In this case, I'm fine with seeing spam in my inbox

Use of the word in subject lines sparks email etiquette discussion

An email etiquette issue has arisen here in the office regarding a relatively new custom practiced by some co-workers here at IDG Enterprise.

Computerworld's Joyce Carpenter threw down the gauntlet via Twitter:

Just in case it isn't clear, what she's referring to is the placement of the word "spam" at the beginning of the subject line on email sent to everyone in the office, with the message most often being about the sender's need to sell unwanted sports tickets or solicit donations for a favorite charity. Here are examples from my own inbox.

Personally, I appreciate being spammed in this manner. Seeing the word spam in the subject line tells me immediately that this email is not a matter I must attend to immediately. In fact, it pretty much assures me that I don't need to open it at all, given the price of sports tickets and my limited budget for charity.

And while the use of "spam" in this manner has indeed become something of mini-meme here, there really isn't all that much of it, especially when measured against the PR spam and plain old spammy spam that rolls into my inbox every hour.

Yet I can certainly appreciate Carpenter's point, too. 

Anyone care to chime in?

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