[Aunt Clara]

Every time you disclose your email address in any public website you run the risk of ending up in some spammer's list. This is not a flaw in our website, spammers scan the internet searching for email addresses. They search all public websites.

They do this by finding strings of characters that have the conventional email structure. That is any consecutive string of characters with the symbol @ and an ending of .com, .net, .gov, etc.

Only other members of our site may see your email in your profile, and that is if you chose to disclose it. We have private messaging, which I suggest you use to communicate privately with other members instead of disclosing your email in the public forums.

If you must give your email in the public forums (which not even I do anymore) I suggest you use the following convention:

1. Split the email address so the characters are not consecutive.
2. Substitute the word at for the symbol @.
3. Substitute the word dot for the symbol ..

Like this:
*Instead of billgates@microsoft.com
Write billgates at microsoft dot com

On a different note, if someone is abusing the private messaging system, and you receive spams, offers to buy or sell things, or are generally bothered by another member, please forward the message to me and I'll see that it stops.


*With my excuses to Mr. Gates if that is indeed his email address.

[Aunt Ilana]

Poor Bill, all the spam he's going to get as a result of Aunt Clara's mischief!