Sunday, April 6, 2014

Why I am a No Reply Blogger

image: Torsten Dettlaff | Pexels.com

Good morning friends. Some people may wonder why other bloggers are No Reply Bloggers. Well, there actually is a reason, at least for my choice. First, let me say that it is not to be unfriendly or appear unsocial. It is simply an issue of security. While allowing Replies is so easy and convenient for those who are good people, it also makes easy and convenient access for those people on the web who are not friendly. Having your email address accessible to the whole world wide web is really dangerous. This is as dangerous as having a mailto: link directly to your email account. These practices can fill your inbox with viruses and spam, and even crash your computer (especially if your security system does not have a firewall to protect your email). Hijackers, spammers, scrapers, and other such people do not need to know a person's email address. Sadly, not everyone who replies on a blog has good intentions nor is even interested in the blog. So, how can well-intentioned people contact you? Please continue reading.

Contact forms are a great solution. Some are free, others are paid-for services. They provide a safer outlet to be contacted, and do not reveal your email address unless you choose to reply to the sender. Mine has a CAPTCHA where the sender must fill-in the letters/numbers in the box to prove that they are not a robot. Yes, robots do search the web looking for those mailto: links and other ways to enter people's email accounts. Not all robots are friendly. Some are spybots! Why make it easy for them, and at the price of compromising your identity/security?

There is no 100% foolproof way to stop bad people and spyware, but taking some simple measures can really help to avoid falling victim. Having a reputable security system with a firewall to protect your email, not using mailto: links, and not providing easy access to your email address are all great starts. Some people say that they have a special email account for contacts in case something bad happens, but here's the thing: that email account is checked by you on your computer which means that this method is not a solution. Using "[at] dot com" or something similar, also not a solution. Nearly everyone knows what that means. Although it is not a link, it is revealing. Moderating comments is a smart and safe decision.

Nowadays, being social on the web is very important. I appreciate all of my followers and the comments. Yet, we still must be careful and safeguard ourselves. In a perfect world, we could just not worry and all would be OK. Sadly, this is not the case. It is so sad to see a fellow blogging friend get hacked. We should guard our email addresses the same as we do our physical addresses and other personal information: need-to-know basis. It really is an everyday struggle when on the web to be social and accessible without compromising one's identity/security, isn't it? Prim Spring blessings.

Visit my page: *Safe Blogging Tips: Suggestions To Do Immediately If You Do Get Hacked*


Danice G.

1 comment:

Primitive Stars said...

Great post, very Informative, thanks, Francine.