Hello there!

Sometimes, I receive e-mails from members that contact me outside LQ.org with questions. It can be really everything: Fixing redhat boot-loader, installing Linux on a PS3... even telling where I got a Nightwish wallpaper ^_^;;

That is quite fine and I am more than happy to help when I can (as in the case of the Nightwish wallpaper). However, I have no idea about the other two questions. I would like to reply to those members and tell them to open a thread here regarding those issues (which is what they should have done anyway), but at the same time, I don't want to give out my e-mail. I am very happy not receiving any spam at all for years and I would like to keep it that way.

So question: How can I reply to a member that contacts me through a mail form from this forum without giving away my private e-mail address. If that is not possible, we/you could think in a way to do that.

Just to make clear: I'm not planning to steal members from this forum(in fact, I want to teach them that creating threads here is the very best way), but I don't want to give my private e-mail away. I also don't think it is nice to not reply them at all

What to do?

Regards!

Do what I do: create a free email with random address, set display name to your nick or real name, and set it as profile mail on LQ or just answer to mails with that return address. If something goes wrong, you can abandon it and get a new one. Don't forget to kill old mailbox, so when someone tries to write, there will be a bounce notice about nonexistent user name (that will be no problem as LQ will allow to send you private message to your new address).

The problem with allowing anonymous outgoing email is that is would be almost immediately abused.

--jeremy

I don't get the point about abuse. Let every message sent to profile e-mail from site contain random salt - stored for a month in a database - that allows personally me send a message to that user (who has already sent a message to me through site - I guess it counts as explicit consent to exchange messages). How this can be abused in such a way that another places of site cannot be abused in the same way? Message will be signed with a link to my public profile.

Jeremy-

Please advise how delete a posting

TIA

Mike

Go to www.spamgourmet.com

Create an account. It is free.

Click on Advanced Mode.
Click on " send a message from one of your disposable addresses "
Follow instructions.

I believe the above will do exactly what you want/need.

This is not the most basic use of the free service though. The most simple, basic use is excellent in and of itself!
You'll understand after you visit the site and read about the basic idea. You have to do some more reading there to find all the functions that it can perform.

In my experience with it, it works like a dream. It sure beats creating a bunch of Hotmail or Yahoo accounts as "disposable" email accounts.

I hope this helps.

raskin, anonymous outgoing email could be abused in a variety of ways. It's not something we'll be looking into implementing.

hope1, please do not highjack threads with unrelated posts. Posts can not be deleted.

--jeremy

I know a lot of ways to abuse anonymous outgoing e-mail. I was interested specifically how anonymous e-mail reply can be abused.