Email addresses and spam in Classifieds & forums
Several people have contacted us about spam or scams after placing ads in the Classifieds, posting in the Discussion forums or Yellow Pages, or using email addresses or web site url’s as usernames. It is worth repeating an earlier post.
In this version of Briar Press, when you place an ad or a comment in the Discussion, a link to a contact form for your username is automatically included. We do not display email addresses.
All visitors can view the ads and Discussion, but only registered users can respond, because these links are not visible to non-registered users.
However, if you include your email address anywhere in the listings and Discussion, all viewers and bots can use these addresses to send spam or scam messages. Email addresses and url’s can not be used for usernames.
We have been quite successful in eliminating and/or blocking users who abuse the system, but please be aware of the fact that if you include an email address in your listing, we have no control over who contacts you.
The editors have the right to remove this information in the body of listings when deemed unnecessary. Please respect the rights of people who may not wish to have their email address published.
For additional information on how to contact a member offline, see How to contact a Briar Press member.
Thank you for the advice.
Thankyou for your advice, also.
Hi. I dont quite understand. Do I have to do somthing to get the answear? This is not a spam.
Arni - When you post a comment on the site, you don’t have to do anything else. Everyone can read it and post additional comments. If your username is your real name, they will see your name, but will not be able to see your email address. If they wish to contact you directly rather than leaving a public message, they can click on the green username which will take them to a link that says “Contact Arni Helgason.” It is best to use this link for personal communication and not post public messages unless they are of interest to everyone.
As explained above, a form will appear and a registered member can send you a message. They will not receive your email address unless you choose to respond. If you think a message is spam, there is no need to respond and your privacy is protected.
If you include your email in your ad or comment, registered, non-registered visitors or automatic bots can view it and send spam. This is why we suggest not using an email address as your username, and not incuding an email address in any post or ad.
In the Classifieds there is a green box under each ad that says “Contact USERNAME.” This will give you the contact form, but will not reveal your email address.
There is no need to post your email address in any of the sections on Briar Press. The system automatically links the contact form to your username.
Hope this helps.