Spam

#1 Your email address is available to anyone who reads your profile here. I would reccomend getting a junk email account (hotmail or something) to use for things like forum registration.

#2 I got that email like 3 times(so much for deleting it from their records), and had to reply to them to stop sending me spam. The first time wasn't bad, because it looks like an okay site, but jeez, you'd think they would have a bit more etiquette when it comes to the people they're trying to attract. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action ;)

Of course, now they'll be sending one of those emails to me every day, lol...

#3 I've been getting more and more game development and game promotion and download site spam. For me, I'm not sure there's that much connection between getting on GG and getting the spam - I was getting it since way before them.

The newest trend of semi-spam (I hate to call it that) is job applicants looking game development work. I tell 'em all the same thing... "Sure! Your resume looks great, and I could use someone like that. Except... do you work for percent of project only?" I've yet to have anyone say yes ;-)

Spam sucks, but, is surviveable.

#4 I got the same spam, three times now. They are NOT using my "public" email address listed on my GG profile. It seems they got it somewhere else.

Make sure the senders email address is valid and then
just set up a filter to forward the message BACK to the sender X 3 and delete it afterwards, that way you don't
get a mailbox full of bounce messages. They will get the idea eventually.

#5 Considering GG has one of the largest game dev communities, I wouldn't be suprised if spammers are using email harvesters on GG.

#6 I got those two...
Not a big deal, just a single message, with over a month inbetween

#7 I did too.

I use MailWasher and it seems to have actually cut down on my total spam. Pretty cool. :-)

-Eric

#8 I have gotten the same email twice on 2 different email accounts (I fell for it and signed up haha), one I use privatly for friends only (no idea how that one got out) and the one i used here to register. I also received quite a few people asking me for a job! haha. The best one was when a developer asked me if I wanted to publish their games. Since then I've changed my description on garagegames stating I'm an indie developer :).

#9 Mailwasher looks pretty slick, thanks for the tip Eric!

#10 They're definately harvesting from the GG site. The address I have in my profile here isn't used _anywhere_ else, and I got the mail.

I highly recommend www.spammotel.com for any address you post in a public place.

#11 I get those very often (got that same email twice). I also regulary get spam emails from "publishers"... altough I do not find them worthy the name "publisher" (they're just cheap parasites). And tons of spam for media happenings, online game builders, etc..... so I'm sure the GG site is being useed to collect emails.
Anyway, I now changed my site so the emails are invisible for the spiders/bots, and to the public. All email traffic is now being sent from a form to the server and the server sends the email to the right person. And this seems to work.

#12 I got this e-mail too.

Besides avoiding spam, you can also fight back using WPoison, that fills the spammer database with invalid e-mail addresses.

Take a look at their site and enpower your site with WPoison too.

#13 mmmm spam.

#14 Craig knows how angry I am with my work email address (he faces me at work). Every morning I have to go through the process of removing around 20-60 "loose weight", "rubber sex", "breast enlargement", "ever-lasting gob-stopper", "Buy fxFannyPacks Now!" emails and it (first swear word on GG) absolutely pisses me off each and everyday without fail.

Unfortunately, it means that these simple one-off emails are just as frustrating as the massive bulk ones.

It's now got to the point where I don't bother checking my email when a mail pops up as it's almost guaranteed to be spam. I've now got to change my email address soon which means purchasing all new business cards and informing important contacts.

For gods sake, have these people not heard of targetted marketing? I know it's only email but I do hope that you all burn in hell you bunch of miserable half-wits (tamed language). I also hope in particular that "special-offers.com" in hawii burn to the ground with all members present whilst screaming in absolute agonym, their souls having been cast into the hot pit of dispair and damnation are doomed to an after-life of torture, misery and overdone microwave food.

I hope this correctly conveys my mild iritation. ;)

- Melv.

#15 ... and not only that, may their dead bodies be used as foot-scrubbers by the devil himself. Tortured souls forever roaming the dark pit of dispair, be infested with every known foul disease and putrid stenching puss known to man.

... ahhh, that's better.

- Melv.

#16 hmmm... now would not be a good time to ask Melv for money....
Melv , Perhaps you'd be interested in a free car? or a banana harvesting get right quick scheme (Truly works )
:p

#17 I think Melv really needs to try that mailwasher program...

I love spam, if i'd not followed up on every piece I ever had I wouldn't have a 20ft *ahem* ;)

The mail in question was at least mildly targetted... but I got it a fair amount of times. Maybe they should just pay for an advert or something on the sites they mined the emails from.

#18 lol Melv... that cracked me up. :-)

More on Mailwasher: It allows a whitelist, blacklist, ability to bounce emails as invalid address (which should prompt the spam programs to delete the address), and even the ability to preview the ones you are uncertain of.
Best of all, it's donationware.

I love it. :-)

-Eric

#19 For the last time Melv, stop sending me your fxFannyPack spam! I already have a fanny pack! I know it's you behind that, you and your love for fanny packs. ;)

lol

I just use my hotmail account for registering, and I have it set up to block spam mail, it does a pretty good job of it.

#20 Hotmail's spam filter also filters out emails sent from forums etc... hell, it even filters out emails sent from my mail server (acidstorm.net), so it works, but it works to good.
The real solution is to not put email adresses on websites.... . but then you can't get contacted by people. That's where my solution comes in.... (http://www.acidstorm.net/team.html --> every team member can be mailed, but the visitor doesn't get to see the actual email adress.... its how most recent forums work, perhaps GG can do something similar?) I'm not saying its the best solution, but it sure helps a lot.