Note- Please put email address and/or phone number in all ads (2024)

I get emails all the time from folks that aren't members of PM, who are maybe not computer unsavy, to join PM, begging me to contact one of you for him about this or that you have for sale....because all you put in you ad is "send me a pm".

But if you had your email address or phone number in the ad, there would be no such issues. Remember, there are way more folks reading PM that are not members than there are members.

Of course I just ignore the beggin requests..no time for such

Maybe Mebfab should make this a sticky...

We aren't lame, we don't want to put our contact information out on the 'net.

If the person refuses to understand that, I can't help but think they are looking to harvest private information.

S_W_Bausch said:

If the person refuses to understand that...

Click to expand...

To whom are you referring? Milacron?

This is his site. He sets the rules and you obey them.

You have a problem with that? Go elsewhere.

- Leigh

I've always understood it's bad to put your contact info in an online ad.
I know that in the past, as soon as you put your email in an online ad elsewhere, you would get all sorts of spam.
My user info is set so people can email me by clicking on my forum name, does this only work for forum members?

Mel

The real Leigh said:

To whom are you referring? Milacron?

This is his site. He sets the rules and you obey them.

You have a problem with that? Go elsewhere.

- Leigh

Click to expand...

Leigh, I read that post very differently -- it seemed to me that he was referring to the non-member trying to contact someone to buy something, NOT to Milacron. Could be wrong, of course ...

The real Leigh said:

To whom are you referring? Milacron?

This is his site. He sets the rules and you obey them.

You have a problem with that? Go elsewhere.

- Leigh

Click to expand...

Okay then, how 'bout you post your full name, e-mail address and phone number to this thread, just to prove that you are willing to 'practice what you preach'?

Keelan said:

Okay then, how 'bout you post your full name, e-mail address and phone number to this thread, just to prove that you are willing to 'practice what you preach'?

Click to expand...

I'm not selling anything, which is the subject of this thread.

- Leigh

Mel in WA said:

My user info is set so people can email me by clicking on my forum name, does this only work for forum members?

Mel

Click to expand...

I just "logged off" to see what others see.

Turns out the answer is:

NO - they cannot access our contact info like some of us thought was so obvious.

I prolly have some pages here w/o the info up front as well.
Will try to keep that in mind in the future.

----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

The only way I would post any contact info in a forum ever again is by getting a throw away email just for that purpose. I think that is pretty Inet careless to post any contact info seeing as how searchable that is. I made those mistakes years ago and took years to correct and to this day, I still have small bits of personal info hanging around on this site and the moderators chose to ignore my emails to help me remove it due to other personal matters.

DO NOT put your name and phone number in a forum. I really think some people need a crash course in privacy protection. This is the day and age where all you need is an address and you can zoom right in on their home, see what they drive, etc. Just a matter of time before we will be able to stream satillite video to monitor people real time. SCARY. This stuff goes far beyond a simple inconvenience in a forum listing.

email

I have a junk email address I can use, but one of the reason for being here is the level of people I get to deal with.

I see the site as a mostly self policing entity, if I put a email and get a contact I then have to deal with that.

Not a big deal, just think it goes away from intended.

ben80

Another work-around is to list the item in a local craigslist, choosing the anonymous email option, then post the anonymized craigslist email link in the Practical Machinist ad.

Should work well, and I suspect anyone selling items on the 'net already has a craigslist account.

Many times, I put something up on PM, it is because I don't want to deal with non-PMers.

Not because they are bad, but because the item has some flaws which I think members would know how to
address, without making a big deal about it. Otherwise, it's CL or the Bay. I use my real name on this forum
because, if I say something, I want people to know I am not hiding behind internet anonymity. But, attaching my e-mail
or phone number(yes, a savvy person could figure it out), mmm no thanks. My time is valuable to me as well, so, no,
I will not be getting an untrackable phone, or gmail account for selling things here.

It's a shame, because sometimes, if someone needs things, I will let them go for shipping or a nominal amount, to help get a machine going.
Perhaps I can just PM them directly, oh, and Leigh, put a sock in it please.

regards,

Jon P.

Seems like lots of folks are coming up with solutions for someone else's problem - namely the guy/gal wanting to buy something but not wiling to join. Why should their problem be made our problem?

Shield we assume that this is a new rule or just a suggestion?

Rick