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pageoneresults
Posts: 1001
From: Orange, CA USA
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Hide Email Addresses on Websites (prevent Spam) - 5/13/2003 15:51:38
Back in the beginning of my web design career (late 1995), having an email address on every page of your web site was a big plus. At that time, it was all about being able to contact someone via email as quickly as possible.
With the growth of the Internet and computing in general, this practice may not be as rewarding as it once was. Using plain html email addresses on websites these days is an invitation to join every email spam list that scrapes the web for email addresses.
Over the past year or so, I' ve been slowly converting all of my clients sites so that there are no physical email addresses listed. The amount of spam being received by these clients due to having their email address posted publicly on their websites, was just too much. I received more requests for " How do we stop this from happening" that it was time to take a stand.
My Solution
Build a contact form and custom confirmation page in asp. Utilize an asp confirmation script that works with your email program (we use ASPMail). Then, in your bottom navigation element, usually where an address and contact information is listed, include a link that reads Contact Us. This link goes to the custom contact form. You can do anything you want with asp built forms, much more than the standard FP form. You can even send to multiple recipients such as cc and bcc, it' s really cool!
If a visitor to your site is interested in contacting you, they will take the time to fill out your contact form. Not only does it help prevent spam, it also looks much more professional if you' ve designed your forms and confirmation pages correctly. Go ahead, STOP THE SPAM, start thinking about new ways of protecting your clients coveted email addresses!
< Message edited by Spooky -- 9/26/2003 12:30:47 AM >
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Andy from Spain
Posts: 922
From: Ipswich
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/13/2003 17:31:52
Hi
I' d have to disagree a little here - I don' t think you can ever have enough contact with the people visiting a site - chanelling everyone through a standard contact form may well be counter-productive - fears of being added to to a mailing list, fields not allowing for enquiry but above all the ease of clicking on an email link whilst viewing a page.
I' m sure you know of other ways of stopping email harvesting, there' s a post in this forum about it (unfortunately I can' t find it now) but using that and a utility like Spamnet I think is the way to go - I' d rather have 20 spam mails for every person that can contact me through a mail link - really that' s my problem rather than the user' s. I really don' t think that availability to the user has changed since 1995.
Cheers
Andy
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pageoneresults
Posts: 1001
From: Orange, CA USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/13/2003 17:45:23
Good point Andy! But, if you have a link to your Privacy Policy from the Contact Form, it usually offers a little comfort to the visitor. I also add comments like...
" This form is used to contact us at [Company Name]. This is not an email harvester. Please review our Privacy Policy if you have any concerns."
...or something to that effect. I' m not real fond of all the other solutions that have been discussed concerning the hiding of email addresses on web sites. I haven' t really delved into them that much either so I cannot give any honest feedback on the processes. I do know that the Contact Us form has worked well in those cases where I' ve put it in place. We' ve minimized the amount of spam being received by those email addresses that were used on the sites previously.
The Contact Form also provides an avenue to insure that the visitor enters the appropriate information you need to answer an inquiry. I' m sure there will be many who feel the same way you do, and hopefully a few who are like me and want to have a guaranteed way to prevent spambots from harvesting email addresses from websites.
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abbeyvet
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/13/2003 18:31:13
I have increasingly seen something like the following on sites:
Email: info at sitename dot com
(printed to avoid spam)
which I am begining to think is not a bad solution.
I have to agree with Andy here, I will use forms but perversely am less inclined to use them if there is not also an email address available, for the very reasons Andy mentions.
< Message edited by abbeyvet -- 5/13/2003 6:31 PM >
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pageoneresults
Posts: 1001
From: Orange, CA USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/13/2003 18:47:02
Okay, let me add to this. On the Contact Us page, there is a paragraph that reads...
If you prefer not to fill out the form below, you may send an email directly to [Company Name]. Please indicate the nature of your request, first name, last name, and telephone number.
The [Company Name] is hyperlinked to the email address which has been converted to ascii code. The address is not visible unless you hover over the link and look at your browser status bar or click the link which then opens your mail program and shows the info@ address. I' ve always used info@ addresses as long as I can remember. We also use any other number of aliases which can be easily discarded if spam becomes an issue.
I guess I should have added to my tip that the email address should not be advertised on every page. Limit it to the one Contact Us page and then incorporate any of the spam techniques that have been mentioned here or in other topics that Andy mentions. You should include the Contact Us link on every page of the site. This would replace the standard email address that most people use. Direct the user to the Contact Us form, if they don' t want to fill it out, they have the option of sending a plain email by clicking on the spam resistant link.
< Message edited by pageoneresults -- 5/13/2003 6:49 PM >
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Shirley
Posts: 3127
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From: Omaha, Ne USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/13/2003 19:53:51
<SCRIPT type=" text/javascript" language=" javascript" >
<!-- Begin
a=" shirley" ;
b=" outfront.net" ;
document.write(' <a href=\" mailto:' +a+' @' +b+' \" >' );
document.write(a+' @' +b+' <\/a>' );
// End -->
</SCRIPT>
I think this works.
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pageoneresults
Posts: 1001
From: Orange, CA USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/13/2003 20:04:58
Thanks Shirley! Okay, now how do I get that to work using an external js file? What should the link code (<a href=" >) look like?
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xeerex
Posts: 77
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/14/2003 16:50:23
Excellent script Shirley! I actually put mine in an ASP page and just include the asp anywhere I need it.
I suppose the only disadvantage would be if a user has Active Scripting disabled in their browser, but I suppose those are very few and far between.
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pageoneresults
Posts: 1001
From: Orange, CA USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/14/2003 17:24:56
xeerex, would you be kind enough to share your asp script with us? I like the JavaScript solution but, there are an increasing number of users who have JavaScript disabled.
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Anthropomaxian
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/14/2003 22:28:06
On one of my websites (currently down) I created an actual image (.jpg) of the email address and used the java hide script
I don' t think it is wise to use the " Email: info at sitename dot com" unless all of the viewers to the site are smart and very web lingo savy
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CapnCook
Posts: 48
From: A Mancunian in Toronto
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/15/2003 12:17:50
A variation on Shirley' s script, which adds in a message subject line, and also places a comment on the page, is as follows:
<script type=" text/javascript" >
user =" skipper"
domain =" searoom.com"
subCon =" Comment from Searoom Website"
document.write(' <a href=" mailto:' + user + ' @' + domain +' ?subject=' +subCon+' " ' +' >Contact Us</a>' );
</script>
I' m sure I first found this script here on the forum somewhere!
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kmsvet
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/15/2003 23:04:40
Please excuse my ignorance... How does one go about setting up this system of putting the javascript etc (as described by Shirley) into webpage and what does one write on the actual " normal view" for your email address? Again don' t shoot me down - I' m only a novice!
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Shirley
Posts: 3127
Joined: 1/8/1999
From: Omaha, Ne USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/15/2003 23:27:11
all you need to do is copy the script
paste it into notepad
change the email address to yours
copy again and paste into html view where ever you want it to appear.
No need to put anything in normal view.
This part is not required
You only need it if you want to use external .js
quote:
save it as email.js and put this in html
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=" JavaScript" SRC=" email.js" ></script>
< Message edited by shirley -- 5/16/2003 8:06 AM >
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Rewired
Posts: 186
From: Augusta GA USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/22/2003 11:21:02
If you hyperlink a name or title to the email address
Click here for tech support will the bots still pick it up?
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abbeyvet
Posts: 5095
From: Kilkenny Ireland
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 5/22/2003 11:27:15
quote:
If you hyperlink a name or title to the email address
Click here for tech support will the bots still pick it up?
Yes. they read the HTML, not the page as seen in a browser.
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Claire
Posts: 7
Joined: 3/20/2002
From: Hamburg AR USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 6/13/2003 14:57:03
I' m officially classified as a newbie, since I don' t know html, don' t use it, and don' t create commercial sites. I do a site for a school.
Just having my email as webmaster on the home page of my site has generated more spam than I have time to deal with. I' m looking for a good alternative, since I do receive legitimate emails. Unfortunately, I don' t even know what asp is, except for a snake....
I' d love to learn, though!
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Texjd
Posts: 123
From: Houston, Texas
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 6/18/2003 13:20:52
I always hid the actual email address on any site I do these days due to
all the d@!#$ spiders out there sucking down addresses to spam to.
But these clowns have figured out a new method. I have a catch all address
on all my sites. This catches any mispellings on the front end of the email
addresses and comes in real handy.
The problem is that these spam jerks figured out that you could just use
a generic (webmaster@whatever.com) and someone would receive the email.
I get these all the time and I hate them. I don' t want to filter due to the
nature of the deal so I' m screwed. Try getting about 2-300 spams a day
intermingled with legit email. Makes for quite a mess and a pain.
So even if you hide your email addresses, if you use a catch all they' ll find you.
Before it' s all said and done email is going to morph into some kind of controlled
messaging. The spam is just getting to far out of control. I' ve read that up to
40% of all email now is spam. That sucks.
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xeerex
Posts: 77
Joined: 5/9/2002
From: Texas
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 6/18/2003 13:24:25
quote:
xeerex, would you be kind enough to share your asp script with us? I like the JavaScript solution but, there are an increasing number of users who have JavaScript disabled.
Sorry for the delayed response. I meant that I put the javascript in a separate asp file and just include that asp file anywhere needed. Putting an asp include is a little easier than putting the javascript each time. Also, you could create asp pages for different email addresses and just include them " at will" , although I suppose using a function and just calling the function may be a little easier.
I' m not sure that you can create an ASP solution easily since the bots don' t read the asp source code, they read the processed code just as the browser displays. There has to be a way to use an asp function though.....hmmm.
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bobby
Posts: 11394
Joined: 8/15/1969
From: Seattle WA USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 6/18/2003 15:42:01
The attachment is a very basic CDONTS script...
Just change the file extension to .asp, change the page name to anything you like, and then build a web page with a form that submits three pieces of info, a name, email address, and message to that ASP page.
(it can' t be a Front Page component form, they don' t work well with ASP... must hand code... but the form page can be .htm)
<form method=" post" action=" pagename.asp" >
Next, near the top of the attachment there is a commented section for " set mail defaults"
The name is obvious, that' s you.
The email address is where you want it to be sent
The server email address needs to be an email account on the server/domain from which the mail will be sent...
(this script also copies the sender on their email)
IMO, unless you do a lot of ASP coding or have a compelling reason to do something like this, the JS version is far easier...
 Attachment (1)
< Message edited by bobby -- 6/18/2003 3:43:14 PM >
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Charles W Davis
Posts: 1725
Joined: 3/7/2002
From: Henderson Nevada USA
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 7/5/2003 14:21:02
Hello all.
I believe that I must back the forms resolution. Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity(?) to change my e-mail address due to the ISP changing.
My former address was of this form: name@lvcm.com
The new address was of this form: first.last@cox.net
I have used the script that Shirley posted. Within three days, I was receiving spam to the new address.
My assumption is that when someone posts a nice alternative, the spammers glom on to it quickly.
The FTC here in the U.S. will begin enforce a " do not call" program to my telephone after 130 years. However, they are baffled as to how to stop spammers.
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caywind
Posts: 1479
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 7/6/2003 4:34:38
I try to present the options, and then set it up the way they want. I prefer forms, most of the clients say both
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xeerex
Posts: 77
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 7/6/2003 20:41:32
I' m happy to report that my " spam-o-meter" appears to have leveled off since changing to the email script type wherever possible.
Chuck, I looked at your source code for the FP form that you have set to your new cox.net address. I bet its chuck.davis@nospam.net (leaving out the real domain to be nice to the spam gods)? Take a look at your source code my friend:
S-Email-Format=" TEXT/PRE" S-Email-Address=" chuck.davis@nospam.net"
There' s your new spam problem......again edited for the spam gods.
Now here' s a question for you. Why not use your domain as the email address rather than relying on your ISP, which is highly subject to change?
As far as the " no call database" by the FTC, I will certainly sign up for it. The truth is that those annoying phone calls have really begun to subside over the past serveral years due in part, I think, to the economical advantages of spam. Plus, technologically, its going to be a hell of a lot more diffucult to control spam/email than to regulate telephone calls. There' s a huge difference there.
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Charles W Davis
Posts: 1725
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 8/12/2003 19:36:40
quote:
xeerex
Thanks for the heads up on the e-mail address in the form. I have changed it to the domain address.
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Air_Crowell
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 8/16/2003 22:15:48
I have a question on to how I can use a form like you have discussed on this post to send email from a website. However, I want the form to be able to be sent to different users depending on a name that the visitor selects in a dropdown menu at the top of the form.
A cool, but not necessary feature, would be to be able to select multiple names.
I was thinking of having the emails stored in a js file and pulling the email variables and submitting the form, but I would need a special handler I would think. I dont know very much about javascript so any suggestons would be great. Thanks.
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xeerex
Posts: 77
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From: Texas
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RE: Email Addresses on Websites - 8/16/2003 22:22:05
You could do all of that in ASP (or .NET). I imagine it would not be easy in FP without some addons.
Try digging around in www.w3schools.com and www.4guysfromrolla.com as there is a wealth of ASP, form, cookie, and all manner of information.
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