We live in a world where speed is key. Everything has to be bigger, better, faster, and so on. Time is money, so no one can afford to wait for anything. Unfortunately this development has enabled email to become ridiculously over-used and abused.

We all know that e-mail forwards can get you in trouble. Everyone has heard about the person [1] who forwarded a nasty email about their total drip of a boss to all their “close” friends only to have that person forward it to another person, who forwarded it yet again until that cute little note lands right in the boss’s in-box and the next thing you know there is a cute little pink slip in yours.

Overly dramatic? I don’t think so. Check out some of the worst spam I’ve received:

1. Political rants.
I for one am really sick of getting other’s people propaganda. Yes this is an important time to be involved in the political process, but hey, as a fully functioning adult, I can make my own decisions.

2. Scary chain emails.
You know the kind I mean—forward this to ten million friends in the next thirty seconds or a house will fall on your sister! I do not have the time or the desire to sift through these barely veiled threats to my eternal happiness. They fill up my in-box, carry viruses, and are just plain annoying!

3. Religious requests.
I know this might strike a nerve, but hey, I don’t need religious instruction from random folks. I am pretty comfortable with my mortality and can make my own decisions about my eternal resting location. Don’t send me forwarded prayer requests for little Susie in Guatemala who has X disease that can only be cured with my thoughts and prayers. If you really want to make change, volunteer, vote, and be an advocate for a legitimate cause. Don’t send me spam.

4. Ridiculous or inappropriate YouTube videos.
I love a good laugh as much as the next person, but most of the videos I receive are downright stupid. Also, most of these videos have been forwarded numerous times so that you may never know who the original sender was.

A note about email privacy: Please check your send to list. If you put your contacts in the CC line then everyone can see every address you send it to. Before you hit that forward key stop and think, do you really want your boss, or significant other, or even your grandmother to receive something you thought was funny but may be entirely inappropriate for them? Do you want them to see your entire contact list? If you must forward be discreet—use the BCC function!

By Kristina Summers Senior PR Specialist