I hate e-mail SPAM more than junk mail.

It floods my Inbox with poetic nonsense, or "urgent" appeals and makes it nearly impossible to find legitimate messages. The worst SPAM is from companies I trust; I ask for one newsletter and get five emails a day. And have you also received the lovely SPAM messages via Facebook?

There are laws to govern this – and some companies are filing suit to stop it. Three men are being sued by Facebook for scamming and phishing users, according to a recent story at ZDNetAsia.com. Earlier this month, a New Zealand man was fined more than $15 million for violations to the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. "The Godfather of SPAM" Alan M. Ralsky got four years in prison for his violations to the anti-spam law.

CAN-SPAM is important for any Internet marketer to know. Without knowing it, you could easily violate this law by sending too many emails to fans, or by sharing their information. You could also become involved in a case if your email or social network account is hacked and misused by spammers.

Tony Eldridge at Marketing Tips for Authors offers a terrific summary of the law on his blog.