tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post3298121928380880352..comments2024-03-09T10:14:07.193+00:00Comments on Dave Gorman: Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam...Dave Gormanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02260701102207639816noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-5710681327615611872009-10-02T05:14:00.338+01:002009-10-02T05:14:00.338+01:00Dear Dave,
In response to your problem with SPAM,...Dear Dave,<br /><br />In response to your problem with SPAM, I find that picking up the computer and bashing it repeatedly against the nearest hard surface until it stops beeping, to be very effective at preventing all forms of spam from reaching you. It does unfortunately have a negative impact on the amount of genuine emails that you receive, but hell, that's the price of progress.<br /><br />Tony<br />www.tonyjamesslater.comTony Slaterhttp://www.tonyjamesslater.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-54720377990288782542008-02-12T01:07:00.000+00:002008-02-12T01:07:00.000+00:00Only other option, that might be simpler than sett...Only other option, that might be simpler than setting up an actual web-form, would be to ask people who want to contact you to sign up for your forum and then use the private messaging function there.<BR/><BR/>You already have the forum software there, and that does the email authentication for you. You could always have a web-form as well for people who just want to shower you with praise with no response, while the forum PM option would give you the option to reply securely.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps<BR/><BR/>RichardAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-13153862431030996232008-01-09T06:57:00.000+00:002008-01-09T06:57:00.000+00:00Hi David,Your a Googlewhack.... oh wait you know t...Hi David,<BR/><BR/>Your a Googlewhack.... oh wait you know that already!<BR/><BR/>The only way to rectify the current situation is to start a new address and reject mail from your old address.<BR/><BR/>I am an Internet Consultant (Monkey Design House) and have this issue with clients all the time. They have placed their email address on every site going to get business but the only business they get is offers of Rolex's and more interesting products.<BR/><BR/>The answer is to have your web providers reject all mail to your old address with an email saying...<BR/><BR/>"This email address is not longer accepting messages - to contact me please use the form at www.blahblahblah....."<BR/><BR/>Then the form with have HumanVerfication (like the form on this blogging comment site). This would mean that your contacts who have used your address for years will find that the first time they contact you they have to do some work.<BR/><BR/>However this solution is only effective until you reply and then some kind fellow lists your new email address on his site with something like - if you find a GoogleWhack email david at blahblah...<BR/><BR/>So that then leaves your email package to have an reply address of your old account - saying Nooooo please use my form to contact me.<BR/><BR/>Well - Not sure if any of this is of help - or if you want help sorting this out - let me know - happy to help - No-one apart from you yesterday has made me laugh so much on the M1 that I had to pull over to wipe my eyes and compose myself. (I was listening to your DVD on my iPod).<BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/><BR/>Marc P SummersMarcPSummershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02143688825206285119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-10057534431311361792008-01-08T22:58:00.000+00:002008-01-08T22:58:00.000+00:00Interesting links to read which may or may not be ...Interesting links to read which may or may not be of any use...<BR/><BR/>http://www.typepadhacks.org/2006/09/a_new_spamfree_.html<BR/><BR/>http://formtoemail.com/<BR/><BR/>http://www.safalra.com/programming/php/contact-feedback-form/<BR/><BR/>http://www.osai.com/Newsletter/#Top<BR/><BR/><BR/>Though I'm sure one of your more technically minded readers will help with an ideal (and secure) solution.<BR/>Good luckSall*https://www.blogger.com/profile/15819894057343735733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-9355025476435457702008-01-07T21:57:00.000+00:002008-01-07T21:57:00.000+00:00Firstly... the catchall address has finally been d...Firstly... the catchall address has finally been disabled which is helping enormously.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, if anyone can point me in the right direction for whatever code I need to provide a (secure) e-mail form that would be appreciated.Dave Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02260701102207639816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-66558023923876316502008-01-07T20:44:00.000+00:002008-01-07T20:44:00.000+00:00I think Stuart hit the nail on the head with his l...I think Stuart hit the nail on the head with his last comment. I've been reading through this, thinking "yes, but.." to this solution and "no, but.." to that solution and basically came to the same conclusion as he did:<BR/><BR/>Yes, your current e-mail address has to go; the contact form is probably the best way for people to get in contact with you; and the best way for you to respond is with an outgoing-only address.<BR/><BR/>It makes sense that way, it's the least hassle and it's probably one of the easiest solutions to implement.<BR/><BR/>Ironically, I re-watched the Important Astrology Experiment for the first time since it originally aired last night and thought "I really should drop Dave an e-mail tomorrow..." :o)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-74480503187084795462008-01-07T17:18:00.000+00:002008-01-07T17:18:00.000+00:00I have a site that's got e-mail addresses undisgui...I have a site that's got e-mail addresses undisguised on it. About 4 years ago the spam was driving me potty, and I was just about to do something drastic like changing ISP. My ISP then introduced spam filtering by a company called BrightMail. My understanding is that this works by setting up 'honey trap' e-mail addresses that exist on web pages, but are used _only_ to receive and identify spam. If a message to you matches one sent to a honey trap address, it's filtered out. It doesn't catch everything but it made a huge difference and I still have both the website and the e-mail address. So a public e-mail address with an ISP using BrightMail might be an answer.xwd_fiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01290578300623523697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-26470885424043222362008-01-07T16:38:00.000+00:002008-01-07T16:38:00.000+00:00Why don't you hire a PA who's also called Dave? Or...Why don't you hire a PA who's also called Dave? <BR/><BR/>Or ask the other Dave Gorman's to help you out on their one man with a computer set up, then when someone emails you saying "Hi Dave, or whoever this is.." you can still laugh in their face and prove the pessimistic masses wrong.<BR/><BR/>I'll change my name if you like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-43479978949129804592008-01-07T10:17:00.000+00:002008-01-07T10:17:00.000+00:00Hey Dave...I'm with some of the other suggestions....Hey Dave...<BR/><BR/>I'm with some of the other suggestions... you need to turn off the catch all email.<BR/><BR/>After that however, I'm with you on the form... get that set up and it will drastically reduce the amount of span you get. I've had a similar experience for a popular site I designed.<BR/><BR/>Finally the last piece of the puzzle seems simple to me. Ditch the current email address (it seems you've also come to the sad conclusion that you're going to have to) and in addition to the address that you use for family and friends have another that the form forwards to. Now here's the cunning bit. You currently have a note at the bottom of your email that says please don't reply, I wont get it (in your mailing list). Use a no-reply at davegorman... and have any email that is sent to it to be deleted or bounced. The just put a note at the bottom of your email that says all replies will be deleted/bounced and if you wish to reply please use the web form... not hugely helpful for long ongoing conversations, but I can't imagine there are huge numbers of them with fans.<BR/><BR/>Good luck!Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08743044776105897128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-68447307996585454092008-01-05T06:29:00.000+00:002008-01-05T06:29:00.000+00:00God, that's a lot of reading, I only went through ...God, that's a lot of reading, I only went through it pretty quickly, but I don't think my solution has been suggested yet. just go back to snail mail, tell people on your website that's the only way they can get in touch with you and only use email with very few people you know you can trust. That would also probably help filter out messages that come from genuine people wanting to get in touch but aren't really worth reading as it takes a bit more effort to send an actual letter than write a quick (sometimes drunken) pointless note and then hit a button.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-18508759137509664312008-01-05T02:48:00.000+00:002008-01-05T02:48:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-73735348647826456112008-01-04T21:17:00.000+00:002008-01-04T21:17:00.000+00:00"I don't want to behave like davegorman plc... Hir...<I>"I don't want to behave like davegorman plc... Hiring a p.a. makes them right and means a little bit of me dies a tiny death"</I><BR/><BR/>Dave.. no - it doesnt make them right and it's nothing to do with becoming a plc. It's about having a Santa's Little Helper.<BR/><BR/>Hiring a Virtual PA is like hiring a plumber when you've got a leak. It's a service not a death sentence. And you can still retain your status of whatever you want it to be. <BR/><BR/>However, whether you like it or not, you have become more than one <I>"bloke with a computer"</I>. You are a <B> globally </B> known as a writer/producer/presenter/philosopher/photographer etc, and by wearing your many hats, many people want to communicate with you.<BR/><BR/>Getting organised and getting a helper is no reason to die a little inside. They should be able to help you to live a little bit more.<BR/><BR/>/gets off soap boxSall*https://www.blogger.com/profile/15819894057343735733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-52543514336806125452008-01-04T20:29:00.000+00:002008-01-04T20:29:00.000+00:00Dave, I think you should hide your e-ma.....Only k...Dave, <BR/>I think you should hide your e-ma.....<BR/><BR/>Only kidding :-)<BR/><BR/>Oh and just to be different, I don't reccommend Google Apps/Google Mail in any way. Don't use. Not for any particular reason mind, I just like being non-conformist.<BR/><BR/>Although no where near the same scale as what you are dealing with here, I was suffering from spam to my ISP-provided e-mail account, mainly because I was careless with it and used it to sign up to anything that required registration, forums and whatnot, where the e-mail address then becomes displayed as a mailto: link on the profile pages etc etc - in the end I just decided to get rid of it. I painstakingly went through all my old mail and picked out important e-mails/subscriptions/websites registrations that I belong to on that address and changed it to my Hotmail account (for stuff that I was likely to get harvested from), and to my other e-mail address (for important stuff) then just deleted the address. No more spam now.<BR/><BR/>I know this whimsical tale isn't probably any use to you and to be honest I'm not quite sure why I've just told you that, so...sorry about that.<BR/><BR/>But it does seem like getting rid of the account is the only way forward? Like you say, all the methods here are great for stopping direct spam in some form/dealing with the volume of spam but there is no real way of stopping people mention your e-mail address else where, and the fact that it's already out there. Maybe set up an auto reply that says "go away" ?!<BR/><BR/><BR/>Other than that, I think you'll just have to become less popular. I'm trying to think of a celebrity who has fallen off the "celeb" radar recently... then maybe you could emulate their actions?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-5299152846033726832008-01-04T18:09:00.000+00:002008-01-04T18:09:00.000+00:00Dave - I deleted your email address off my blog. A...Dave - I deleted your email address off my blog. Actually, I deleted the entire blog as it was mostly pointless rants. Bit of a blast from the past that what with it being a post from years ago. I understand how annoying it must have been for you, and I thank you for being civilised about it :)<BR/><BR/>On a sidenote, I'm a bit confused to how you got my number. Still, it's a story for the pub. Well, a thirty second anecdote at best.Frizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234571651532953867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-73268256077377021142008-01-04T17:25:00.000+00:002008-01-04T17:25:00.000+00:00Hi Dave, I have no practical solution but thought ...Hi Dave, <BR/><BR/>I have no practical solution but thought you might like to know that made sure that a certain someone's email address was passed onto some appropriate mailing lists and general spammage. Some seem to have no unsubscribe option and post many times a day. While I'm sure it won't hinder him too much it'll be a minor annoyance and made me feel better for all the rubbish in my spambox.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-37618470052659144452008-01-04T17:17:00.000+00:002008-01-04T17:17:00.000+00:00I've been racking my brains for a solution to your...I've been racking my brains for a solution to your problem and I think Gavin Cooney's finally got the answer. Using his approach, you would definitely get the best of both worlds and your problem should be pretty much solved!Tony Ruscoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00027841143091561291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-54746505129206708152008-01-04T16:55:00.000+00:002008-01-04T16:55:00.000+00:00Dave,While I don't agree that Google Apps would be...Dave,<BR/>While I don't agree that Google Apps would be less effective at SPAM filtering than your current solution, and I think the gmail interface is better for people who are trying to deal with a horse load of mail...<BR/><BR/>how about this:<BR/>-Use google apps.<BR/>-Dont have a "catch all" email address- just one, or 2 addresses that get to you<BR/>-Use POP to get all your mail from Google (minus what google see as SPAM) and handle it in the exact same way as you did before- including the SPAM filter.<BR/><BR/>This saves downloading 99% of your SPAM.Gavin Cooneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052323790795734380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-4456375719686324092008-01-04T16:54:00.000+00:002008-01-04T16:54:00.000+00:00@mike: I do have a private e-mail address which I ...@mike: I do have a private e-mail address which I use for friends and family etc and yes, this is a fine way to communicate with people... but only if someone wants to talk to me about this.<BR/><BR/>I know that webmail saves time with downloading... but it costs time with ineffective spam filtering. If it lets 1% of spam through that's 3000+ e-mails to wade through. Also webmail is, in my experience, just slower to open/reply/deal with. I often get 500 regular e-mails a day also and webmail just isn't efficient for that.<BR/><BR/>Having a PA isn't the solution. For a start, it would make all the people who start their e-mails <I>"Dear Dave or whoever reads this for him."</I> right... and that can't happen. <BR/><BR/>It's people assuming that I'm some kind of industry and not just a bloke with a computer just like them that makes them think putting my address on their site is okay... and really, a large part of what I do depends (in my head at least) on me not having those barriers and not making those assumptions about myself. I don't want to behave like davegorman plc because the minute I do, davegorman plc exists. <BR/><BR/>Hiring a p.a. makes them right and means a little bit of me dies a tiny death.Dave Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02260701102207639816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-40197803352943281942008-01-04T11:12:00.000+00:002008-01-04T11:12:00.000+00:00Hi Dave,More of an observation than anything else,...Hi Dave,<BR/><BR/>More of an observation than anything else, but it does seem that this commenting process is allowing you to communicate with people relatively effectively. Obviously it doesn't allow you to communicate privately, but perhaps you should just use a personal email address for your close personal friends, and then something like this for fans/ people who like your work.<BR/><BR/>Of course, the best way I think would be a web based client. I know you say you've used gmail and found in effective, but the point of is that its web-based, so there is no downloading of emails to your computer. Thats whats using your computing time for an hour or so a day.<BR/><BR/>That I think is the most sensible option.<BR/><BR/>However, there is one other thing you could do which is to outsource it to another person - a "virtual" PA for say an hour or so a day, that is to say, another physical person who organises and manages this sort of stuff for you. I'm sure you could organise something like that for around £10 a day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-76889834678206543792008-01-04T10:45:00.000+00:002008-01-04T10:45:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-11108396913608634252008-01-04T00:57:00.000+00:002008-01-04T00:57:00.000+00:001: actually the spam filter is amazingly accurate....1: actually the spam filter is amazingly accurate. The problem is that it's being overloaded with content and it just takes forever to process. It makes almost no mistakes... but even getting 32,000 things right takes ages. The solution is going to be to do with putting the filters server side instead of at my end.<BR/><BR/>2: the current address is actually the second address I've been through with this problem - although the first address didn't get to these levels of spam. That was an old virgin.net account. When I look at the way people share my address with the world I can see that they just don't think that I'm just a bloke with a computer in his house like pretty much everyone else. There's one site that lists it in a <I>"hey, here's some people we think you might want to e-mail"</I> way. They then list about 15 or 20 addresses. There are a couple of formula addresses @bbc.co.uk for some Radio1 DJs but all the others are either people as disconnected from the e-mail address as George Bush or organisations like New Scientist or whatever. Mine is the only one they've listed that's just a personal e-mail address without any company servers and the protection they afford. <BR/><BR/>And presumably this distinction isn't immediately obvious to them. Which makes sense because about 10% of the regular e-mail I get starts with something nonsensical like <I>Dear Dave or whoever reads this for him</I> or <I>Dear Sirs, can you please pass this on to Dave</I> or whatever... so obviously they just think there's some kind of davegorman inc that I'm the boss of.<BR/><BR/>(These are invariably the same people who think I'm rude when I give them an honest answer to their question instead of the answer they want to hear. Oddly if they got no reply at all they'd just assume that my mythical secretary hadn't passed it on to me and wouldn't think I was rude at all... odd how it's reading and replying that's rude.) (Sorry that's a sidetrack rant) <BR/><BR/>It seems to me that changing and hiding my address will just put the problem off for another day because the minute I reply to someone the address is given away again and the same cycle starts again.<BR/><BR/>Also... in reply to all the googlemail suggestions... I have used it before and it was nowhere near as accurate a spam filter as spamsieve. I'm happy to delete mails unchecked if it thinks it's spam, that's not a problem to me. But it only needs to decide that 1 or 2% of spam mails are okay for it to be an ineffective solution when the amount of spam is this big.<BR/><BR/>I'm still looking into Google Apps and I've e-mailed my hosts to see if they can help me with some server side filtering. If they can't I'll look into changing hosts to someone who can.Dave Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02260701102207639816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-11015011396388975902008-01-04T00:22:00.000+00:002008-01-04T00:22:00.000+00:00I think you have 2 problems here: 1. Getting a bet...I think you have 2 problems here: 1. Getting a better spam filterer 2. Setting up a new, better e-mail address so that over time the old address is only used by the spammers.<BR/><BR/>1. Probably means moving into some sort of enterprise spam managers and there have been a number of suggestions around that<BR/><BR/>2. Is slightly more interesting. The obvious approach is just to change your address slightly, but that will eventually result in the same situation as now. Alternatively (and slightly more secure), set up a feedback form so that no-one knows what the address is (but this then requires most of the world to use the form to communicate with you.<BR/>Most secure of all is to use an i-name. This locks things down about as far as they can go and is built on services offered by e.g. 2idi.com but may also offer some possibilities for forwarding of the old address in the future.<BR/><BR/>Fortunately I took the decision a year ago to have a 'public' address from a major webmail providor and my true address that only real people ever get to know. It seems to work for me, but has taken quite a while to see the effect.fledermaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02313235878794056963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-4671350334011613612008-01-03T23:01:00.000+00:002008-01-03T23:01:00.000+00:00I found this to be more of a psychological problem...I found this to be more of a psychological problem than a technical one.<BR/><BR/>Gmail (sorry to be boring, but I agree with everyone else) filters out the spam and puts it in a nice folder without you having to download it. And - as an aside - means all your important stuff is backed up off site.<BR/><BR/>So the real issue for me was coming to terms with not looking through all that junk. I get, I guess, 500 a day and now just delete it all unread. Clearly I spend my life in a neurotic frenzy that there might be, like, a REALLY IMPORTANT GENUINE MESSAGE that has been mistakenly filtered out. But the alternative just isn't practical.JonnyBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10504888355938166808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-76195918903880314192008-01-03T21:35:00.000+00:002008-01-03T21:35:00.000+00:00Hi Dave "I don't know of any way of intercepting t...Hi Dave<BR/><I> "I don't know of any way of intercepting them before they get to me"...</I><BR/><BR/>Get yourself a virtual PA. I would gladly volunteer to sort out your spam.<BR/><BR/>I'm a good sorter.Sall*https://www.blogger.com/profile/15819894057343735733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4588205362847565197.post-44793992122167612802008-01-03T21:25:00.000+00:002008-01-03T21:25:00.000+00:00I know everyone is trying to help... but for the f...I know everyone is trying to help... but for the final time... telling me how to hide my address isn't going to work. My address is hidden. Spambots cannot find my address on my site... but for some reason other people seem happy to throw my address around all over the place so it doesn't matter it can still be found and there's not a lot I can do about it.Dave Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02260701102207639816noreply@blogger.com