What email username to use? SPAM protection

drew · 8 Oct 2006, 04:32 PM

What email username to use? SPAM protection demands that the username should not be like this. Joe.Schmoe at domain dot com cause spammers do dictionary attacks.

I had such name in my hotpop account and it had 100 spam mails last time I checked. Hotmail had 200 last time I checked so I am fed up with usernames that behave like spam magnets.

I have run out of creative or imaginative ability now. Fail to come up with a email user name to use.

Spammers already know that a lot of us use Drew in our email username. to change to dr3w looks too nerdy for those I write to. They are not into TyTN or U2 like innovations.

drew1984 maybe are too easy to spam too?

Am I alone having this lack of imagination to make an easy to remember and an easy to say over the phone username without mistakes in spelling and such.

any suggestions on how to make one that looks and sounds ok to old folks that hate nerdy innovations.

not too formal but not too weird either.

theog · 9 Oct 2006, 12:55 AM

I don't think it matters... some of my "dictionary" names get no spam, while some of my "hard" names get spam... go figure. I think it depends on where you place the email and whom you give it.

For example, my non-dictionary name on google (actually a hard name) gets tons of spam, while my name gets nothing... and it is more common than drew... but then I don't use my name email that much.

I don't use numbers and letters, makes you look stupid when you are trying to give it out.

Of course, there will be people who swear by using non-standard email addresses, and that is fine... we all have an O..... I guess at the end it is up to you what kind of email address you use....

**CyberSmurf** · 9 Oct 2006, 01:13 AM

name.lastname isn't a problem for me until my address is revealed by some means.  

cyberdiva · 9 Oct 2006, 09:49 AM

I've found it very hard to keep spammers from finding my email accounts even though I don't use userids that could be found in the dictionary. If you post to public web forums, you're almost certain to get spam, regardless of how carefully chosen your userid may be. And if even one spammer manages to get hold of your address, you're likely eventually to get tons of spam. For example, I use one of my 8 email accounts just for family and friends. I never post publicly from that account. For months, the account was totally spam free. But then, by accident, I sent one message to an incorrect address. The next thing I knew, I began getting spam. I now get between 100-200 spam messages per week at that account.

I recently opened another account which I use occasionally to approve messages on an email forum that I run. I've used it only five or six times, and my address is buried in a single header that most people don't even see. Nonetheless, just a few days after I approved the first message, I started receiving spam from Asia (everything was totally in Chinese or Korean or some other Asian language that I can't read). The userid is not one that anyone could guess--it's not in the dictionary, it's not one I've used before, nor is it one I've ever seen elsewhere. So it seems pretty clear that somehow, just having my address appear in an obscure mail header was enough to start the spam.

So, my advice is that yes, you'd probably be wise to use a userid that doesn't appear in the dictionary and isn't a common name, but no matter how good your choice, if you post in public forums or put your address on any web site, you're likely to attract spam.

drew · 9 Oct 2006, 06:41 PM

theog

Quote:

I don't use numbers and letters, makes you look stupid when you are trying to give it out.

I agree, that was why I asked. drew1984 look like if me a bottle of wine or perfume chanel1878 or something.

theog, cybersmurf and cyberdiva, I agree, maybe exposure of name is the biggest factor.

I had an ISP email abd had had no spam since opening it and sent one email to a distant friend and got his answer together with spam. As if a trojan or something used his addressbook as a database resource of whom to send spam to.

ok then. regardless of considering spam then.

Still me fail to come up with usernames.

Maybe very selfish of me to ask for help with such private things. One way would be to use google and search for email domains and see what kind of name set up others use.

one computer magazine here suggested one use three dictionary word combined.

like my lack of imagination coming up with

sunmoonearth or dawnnoonnight

another suggestion would be to take a role in SciFi series.

CaptainPicard or such. CaptainNemo

As you see, I lack imagination.

Chipper · 10 Oct 2006, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CyberSmurf
name.lastname isn't a problem for me until my address is revealed by some means.  

By "other means" -- are you referring to people who sends something out with 6,000 names in the "To" field?

That is one of my pet peeves -- common courtesy dictates sending the e-mail to yourself and using bcc for the recipients.

drew · 11 Oct 2006, 01:15 AM

Chipper, that is even done by close friends. And they even fail to see it as a problem. One very close friend have done it several times now. I don't dare tell him how much I disapprove of such behavior. He would not get it I suppose. I would lose him and I have very few friends.

Chipper · 11 Oct 2006, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drew
Chipper, that is even done by close friends. And they even fail to see it as a problem. One very close friend have done it several times now. I don't dare tell him how much I disapprove of such behavior. He would not get it I suppose. I would lose him and I have very few friends.

Agreed... I have trouble trying to figure out how to tactfully mention this to my friends and politely request that they do the "e-mail to self/bcc method."

The other problem is if you send somebody something and they decide it's ok to forward to other people. This causes two breaches of etiquette:
1) They are sharing stuff with others that you might not want others to see
2) The e-mail usually contains your e-mail addr just prior to the originial e-mail.

**CyberSmurf** · 11 Oct 2006, 12:52 PM

Re "other means", I'm guessing that either directly or indirectly my address ends up on a compromised computer, or passes through a less-than-secure server.

As long as the spam doesn't get too bad, I suppose that being included in the loop, re family news, is worth a few junk messages.  

drew · 11 Oct 2006, 03:06 PM

CyberSmurf, I see merit in your reasoning but I had preferred to know it in advance cause then I had not given out my best email name to him.

CyberSmurf, you came up with such cool name. I seem to lack that kind of imagination. Suggest a username me could use.

**CyberSmurf** · 12 Oct 2006, 04:09 AM

You got me.  

When I was trying to think of a username for this forum, I considered something like "cyber surfer", but that seemed too grand for me, so I went smaller.  

**CyberSmurf** · 16 Oct 2006, 01:55 AM

Darn, just got my first spam on another Firstname Lastname account.

Scott Kitterman · 16 Oct 2006, 02:52 AM

Trying to pick an obscure name to avoid the spammers just delays the inevitable. Rather than hide, get set up to keep the spam out of your inbox. This is, in fact, doable. I've used the same e-mail address since 1998, it's been published on the web lots of times and I still typically see only one or two spam in my inbox per day.

drew · 16 Oct 2006, 03:33 AM

See your point Scott. Many others agree with you.

But usernames are also a kind of identity. One present oneself formally or casually as nicknames could. Firstname is less formal than a surname and a nickname even more soo.

Just me trying to be logical. I long for a cool nickname.

there are an old thread suggesting Elfnames. Not my style but to get my point across.

Take such names as Luke Skywalker. To a young fan of Star Wars it sounds cool. To me being an old guy it is a bit childish but you get the drift.

Jean Luc Pickard maybe? If I was femail I would chose Counsler Troy.

Drew Troy or Drew Picard.

Oleg · 17 Oct 2006, 12:05 AM

For exemple I am using Oleg4895 (my birthday date)

8 Oct 2006, 04:32 PM	#1
drew The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,626	What email username to use? SPAM protection What email username to use? SPAM protection demands that the username should not be like this. Joe.Schmoe at domain dot com cause spammers do dictionary attacks. I had such name in my hotpop account and it had 100 spam mails last time I checked. Hotmail had 200 last time I checked so I am fed up with usernames that behave like spam magnets. I have run out of creative or imaginative ability now. Fail to come up with a email user name to use. Spammers already know that a lot of us use Drew in our email username. to change to dr3w looks too nerdy for those I write to. They are not into TyTN or U2 like innovations. drew1984 maybe are too easy to spam too? Am I alone having this lack of imagination to make an easy to remember and an easy to say over the phone username without mistakes in spelling and such. any suggestions on how to make one that looks and sounds ok to old folks that hate nerdy innovations. not too formal but not too weird either.

9 Oct 2006, 12:55 AM	#2
theog = Permanently banned = Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: 1 Microsoft Way Posts: 2,119	I don't think it matters... some of my "dictionary" names get no spam, while some of my "hard" names get spam... go figure. I think it depends on where you place the email and whom you give it. For example, my non-dictionary name on google (actually a hard name) gets tons of spam, while my name gets nothing... and it is more common than drew... but then I don't use my name email that much. I don't use numbers and letters, makes you look stupid when you are trying to give it out. Of course, there will be people who swear by using non-standard email addresses, and that is fine... we all have an O..... I guess at the end it is up to you what kind of email address you use....

9 Oct 2006, 01:13 AM	#3
CyberSmurf Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: British Columbia Posts: 4,013	name.lastname isn't a problem for me until my address is revealed by some means.

9 Oct 2006, 09:49 AM	#4
cyberdiva Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 42	I've found it very hard to keep spammers from finding my email accounts even though I don't use userids that could be found in the dictionary. If you post to public web forums, you're almost certain to get spam, regardless of how carefully chosen your userid may be. And if even one spammer manages to get hold of your address, you're likely eventually to get tons of spam. For example, I use one of my 8 email accounts just for family and friends. I never post publicly from that account. For months, the account was totally spam free. But then, by accident, I sent one message to an incorrect address. The next thing I knew, I began getting spam. I now get between 100-200 spam messages per week at that account. I recently opened another account which I use occasionally to approve messages on an email forum that I run. I've used it only five or six times, and my address is buried in a single header that most people don't even see. Nonetheless, just a few days after I approved the first message, I started receiving spam from Asia (everything was totally in Chinese or Korean or some other Asian language that I can't read). The userid is not one that anyone could guess--it's not in the dictionary, it's not one I've used before, nor is it one I've ever seen elsewhere. So it seems pretty clear that somehow, just having my address appear in an obscure mail header was enough to start the spam. So, my advice is that yes, you'd probably be wise to use a userid that doesn't appear in the dictionary and isn't a common name, but no matter how good your choice, if you post in public forums or put your address on any web site, you're likely to attract spam.

11 Oct 2006, 01:15 AM	#7
drew The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,626	Chipper, that is even done by close friends. And they even fail to see it as a problem. One very close friend have done it several times now. I don't dare tell him how much I disapprove of such behavior. He would not get it I suppose. I would lose him and I have very few friends.

11 Oct 2006, 12:52 PM	#9
CyberSmurf Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: British Columbia Posts: 4,013	Re "other means", I'm guessing that either directly or indirectly my address ends up on a compromised computer, or passes through a less-than-secure server. As long as the spam doesn't get too bad, I suppose that being included in the loop, re family news, is worth a few junk messages.

11 Oct 2006, 03:06 PM	#10
drew The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,626	CyberSmurf, I see merit in your reasoning but I had preferred to know it in advance cause then I had not given out my best email name to him. CyberSmurf, you came up with such cool name. I seem to lack that kind of imagination. Suggest a username me could use.

12 Oct 2006, 04:09 AM	#11
CyberSmurf Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: British Columbia Posts: 4,013	You got me.   When I was trying to think of a username for this forum, I considered something like "cyber surfer", but that seemed too grand for me, so I went smaller.

16 Oct 2006, 01:55 AM	#12
CyberSmurf Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: British Columbia Posts: 4,013	Darn, just got my first spam on another Firstname Lastname account.

16 Oct 2006, 02:52 AM	#13
Scott Kitterman Essential Contributor Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ellicott City, MD, USA Posts: 206 Representative of: ControlledMail.com	Trying to pick an obscure name to avoid the spammers just delays the inevitable. Rather than hide, get set up to keep the spam out of your inbox. This is, in fact, doable. I've used the same e-mail address since 1998, it's been published on the web lots of times and I still typically see only one or two spam in my inbox per day.

16 Oct 2006, 03:33 AM	#14
drew The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,626	See your point Scott. Many others agree with you. But usernames are also a kind of identity. One present oneself formally or casually as nicknames could. Firstname is less formal than a surname and a nickname even more soo. Just me trying to be logical. I long for a cool nickname. there are an old thread suggesting Elfnames. Not my style but to get my point across. Take such names as Luke Skywalker. To a young fan of Star Wars it sounds cool. To me being an old guy it is a bit childish but you get the drift. Jean Luc Pickard maybe? If I was femail I would chose Counsler Troy. Drew Troy or Drew Picard.

17 Oct 2006, 12:05 AM	#15
Oleg Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 25	For exemple I am using Oleg4895 (my birthday date)