Protecting yourself from spam.

[Lord Goliath]

Recent events have prompted me to provide some tips to help eliminate the possibility that you will receive unwanted email because you post on this forum. 

The first two are changes you can make to your forum profile and apply to registered members only:

Hide your registration email address from the public

• Click the Profile button at the top of the forum
• From the next screen click on Account Related Settings
• Make sure you have "Hide email address from public?" checked
• Click the Change Profile button at the bottom to save your changes

Change your Personal Message (PM) Options

• Click the Profile button at the top of the forum
• From the next screen click on Personal Message Options
• Locate "Notify by email every time you receive a personal message"
• If this is checked you will get an email sent to you with the content of the Personal Message. While this doesn't offer any direct protection against unwanted PMs, it does allow you to control whether or not they appear in your email Inbox.  Uncheck it to prevent the emails.  The contents of the PM will still be available when logged into the forum.
• Click the Change Profile button at the bottom to save your changes

Protecting your email address
I also suggest that you do not post your email address openly in the forum - guests and members who have done this have received spam email as the spammers may harvest emails that are openly available.

Please feel free to add any additional tips to this thread that you would like to share.

[Maggpie]

Thanks James for the very helpful info

[Justine]

Thank you 

[8ftbed]

Things I have done and a good start.  I fully expected the next sequence of events to be people getting spammed on their personal email addys if not hidden in their profile.

I've noticed a few more are starting to include email addys or personal sites in their banners.  You may want to reconsider this action as well.

[Lord Goliath]

I've noticed a few more are starting to include email addys or personal sites in their banners.  You may want to reconsider this action as well.

Excellent advice.  Thanks Blaine.

[leo369]

Thanks!