Our site collects users' e-mail addresses but does not show those addresses on the Internet. Instead, our mail server forwards mail to users. This keeps spammers or others from seeing the e-mail addresses of our users. This page gives information about this process.

Questions

1. How do I make sure my e-mail address will not be shown?
2. How can people write me then?
3. How do I pick up my mail?
4. Will I get spam from the site?
5. Will the obscuring of my address make sure that no one who writes me ever learns of it?
6. I have a spam filter. How do I set it to accept mail from the site?
7. Will the system hide my e-mail address when I am SENDING through it?
8. The system won't let me write others because I am not a regular user. Why is this, and what determines who is a regular user?
9. What should I do if I get an inappropriate e-mail from the system?

Answers

1. How do I make sure my e-mail address will not be shown?

If you enter your e-mail address in a blank that specifically asks for your e-mail address, it will not show up on the site. If you put your e-mail address elsewhere, it will be shown.

2. How can people write me then?

They will be shown a web page where they can put in their e-mail address and a message to you. They will not be shown your address. Then our mail server will generate an e-mail from them to you.

3. How do I pick up my mail?

You don't have to. It will show up in your regular e-mail folder.

4. Will I get spam from the site?

This is not likely, because our mail server only accepts mail from regular users.

5. Will the obscuring of my address make sure that no one who writes me ever learns of it?

No. When you reply to them, of course they will then have your address. We do want you to be aware that you can reply to a writer without intending to. Setting a "vacation reply", having a spam filter that challenges senders, or letting your mail box get full can generate a reply. Also, equipment failures on the Internet can cause "bounce" replies. We want you to be aware of these possibilities, although they should occur very infrequently.

6. I have a spam filter. How do I set it to accept mail from the site?

The "subject" of every e-mail from the server will be  MLHH: mail from a user . Set your spam filter to accept such mail. This is the same way mail from mail lists such as Yahoo Groups is generally set for a spam filter, and your spam filter may have instructions for doing this under "how to accept mail from mail lists" or something similar. Just like with mail lists, your mail from our site will come from a collection of unknown people, but the subject of every e-mail will contain a common word or phrase.

7. Will the system hide my e-mail address when I am SENDING through it?

No. The recipient will get your e-mail address in the message you send and it will say it is from you, not from our site. All he needs to do to write you is to reply in the usual way.

8. The system won't let me write others because I am not a regular user. Why is this, and what determines who is a regular user?

This is done to keep spammers and other miscreants from writing our users. If you post frequently using your e-mail address in your posts, or if you join the Users' Directory, you will be recognized as a regular user.

9. What should I do if I get an inappropriate e-mail from the system?

First of all, don't respond to it. They will get your e-mail address if you do. Second, contact the moderators if you feel that is appropriate. For privacy reasons we do not save the content of the body (text) of e-mails sent via the mail server, and there is no way for us to know of abuse of the server unless we are told. If someone is abusing one user, it is likely he is abusing others, so reporting abuse can be helpful to others.