Email

Robert,

First off, welcome to the forum...and sorry if you had trouble signing up.

One of the things that's been reported on other sites is that the majority of people looking to start trouble use 'anonymous' email adresses. Anyone can create an account on one of these anonymous sites, use it to abuse people, and then walk away from the account, never looking back.

We're currently blocking anyone attempting to register using Gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc.. It has been acknowledged that some folks have ONLY this sort of email account. Anyone using one of these emails can contact the administrators of the site and explain their situation. Exceptions are made on a case by case basis.

A member poll was taken on this subject a while back, but not enough people showed an interest to vote, so the policy stands. (Search through the members only section of the forum and you'll see a few discussions about this.)

Again, sorry if you had problems registering. Hope you enjoy your stay...
- Marty -
 
I understand the reason but maybe after a period say 30 days or so one could be allowed to change

I do have one with my ISP that I used to register but the only time I ever access it is when I run across a scenario like this

otherwise I do all my online business through Gmail and yahoo so If someone here where to email me I wouldn't see it
 
I personally had trouble signing in with gmail as well and I kept trying to contact a moderator to get signed up and no one responded. I know many others who did this as well and just gave up. Yes I do have a email address in a different domain, but my gmail address is my only "permanent" email address. I keep all personal correspondence tied to this one account because it will stay with me despite job changes and so forth.

It is usually better to let people register with just about any domain, and screen out the bots with one of those images where you have to type in the letters.

This get 99.9% of the problems.

In the cases where you get users abusing the forums, a very rare occurance, you just ban their subnet ip addresses. Although ip addresses do change for some users, the subnet usually does not and a brief ban period will usually cause the offender to go somewhere else

Another option is to allow all email addresses, but you have moderators approve each registration.

I will emphasize again, that if you want this forum to grow, banning free email services is not the way to go.
 
Brad, sorry about the lack of response when you tried to contact us. After seeing your comment, we did some digging around and found a flubbed e-mail setting that was sending the Webmaster e-mail messages into the ether. I'll take the blame for the problem, since I'm the guy who set up that part of the forum. Keep in mind we're all highly-trained professionals...just not at running a forum. :eek:

Things are still in the formative stages here, and the e-mail rules in place now may change down the road as we all get a better feel for how things go. Nothing around here is written in stone. (Well, except the woodworking part. I don't care HOW the members vote, this will remain a woodworking forum.) ;) For the record, my personal opinions on the e-mail rules are pretty closely aligned with your suggestions, but the rules we have now are the result of a member discussion and vote, not one single guy's opinion. They may be changed again in the same way later.
 
Hey Brad, you input is very much appreciated, and like Vaughn said, nothing is carved in stone.

On the whole throw-away-e-mail addy thing, look, the worst of the worst attacks I've seen on this type of forums are by the drive by posters, they come and sign up using a bogus name, and some anybody@hotmail.com type account and then unleash.

Sure, the staff usually pulls that kind of thing and spikes it, but who needs it?

Our reason for being is not to keep growing, we said at the outset, if only 100 members sign up, that is fine, we are not interested in growing, just for the sake of growing. We very much want a site that is member run, member funded, member driven too, so if a would be member cannot bother to send an e-mail to get signed up, if they only want to use a disposable e-mail addy, well then I question if we really want that person as a member. I'm not asking them to dig a 50' ditch in the freezing rain, 2' deep, come on, how hard can it be? Yes, there was a glitch here, and thanks to your message, we got it fixed (thanks:thumb:) but if the glitch had not been there, and you had sent an e-mail, got a response, and then were signed up, would that have been so hard?

We would very much like to keep out the Trolls, they exist, they cause trouble, we don't need that.

I sure hope you do not think this is any kind of an attack on you or your position, it is just my opinion and my reasoning for it, as well as the results of discussions had before we opened the doors here.

Like Vaughn and I have said, this all could change, if the members as a whole think it is too much to ask that people who want to use a disposable account have to take an extra step of sending an e-mail to us to set up an account, so be it, this rule will change.

Sorry for the ramble. :eek:

Cheers!
 
I understand the reason but maybe after a period say 30 days or so one could be allowed to change

I do have one with my ISP that I used to register but the only time I ever access it is when I run across a scenario like this

otherwise I do all my online business through Gmail and yahoo so If someone here where to email me I wouldn't see it

Ditto for me. I had to phone my ISP to be reminded of my POP address in order to register. That's not a hardship, but I would prefer to get email alerts (subscribed threads) via Gmail cus that's what I've consolidated all my contacts.
 
Ian,

Is it possible for you to have your ISP address, the non "disposable" one, forwarded to your gmail account? I have several that I do that with so they all come to my .mac account.

Greg
 
Ian,

Is it possible for you to have your ISP address, the non "disposable" one, forwarded to your gmail account? I have several that I do that with so they all come to my .mac account.

Greg

When I read your message I said "Why didn't I think of that ?" Then I went through all the menus in Outlook Express (and Gmail too) and found out you can't do that. Great idea, though. Next month the EudoraPro email program will be available free. That's a full-featured email client, so I'm hoping it has "auto-forward' ability. Once again, you Mac people have got us Windows trolls beat on usability :bang:

Thanks
Ian G
 
When I read your message I said "Why didn't I think of that ?" Then I went through all the menus in Outlook Express (and Gmail too) and found out you can't do that.

Errrr, Ian, in my experience, email forwarding is something done at the server, not at the client. So you would need to check your ISP's web site, to see if they offer an email forwarding option.


As an alternative, I will mention www.pobox.com. I use this company.
The basic service is an email forwarding (and filtering service.)
For $20 a year you get an @pobox.com email address. They then forward that email to whatever destination you prefer. Pretty good spam-filtering also. So if you change ISP's you only need to change your email address in one location (pobox.com). I've been using them for 3-4 years now. Very satisfied.
 
I checked and I can froward my ISP to GMail , seems I checked at one point and couldn't but they do offer it now

Ian

like art said the forwarding option is available directly at my ISP email site

(I don't use pop 3 or outlook , I handle all email on line )
 
Errrr, Ian, in my experience, email forwarding is something done at the server, not at the client. So you would need to check your ISP's web site, to see if they offer an email forwarding option.

You got it right in one, Art !

I'm still pretty sure that when webmail was new I had auto-forwarding set up through my email client. Whether it was POP to webmail or vice versa, I can't recall.

Thanks.
Ian G
 
Policy as it stands now sound good to me. Exceptions on a case by case basis. That permits members who have to use shared computers or who move frequently. e.g. military (my son-in-law had to use a hotmail account while he was in Iraq)
 
if the members as a whole think it is too much to ask that people who want to use a disposable account have to take an extra step of sending an e-mail to us to set up an account, so be it, this rule will change.


I tried and tried to send YOU an email at not only this forum but at also at 3 others that you frequent with no success. I also tried numerous times to contact other mods and admins here. Not one of you bothered to answer.

Banning web based email accounts won't keep out the trolls. My ISP (verizon) offers 8 separate email accounts for each costumer plus unlimited hidden (anon.) sub accounts.

I don't like pop mail email because I change ISPs alot. I go for the fastest, cheapest with the best service and it is way too hard to tell everybody to change my email address every time I change providers.

Mr. Evans, I really don't know the difference between jumping thru hoops and dancing.

I guess I'm trying to say that this forum is (IMHO) starting off on the wrong foot.

However, I do wish you the best of luck...

nic
 
I understand the reason but maybe after a period say 30 days or so one could be allowed to change

I do have one with my ISP that I used to register but the only time I ever access it is when I run across a scenario like this

otherwise I do all my online business through Gmail and yahoo so If someone here where to email me I wouldn't see it

I have exactly the same situation. I use Yahoo almost exclusively for a variety of reasons and I will never see notifications to threads or private message alerts in my email. If the policy on signing up is to stand I also vote to be able to change after a thirty day period. I would think that anyone just wanting to cause trouble would not wait thirty days for a quick thrill.

Also, is there anyway to have spell check? That would save me some embarrassing post.
 
Mr. Evans, I really don't know the difference between jumping thru hoops and dancing.

I guess I'm trying to say that this forum is (IMHO) starting off on the wrong foot.

However, I do wish you the best of luck...

nic

nic, i`m pretty much a computer idiot:eek: ....i still type with one finger and have to ask the other folks which browser i`m using.....so when folks say that we can lessen our chance of shenanagins from folks who have no interest in woodworking but lots of interest in upsetting woodworking forums i listen.......but remember, my vote is only one here, this "hoop" was decided by 12 of us.....and even it can be changed if the majority thinks it`s a wise idea....as to "dancing" we`ll do so publically here;) , as long as folks are polite just about any portion of the forum is open for debate and or change....the only thing the 12 of us who started this are dead set on is that the forum remain a woodworking forum, the logistics or hoops are totally up to each and every one of us, all we`re trying to do is start off on the right foot(dancing pun;) ).......tod
 
I have exactly the same situation. I use Yahoo almost exclusively for a variety of reasons and I will never see notifications to threads or private message alerts in my email. If the policy on signing up is to stand I also vote to be able to change after a thirty day period. I would think that anyone just wanting to cause trouble would not wait thirty days for a quick thrill.

Also, is there anyway to have spell check? That would save me some embarrassing post.

OK I'll try to clear something up here.

There are two ways to sign up here;

1) Use the registration form, input your info and send it, this will then be screened by the admin, (Marty, Vaughn, or me) and you will be sent a confirmation e-mail to activate your account.

2) If, you only have a "Web Based" e-mail then we ask that you contact us using the "Contact Us" link below (which was busted, but now is fixed) and we will then make you an account, and notify you of the details. Once you log on, please change the password that we made for you, to one only you know.

Now if anyone here signed up with a normal e-mail address, and would like it changed to a web based one, please send one of the Admin (Marty, Vaughn or myself) a PM with the web based e-mail you would like to change to, and we will do so, we will also make a note of your normal e-mail address.

I hope you all understand why we are doing this, if any of your remember a certain post over at SMC that some one signed up, and posted that went way beyond the pale, maybe you can understand our reluctance to just let anyone sign up with any old e-mail and have automatic approval, post a hit piece, stir the pot and the fade to black. I happens, it causes all kinds of work and trouble for everyone and we would really, REALLY like to avoid this.

Cheers!
 
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