, is illegal in most jurisdictions.

Spam is often sent through mass e-mail techniques, can have a small worm that is sent alongside it, and then use other people's e-mail addresses to send it on further. Spam therefore works like a virus, although instead of destroying your computer it will send you large numbers of unwanted e-mails.

Common spam advertising products include:

• Viagra (or Cialis - the generic alternative to Viagra).
• Various pornography sites.
• Various Nigerian pyramid scheme scams.