Website and Email address?

[dtfuzzy]

So I have been reading were when setting up a website with a "Email me here" link it is preferred to get a new address so you don't get spammed too much at your regular email acct? To those of you that have done it what do you prefer? Thanks
Dave

[Pete]

If you're using an email form that people type in (a html form), the user won't know what email address the web page code is sending the email too (it creates the email on the server filled with information that the user types in). This is the most secure way of doing this.

If, you have a mailto: tag and leave your email address open to the world (and web spiders), then you're asking for spam (it doesn't matter how often you change the email address to something different, it'll still keep coming).

[Froggeh]

however, you can always use a spam filter (spambeyes, spamassassin etc). I think at least having your email address in an obfuscated manner is the minimum for human reassurance, instead of a form that emails you.

Also, your account should have the same stuff after the @ sign as your web address has after the www. - hotmail or gmail or yahoo addresses are not a good way to show your professionalism.

cheers,

John.

[PeaceFire]

I use a form that people fill out and it gets sent to my inbox. On that form they have to fill in a "human" question. I've had that active for three months now, not a single piece of spam has made it's way to my inbox.

[ChrisRabior]

There's also a nifty coding trick that changes the mailto: code into a javascript that writes the code upon clicking (so email harvesters can't easily pick up on it).

I have all of my email sent to an address @ my website, checked via my gmail account, and that handles all of the spam that does manage to get through incredibly well.

[dtfuzzy]

Thank you all for the help now I just got to decide what route to go?

[dreamcatcher23]

We use a normal email address that isn't hidden in any way. The email address is about 3 years old. We have spamassasin set up on it (on some mid-range setting, can't remember what). We get about 1-6 spam emails a day and it's very rare the emails make it into the inbox, usually just the junk box. I'm quite happy to accept that amount of spam in return for customers having access to a proper email address and not a form.

[tim]

Use a form. I use a form, but my email address is shared to make it easy for people to contact me. Spam assassin catches almost all the spam, and rarely marks a real email as spam.

If you have your email hosted by google (search for "gmail for domains") their spam system works well too, and you can still have yourname@yourbusiness.com

[NickSimcheck]

What if you made an image your email address, and blended it with the background of the website. Nothing could pick up on that?

Ghetto I know, but I never click on an email address to send the message anyway (since I'm to lazy to switch it from the default outlook to gmail)

[Rubi Jane]

I'll be using a form on my new site once it's up but I'll also have my email in copy with a link. Personally I don't like to use forms when I send emails because most of them don't give you an option to send yourself a copy and you have no trace of the email. Granted some send a reply email but not often with the comments you placed in the form.
You could try both and use Google Analytics track which gets more clicks.

[dtfuzzy]

Wow a lot of good feed back thanks guys

Dave

[SirStuey]

You can set up a form, you can save your email as an image, or you can use javascript to mask your email by having it convert characters in real-time from their unicode designations. In other words, it's coded in the html file, but displays properly on the page - bots cannot usually catch these.

Also, yes, use a completely different email address than your personal one. You can always forward it to your personal email.

Personally, I prefer forms over email address links since I don't like the hassle of opening up my email client to send an email.