Because you like spam.
That’s the answer to why you publish your e-mail address in plain view on your website.
You don’t publish your e-mail address in plain view on your website? Oh, my mistake.
But, there’s still something else that puzzles me about this whole e-mail exposure situation.
If you don’t publish your e-mail address in plain view on your website, why, then, would you publish your commenters’ e-mail addresses?
Like most other readers, I enjoy reading the comments left on entries and sometimes a comment is so profound that I desire a visit to the commenter’s website.
Today, I found one of those profound comments and clicked on his name expecting to be whisked away to another part of the web. Instead, a blank e-mail opens up begging me to write him a message.
That was odd, I thought to myself as I went back to the website and, this time, only hovering over the commenter’s name. An e-mail address.
I cringed. I cringe just thinking about it. There is was, (I assume) a valid, working e-mail address out in the open taunting the spammers to try and harvest it.
Spam issues aside, when I comment on someone’s website, I’m usually providing my e-mail address for their use and not the entire web at large.
Due to my generally trusting nature, I provide a valid contact e-mail address for the author if they should want to discuss my comment in another medium. But I don’t expect, or want, my e-mail address on display. I suspect most bloggers are of the same mind.
I know I’ve done it once or twice - left a comment using my real e-mail address only to have it completely displayed with no protection whatsoever. And the only thing you can really do is smack your head in light of your ultimate Homer Simpson “doh!” moment.
Needless to say, I no longer comment on that blog and I’m a lot more careful to check whether e-mails will be placed on display before I comment on any blog.
If I feel there is even a remote chance, I leave the e-mail field blank (unless it’s required, then I just use a disposable e-mail address).
Something you need to be aware of when enabling comments on your website: people do not want to deal with any more spam and most people value their e-mail privacy.
Show a little courtesy to your contributors (and that’s what commenter’s are, they do help you build content on your site) by not revealing their e-mail address when they leave a comment.
If you do plan to reveal their e-mail address, make it very clear before they even start typing their response.
