Re: Hiding email addresses in an accessible way

On 18 Aug, Scarlett Julian (ED) wrote:

> Does anyone have any way of hiding email addresses from spidering
> that doesn't use javascript? We use a CMS and have no way of stopping
> content authors from using their work email address as a contact
> (and in the interests of open government we wouldn't want to anyway)
> which means that our organisation is opening itself to huge amounts of spam.

  Either include the e-mail address as is on the website and introduce
  a spam filtering system on your mail servers. Remember, you want to
  avoid *receiving* spam, not avoid having people *send* legitimate
  stuff you. This is the "friendly neighbourhood" philosophy. 

  An example is the laws that exist in several countries that state that
  a sign to the effect of "No ads please" on a letterbox disallows the
  mailman from putting in any non-addressed items. You could, instead,
  remove your letterbox - but that isn't the purpose, is it ?

  Alternatively: use a server-side mail handling script through an
  accessible form. A mailto: link means that the user either needs a
  mail client connected to the browser or that the user must cut'n'paste
  the address. Remember that no standard exist for communicating between
  a web browser and a mail client.

  I suggest:

     <a href="mailtoForm.cgi">mail us at x@y.co.uk</a>

  and setting up a mail server filter.

-- 
 -    Tina Holmboe                    Greytower Technologies
   tina@greytower.net                http://www.greytower.net/
   [+46] 0708 557 905

Received on Monday, 18 August 2003 10:43:39 UTC