The latest Web 2.0 term to come to grips with is BACN. When an email is not spam, but not really personal mail either, it's bacn.
According to Wired Magazine:
Invitations to join social networks are the new spam...
However some geeks in Pittsburgh disagree. They have coined the term 'bacn' to cover Facebook friend requests, Google alerts, Twitter updates, bill notifications, newsletters and so on.
Emails that you are expecting, and you do need, but somehow still seem like they are getting in the way of legitimate, important email, all can be classified as bacn, according to the rather self-satisfied inventors of the term.
As brands and other media explore ways of using social media platforms, they need to keep an eye on any unintended side-effects, such as email notifications that might tread the line between spam and bacn.
Still confused? View the public service announcement on YouTube. Somewhat paradoxically there is also a Twitter feed.
Put simply:
Bacn. It’s better than spam.
I'm still waiting for the bacn Flickr page and the Facebook group, but beware the inevitable buzzword backlash.
Do you think we need another email classification?
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Nathan McDonald
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 22 Jan 2009
Total Posts: 7
