This past fall, I taught an Internet Marketing class at a local college. The class was introductory, so I was prepared for the students to start with minimal knowledge of the topic. What I didn’t expect was to help them overcome a moral dilemma.

Asked during the first week what they thought internet marketing was, the students’ replies were mostly limited to labels like “Pop-up windows,” “Banner ads,” and “Spam.” They weren’t excited — they were uneasy. They thought they were going to learn how to do things they’d feel guilty for.

During the next ten weeks, we spent our Thursday evenings discussing a new approach to digital marketing — one built on asking permission, providing value and creating human connections. By the end of the term, the students were genuinely excited to put together their first internet marketing plans. And I thought — if we can do it for them, can we do it for the rest of the world?

Spam isn’t what you do. It’s how you do it.