If you are a web admin of any type of site, you have probably dealt with spam. I personally hate spam of all types. Email spam, forum spam, blog spam, popup spam, IM spam, MySpace spam, spyware spam… Did I mention I hate spam?

Most smart admins will ban spammers on the spot. No second chances, no warnings, just a quick and permanent ban. Some people spam without realizing it. Others try absolutely ridiculous methods of trying to disguise their spam. Somebody today spammed one of my sites with a message starting with “Dear Sir or Madam.” Now I don’t know about you, but immediately I was annoyed and deleted the message as well as banning the person on the spot. No legitimate member of any site would ever start a legitimate discussion with that. It’s the bottom of the bottom of the canned spam salutations.

Honestly though, there are ways to get your link out without actually spamming. Many forums will let you put links in your signature on each post you make. Many blogs let you comment and link to your site within your comment username. (Posting a link IN the comment text will almost always get flagged as spam though). The best way to “spam” without making people mad is to be subtle with how you promote your links. If you attempt to direct people to your site in any way then you are probably spamming. If you include your link as a signature or even as a post after making at least 25 to 50 posts unrelated to your site or “agenda” then most webmasters will probably let it slide.

The important thing to remember is spamming in some forms is very illegal. If you go to a message board and drop a load of you know what you could actually be looking at legal issues and fines if you live in the US. Most people think it is harmless, but, just wait until you spam somebody who knows about anti-spam laws. You could quickly be in over your head in trouble that you don’t really want any part in.