Spam is annoying and dreadfully hard to get rid of once you have it.  For more bad news, read the latest from Ars Technica:

The spam deluge has been drenching e-mail inboxes for years, but in 2007 the Internet cloud looks set to unleash a flood of downright biblical proportions. New research from IDC claims that this will be the year in which spam outnumbers person-to-person e-mail for the first time.

Spam to overtake human-issued e-mails in 2007

John C. Dvorak, one of my favorite and one of the more controversial tech columnists, wrote this thought-provoking article for PC Magazine about why email auto-responders are an unnecessary annoyance. Although he usually makes a good argument, I can't say that I agree with him 100 percent. See for yourself!

Stop Using AutoReply!! - Columns by PC Magazine

Small Business Fighting Big Spam - New York Times
Small businesses can have just as much unsolicited junk mail clogging their mail servers as do larger corporations, but often lack the human and software resources of the bigger companies to fight it as effectively. But there are some options for fighting back.

How do you sign your emails?  "Best,"?  "Warmly,"? "xoxoxo,"?  According to an article in the New York Times today, those little words you choose to use above your name at the closing of an email have a lot of weight.

NYT: 'Yours Truly', the E-Variations

There is a great series of articles on the 43 Folders Blog about dealing with your email inbox effectively. I've found that many of my clients are perpetually in a state of "email overload" and the tips contained in these articles are invaluable.

43 Folders: Inbox Zero Series