First, please don't top post. If you don't know what that means, Google for it.
Get over it... sometimes it is important, other times it isn't.
Second, according to webster, their definition of SPAM:
unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses
The operative word here being UNSOLICITED.
Esthers message was NOT unsolicited, hence the definition you provided does not apply.
I receive emails requesting that I visit various sites, etc. some are trying to sell me something, others trying to impose their own philosophy on me. It makes no difference, it is still SPAM, and I report it as such. If I did not request it from you -- you meaning any email sender -- then it is SPAM.
Oh, so you request each and every message that comes in through the list? Did you request mine (this one)? If not, does that make it SPAM?
Mailing list are somewhat different of course. Unfortunately, they are being inundated with SPAM also. Someone signs up and immediate sends their garbage to the list subscribers. Reporting them as SPAM can be problematic unfortunately.
Again - you are correct, with regard to true spam, which Esthers was not.
Thanks, Esther, for a well-written and relevant article, and for letting us know when it was finished.
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Best regards,
Charles