UTOTD: How to hide from Spammers
UTOTD: Unsolicited Tip of the Day
** Hiding your email address from Spamming Bots **
As you probably know, one of the most common ways in which
spammers collect email addresses from web sites is by using
bots (robots, spiders) which spider your web site,
go from link to link and collect words which have an '@'
character - your email addresses!
Here's one way to hide your email addresses from those bots:
<< Using JavaScript >>
Wherever you are using "mailto:[email protected]",
on your web pages, simply copy and paste the following
script as it is:
<script>
document.write("Ravi" + "@" + "CyberConneXions.com");
</script>
(Of course, after modifying it to reflect your email id
How this works:
When you paste the above line into your web page, and view
it in your HTML editor, you will not see anything. Rather,
you will either see a 'Javascript Icon' if you're using
editors like DreamWeaver, or just raw html source as
you see above.
Only when that page containing this script is loaded in a
browser, the above script will translate into the actual
words "[email protected]"
So, your visitor will actually see your email address, but
it won't be linked for them to click on. (In a future post,
I will tell you how to make that happen too.)
How this helps:
The spamming bot only sees your page source. So, from the above
3 lines of Javascript, the bot will never be able to figure
out your email address, because the email address is
actually put together by the script only at the time of
display when viewed in a browser!
Hope this helps you fight some of that spam
More Spam fighting tips in a future post.
Ravi Jayagopal
Make up to $45 Per Sale
One of the most amazing suite of scripts for the Non-programming Web Site Owner and Webmaster.
http://www.WebmasterInABox.net/
mairving posted this at 15:43 — 7th September 2001.
They have: 2,256 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
Here is another way of spam-proofing your email address. Basically all that it does is convert your email address to character entities (something which you could do yourself). So that a spammer will pick up something like A instead of the letter a.
I really don't worry about it much myself. Junk mail goes to hotmail and my other one has a pretty developed filtering system (ie anything from @msn.com goes in the trash).
Mark Irving
I have a mind like a steel trap; it is rusty and illegal in 47 states
Mark Hensler posted this at 15:55 — 7th September 2001.
He has: 4,048 posts
Joined: Aug 2000
Who's to say that the spiders can't parse document.write tags?
Keegan posted this at 16:13 — 7th September 2001.
They have: 300 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Thank you for that ravijp
K
ravijp posted this at 16:19 — 7th September 2001.
He has: 39 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Actually, one of the things that I'm worried about is bots getting my email id's from my signatures from my webmaster forum posts.
Any ideas anyone?
The bots seem to be able to convert Unicode (&6795) back to email id's. I've tried that before.
And bots could always parse your document.write script to get your email address.
There is, however one other way, which I will discuss once I can make an example available online.
Regards,
Ravi
Make up to $45 Per Sale
One of the most amazing suite of scripts for the Non-programming Web Site Owner and Webmaster.
http://www.WebmasterInABox.net/
Mark Hensler posted this at 18:27 — 7th September 2001.
He has: 4,048 posts
Joined: Aug 2000
Solution: Don't post your email addy. That is the only place that it's posted on the site. People always have the option of using the online form to email you.
Mark Hensler
If there is no answer on Google, then there is no question.
taff posted this at 14:36 — 8th September 2001.
They have: 956 posts
Joined: Jun 2001
I keep my email quite separate - personal and business.
My business email address(es) are all over the web in various directories, forums, site credits, webmaster links, etc. My personal email address is nowhere.
I get virtually no spam via the business accounts yet my personal account is inundated with it. Go figure.
Having said that, I'd rather run the risk of collecting some spam than make clients and potential clients jump through hoops to contact me.
The delete button is an effective spam control tool.
.....
McPhilly posted this at 16:53 — 8th September 2001.
They have: 62 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Maybe this will help someone:
-----------
<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
');
document.write(user + '@' + site + '');
// End -->
</script>
-----------
Cheers, Marc
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