A way to hide my web page "mailto" email address from spammers?

I have a simple non-commercial aviation web page under my own dot com
domain. In my "About" section I have a mailto link so that people can
click on it and send me an email message. Apparently, spammers use
automated programs to search the web and collect such email addresses.
I am tired of pitches for Viagra and XXX sites. As I haven't
published that email address elsewhere, I assume that the spammers got
it from scanning my web site.

Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots? One
thought I had was to have the user input a number that is displayed in
a small GIF file. The user would only be presented with a mailto link
if he input the correct number. If necessary, the GIF "number" could
be made difficult to read by machine OCR but discernable to humans.

Thanks,

David

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:05:28 -0400 in
<message-id:0ag7lvk7s5ulb1jricg58rls3metbgpv2o@4ax.com>
David <nomail@please.com> wrote:

>
>
> I have a simple non-commercial aviation web page under my own dot com
> domain. In my "About" section I have a mailto link so that people can
> click on it and send me an email message. Apparently, spammers use
> automated programs to search the web and collect such email addresses.
> I am tired of pitches for Viagra and XXX sites. As I haven't
> published that email address elsewhere, I assume that the spammers got
> it from scanning my web site.
>
> Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
> address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots? One
> thought I had was to have the user input a number that is displayed in
> a small GIF file. The user would only be presented with a mailto link
> if he input the correct number. If necessary, the GIF "number" could
> be made difficult to read by machine OCR but discernable to humans.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David


David,

This doesn't really answer your _actual_ question, but is there any
reason why not to write a simple contact form where your mail address
never need be seen? My _personal_ opinion, is this is more professional
looking / working too.

I haven't tried it personally, but a header() redirect call to a mailto:
tag _might_ work.. but don't quote me =)



Regards,

Ian

--
Ian.H [Design & Development]
digiServ Network - Web solutions
www.digiserv.net | irc.digiserv.net | forum.digiserv.net
Programming, Web design, development & hosting.

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:05:28 -0400, David hath writ:
>
> I have a simple non-commercial aviation web page under my own dot com
> domain. In my "About" section I have a mailto link so that people can
> click on it and send me an email message. Apparently, spammers use
> automated programs to search the web and collect such email addresses.
> I am tired of pitches for Viagra and XXX sites. As I haven't
> published that email address elsewhere, I assume that the spammers got
> it from scanning my web site.
>
> Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
> address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots? One
> thought I had was to have the user input a number that is displayed in
> a small GIF file. The user would only be presented with a mailto link
> if he input the correct number. If necessary, the GIF "number" could
> be made difficult to read by machine OCR but discernable to humans.

FAQ.

You might start with some of the viewpoints seen here:

http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum48/604.htm

Jonesy
--
| Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | OS/2
| Gunnison, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | linux __
| 7,703' -- 2,345m | config.com | DM68mn SK

You have to pay to be a member to read that.

"Allodoxaphobia" <bit-bucket@config.com> wrote in message
news:slrnbl7jqs.1dfg.bit-bucket@localhost.config.com...
> On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:05:28 -0400, David hath writ:
> >
> > I have a simple non-commercial aviation web page under my own dot com
> > domain. In my "About" section I have a mailto link so that people can
> > click on it and send me an email message. Apparently, spammers use
> > automated programs to search the web and collect such email addresses.
> > I am tired of pitches for Viagra and XXX sites. As I haven't
> > published that email address elsewhere, I assume that the spammers got
> > it from scanning my web site.
> >
> > Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
> > address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots? One
> > thought I had was to have the user input a number that is displayed in
> > a small GIF file. The user would only be presented with a mailto link
> > if he input the correct number. If necessary, the GIF "number" could
> > be made difficult to read by machine OCR but discernable to humans.
>
> FAQ.
>
> You might start with some of the viewpoints seen here:
>
> http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum48/604.htm
>
> Jonesy
> --
> | Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | OS/2
> | Gunnison, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | linux __
> | 7,703' -- 2,345m | config.com | DM68mn SK
>

How about:

<a href="mailto:nomail%40please.com">Mail me</a>

It will be interpreted as nomail@please.com.

You could also construct a contact form that uses the PHP mail() function to
send it to you. Your email would not be visible.

"David" <nomail@please.com> wrote in message
news:0ag7lvk7s5ulb1jricg58rls3metbgpv2o@4ax.com...
>
>
> I have a simple non-commercial aviation web page under my own dot com
> domain. In my "About" section I have a mailto link so that people can
> click on it and send me an email message. Apparently, spammers use
> automated programs to search the web and collect such email addresses.
> I am tired of pitches for Viagra and XXX sites. As I haven't
> published that email address elsewhere, I assume that the spammers got
> it from scanning my web site.
>
> Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
> address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots? One
> thought I had was to have the user input a number that is displayed in
> a small GIF file. The user would only be presented with a mailto link
> if he input the correct number. If necessary, the GIF "number" could
> be made difficult to read by machine OCR but discernable to humans.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David
>
>
>

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:05:28 -0400, David <nomail@please.com> wrote:


>Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
>address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots?

header method won;t work with mailto: link.

But we've just started to use a 2 part process.
Links are in the form:
<a href="./mailit.php?y=firstbit&z=secondbit"
target="_blank">email</a>

mailit.php parses y and z and outputs Javascript which inserts the "@"
between $y and $z and allows user to click on the mailto: link if they
have JS..

Primitive, and reliant on JS, but it seems to work...

There is an example at this "Work in Progress" page on our client's
site:-
<http://www.maritime-festival.co.uk/pg7_maritimecrafts/index.html>
--
Games, Gizmos, Gifts and Toys from 'I want one of those'
<http://www.bizorg.co.uk/shopping/>

David Quinton <usenet_2003@bizorg.co.uk> wrote in
news:66f8lvkegpiofnpsrfd4tr4o8eikh1is84@4ax.com:

> On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:05:28 -0400, David <nomail@please.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
>>address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots?
>
> header method won;t work with mailto: link.
>

Did you test the header method? I've been testing it. It works on Mozilla
1.4 and Opera 7.1. It sort of works with MSIE6. By that I mean that it
starts a new mail in my mail client (Eudora6 Beta), but also leaves the
user with a blank page. Mozilla and Opera start a new mail message and
leave the user on the original page.

You can see an example of this on a page of a site I'm working on
<http://www.exclusiveconnections.org/events.php>

Ken Robinson

On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 13:54:56 GMT, Ken Robinson
<sendspamhere@rbnsn.com> wrote:

>Did you test the header method? I've been testing it. It works on Mozilla
>1.4 and Opera 7.1. It sort of works with MSIE6. By that I mean that it
>starts a new mail in my mail client (Eudora6 Beta), but also leaves the
>user with a blank page. Mozilla and Opera start a new mail message and
>leave the user on the original page.


I played around for a while, and it wouldn't work with MSIE6 / Eudora
combination.

then I Googled a bit
eg <http://forums.devshed.com/archive/5/2003/07/1/68082>
and therefore gave up!
--
Games, Gizmos, Gifts and Toys from 'I want one of those'
<http://www.bizorg.co.uk/shopping/>

In article <db6535bb8e5816b5efdd3beb789409fb@news.teranews.co m>,
sendspamhere@rbnsn.com says...
> David Quinton <usenet_2003@bizorg.co.uk> wrote in
> news:66f8lvkegpiofnpsrfd4tr4o8eikh1is84@4ax.com:
>
> > On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 18:05:28 -0400, David <nomail@please.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Is there any way, perhaps using php, that I can provide a mailto
> >>address link but have it remain hidden from email grabbing bots?
> >
> > header method won;t work with mailto: link.
> >
>
> Did you test the header method? I've been testing it. It works on Mozilla
> 1.4 and Opera 7.1. It sort of works with MSIE6. By that I mean that it
> starts a new mail in my mail client (Eudora6 Beta), but also leaves the
> user with a blank page. Mozilla and Opera start a new mail message and
> leave the user on the original page.
>
> You can see an example of this on a page of a site I'm working on
> <http://www.exclusiveconnections.org/events.php>
>

Hey, Ken, can you show your code?
I'd suggest using an onload to close your window. I'm not sure if an
onload="window.close;" would require any scripting support or not...

In article <6i89lvgc1ko5v4p313i9n1hag7c5j7s8dl@4ax.com>, usenet_2003
@bizorg.co.uk says...
> On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 13:54:56 GMT, Ken Robinson
> <sendspamhere@rbnsn.com> wrote:
>
> >Did you test the header method? I've been testing it. It works on Mozilla
> >1.4 and Opera 7.1. It sort of works with MSIE6. By that I mean that it
> >starts a new mail in my mail client (Eudora6 Beta), but also leaves the
> >user with a blank page. Mozilla and Opera start a new mail message and
> >leave the user on the original page.
>
>
> I played around for a while, and it wouldn't work with MSIE6 / Eudora
> combination.
>
> then I Googled a bit
> eg <http://forums.devshed.com/archive/5/2003/07/1/68082>
> and therefore gave up!
>

Also, check out this php only solution:
SecureEmail...(free)
http://rsscripts.tripod.com/