To help keep messages brief, electronic signatures should be kept simple. The purpose of an electronic signature is to help people locate the sender. A signature that is longer than the message itself is considered to be in bad taste. Spam, when used in reference to e-mail, means electronic garbage. Messages should only be sent to individuals known to the sender.
Flames are frequently a direct result of spamming.
A flame is an inflammatory message sent as a response to an unsolicited junk e-mail message. The Internet is full of e-mail hoaxes warning of dangerous new viruses, chain letters promising riches and fame to all who pass them on, and joke, after joke, after joke. All of these messages take up valuable storage space on computer systems, and waste an incredible amount of professional time and resources. Users are encouraged to think carefully before sending out a global message to a large group of people on campus. If it is inappropriate to send a message across campus using the WJU resources of paper, toner, and campus mail, then it is probably inappropriate to send the same message via e-mail.