E-Mail Capture

Hi Mel --

> You could also grab it with a CGI program,

I'm not aware of a CGI program that can capture email. Some older browsers offered it up but that has been a while. If you are aware of a program that does offer this I'd like to know about it - not to use it though! Due to certain jobs I've had we looked long and hard for a way to do this and it just doesn't exist. There are a couple of tricks - using an ftp call for a graphic, etc. that occasionally work but they ceased being reliable a long time ago.

The email also does not appear in server logs unless you have logged in with your email as your username - and if that is the case the site would already know your email and have no need to capture it.

> and there are some out there that do this.
> HOWEVER -- some folks travel with their
> email info munged (I do also) and not every
> visitor is a real prospect. And some of

This of course is a very good point to anyone thinking about building a list by capturing emails - make sure they are a real prospect.

A note to others who want to munge their email. Make sure you do it by munging the server name and not your username. i.e.:

[email protected] Others may be angry at the "invasion of
> privacy" if they just snooped by and
> found it of no interest and left.

As well they should.

> Safer bet is to give them the option of
> leaving their email.

And even better is to give them a good reason to leave their email. Make it worth their time - not by offering the same free stuff everyone else does - but your own unique perspectives and contributions. If you can't offer that then what reason do they have for leaving you any information. If you do offer that then you are building something that will last and set you apart from others.

I should mention that when I'm saying "you" above I'm speaking in general and not always to you specifically. I know you know most of what I wrote.

Have a good day!

-- Dan Butler
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/


Some the things I find useful...