[KeriVit]

Hi guys. I know a lot of you dabble in web stuff and can probably help me out. I'm putting together my own website for my portfolio and stuff and I'm on the contact page.

I'm wondering about putting my info on the site. If I put my email in plain text, is that a good idea? Isn't there something about spamming? What about my phone number and snail mail address? Is there a problem with that? What's the right/smart way to do this?

There must be some rules about it. Thanks.

[MacosNerd]

I use a specific email address, not my main personal email, for the reasons you quoted. I have no need nor a desire to put my phone number on. The same goes with any of my other personal information, that stays confidential. I can be a bit over zealous when it comes to guarding my identity and so any personal information stays off.

[KeriVit]

Well, if I want a job, I'm gonna have to have it up there somehow I guess. I don't think I have a choice.

[Uncle Doof]

IIRC, RAILhead has a nifty app for encoding your email address so the bots can't get it.

[Mastrap]

You can hide your email address, so that harvesting bots have a harder time getting hold of it. Here is a web application that will do this for you. If you don't trust web apps, then you can download a scrambler from macupdate.

My phone number has been on my site for years, with no problems at all. it's important to be contactable.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

I used to list my home address but I found the only people mailing me were to sell me things and some obsessive stalkers.

With my email I got the same.

The best thing to do is list the city/state you are in and put a email FORM.

Anyone who needs your email address, phone # or home address can email you and ask.

[KeriVit]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

You can hide your email address, so that harvesting bots have a harder time getting hold of it. Here is a web application that will do this for you. If you don't trust web apps, then you can download a scrambler from macupdate.

Thanks!

Now, what about icons? envelope for snail mail? Then what for email? Stamp for snail mail? maybe mouse for email? What do you guys think?

This my first actual website and it has taken days for me to build. Honestly, I don't even know how to upload it once I'm done. What fun.

[mduell]

Email address on the website is encoded with the time (just a simple user-$epoch@site) and spam scores go up at the time is further in the past.

[Ghoser777]

Why not post an image containing your email address and phone number?

[starman]

What's that site that Google bought that gives you a public number and forwards the calls to you private one?

[- - e r i k - -]

Get a Skype-number.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES 

I used to list my home address but I found the only people mailing me were to sell me things and some obsessive stalkers.

With my email I got the same.

The best thing to do is list the city/state you are in and put a email FORM.

Anyone who needs your email address, phone # or home address can email you and ask.

I agree with this advise...

[Mastrap]

I disagree. If I don't see a phone number on a designer's/illustrator's/photographer's website chances are I use somebody else. No phone number means no professionalism. If I need to contact you I don't want to wait for you to get check your mail, which might be whenever, I want to talk to you now.

[misc]

I've seen some people post their email addresses as images. Keeps the bots away.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Get a Skype-number.

Nah, even better:

Get a free phone number from http://www.grandcentral.com/ (part of the Google family).

-t

[zro]

Code:
<script type='text/javascript'>
/* <![CDATA[ */
var user = 'user';
var domain = 'domain';
var hyperlink = 'e-mail';
document.write('<a href="mailto:' + user + '@' + domain + '\?subject=">' + hyperlink + ' </a>');
/* ]]> */
</script>

Doesn't work with JavaScript disabled, though. I've been using this technique for years and have yet to get any spam.

Another thing I've seen done is...

Code:
user<img src="commercial_at.gif" />domain

without any hyperlink. That way a visitor can copy and paste, but the text is fairly bot proof.

[Mastrap]

Jeez, people. You're being way too paranoid. Just encode your email address as shown above and don't worry about your phone number and you'll be fine. Millions of businesses have all of their contact details online, billions of people are in the phone book and in online directories.

If you're really that worried about your privacy stop using credit and debit card immediately. You've got far more to worry about there than about putting your phone number on a web site.

[Nivag]

As Mastrap said further up I always make sure there is a contact phone number and a postal address (not a PO box) for a firm before I start using them. While these can be faked it, it makes me feel I'm dealing with a professional business, even if it's just one person doing the work.

[Maflynn]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

Jeez, people. You're being way too paranoid. .

And that's a problem

paranoia has served me well, because everyone is after me. I've fooled them though, I'm wearing my tin foil hat, so they cannot read my thoughts.

[Mastrap]

Case in point: My bank just called me and told me that they're cancelling my credit card because my CC# was on a list of numbers some scumbag swine wanted to sell to an undercover police officer. No unauthorized transactions occurred so far, but they're pulling the plug on everything. And yes, I did check that the call really came from my bank and not some random scammer.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

Case in point: My bank just called me and told me that they're cancelling my credit card because my CC# was on a list of numbers some scumbag swine wanted to sell to an undercover police officer. No unauthorized transactions occurred so far, but they're pulling the plug on everything. And yes, I did check that the call really came from my bank and not some random scammer.

Wow, I guess you're gonna worry about your phone # in the future as well

-t

[Dork.]

If you're doing business or trying to solicit work over the Internet, you have no choice but to put your information online. It is more important to protect your E-mail address than your other information. It costs a lot more to spam your phone and/or your postal address than your E-mail address, so while a plaintext postal address will probably get you added to mailing lists, you won't get deluged with quite the same pointless junk mail as you would when your E-mail is compromised. Also, if you are truly getting threatening or abusive phone calls or snail mail, you have a lot more power to get the matter stopped by working with your phone company or the USPS.

About the only exception I can think of to this might be if your business is run out of your home or you're an independent contractor giving out your home address,, in which case every crazy person on the Internet now knows where your kids live. But if you're already doing business out of your home, a stalker can probably find your home address pretty easily. Why risk losing clients over it?

[Mithras]

Mastrap, you probably should have used javascript or a gif to make your credit card number harder to scrape from your website.

[Ghoser777]

Why would you have your credit card number on your website?

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Wow, I guess you're gonna worry about your phone # in the future as well

-t

Why should I? Some asshat in a restaurant someplace probably stole the number, that got nothing to do with a phone number on a website.

[Uncle Doof]

BTW, if you put your home phone number on your business site, you can forget about getting any sleep. The Internet is 24/7 and there's always some pleb from the other side of the World who doesn't think about what time it is in your locale. If you must, get another line and an answerphone/service.

[besson3c]

I put all my credit card numbers on my site, right below my social security number.

[KeriVit]

THANKS GUYS. I THINK I COMPROMISED ON STUFF. I HAVE A SEP NUmber. I made my email a "clicky" Don't really care about my address. I'm listed in the phone book and on the web any way so if someone wants to find me they could.

I'm ready to upload and test it out. Just have to find out how. I'm sick of looking at it today though.

[KeriVit]

Care to take a look and give me feedback?

www.kerivcreates.com

[Mastrap]

You got some good work in your portfolio there. (I am a Creative Director in an ad agency.)
Some, hopefully helpful, comments.

1. I can't read any of the copy without my eyes physically hurting. The white on black, small type, no kerning, no leading combination is a killer for legibility.

2. The Keri V story isn't professional. I'd recommend to get rid of it. The 'letter V' story is confusing and doesn't make any sense.

3. Get somebody to write something about you that describes you better. This:

I bring to the table more than just a book of well-executed ideas.
I bring thoughtfulness, intelligence, and the drive to succeed.
I bring insight, experience and perhaps most importantly:

VIBRANCE

means nothing. It's marketing blah and it's lazy. It puts the onus to fill your words with meaning onto me, the audience. And that's not my job, that's yours.

4. When you use quotes and testimonials you need to tell me where they are from. Otherwise they have no credibility.

I very much like some of your work, it's obvious that you've got talent. Your website needs to reflect that. Make your work the hero, give me less meaningless talk. I see many sites like yours from young art directors. Great work, but can't write to save their lives.

None of the above is meant to be abrasive, what I am telling you is what I would tell any of my own junior teams.

[besson3c]

KeriVit: I have some coding suggestions for you if you want them, or are you only looking for design feedback?

[KeriVit]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

KeriVit: I have some coding suggestions for you if you want them, or are you only looking for design feedback?

b-man, I can get design feedback from my colleagues, bring on the coding suggestions. Be gentle. It's my first site.

[KeriVit]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

You got some good work in your portfolio there. (I am a Creative Director in an ad agency.)
Some, hopefully helpful, comments.

1. I can't read any of the copy without my eyes physically hurting. The white on black, small type, no kerning, no leading combination is a killer for legibility.

2. The Keri V story isn't professional. I'd recommend to get rid of it. The 'letter V' story is confusing and doesn't make any sense.

3. Get somebody to write something about you that describes you better. This:



means nothing. It's marketing blah and it's lazy. It puts the onus to fill your words with meaning onto me, the audience. And that's not my job, that's yours.

4. When you use quotes and testimonials you need to tell me where they are from. Otherwise they have no credibility.

I very much like some of your work, it's obvious that you've got talent. Your website needs to reflect that. Make your work the hero, give me less meaningless talk. I see many sites like yours from young art directors. Great work, but can't write to save their lives.

None of the above is meant to be abrasive, what I am telling you is what I would tell any of my own junior teams.

1. I heard that from another. He suggested a slightly less white text. That work?

2. Do you mean the "about me". It all stemmed from my resume. But I've had my doubts on that as well.

3. I can actually write well. Perhaps not so much here. Should I speak to a copywriter? I have a few on my list of friends.

4. I'll be the first to admit, no thought went into the copy. I was just tired from coding. Not my forté. Maybe I should narrow it down to 4 pages and lose something? I'll ponder your advice. I'm just not sure where to go next.

But Thanks. Much.

KV

EDIT:a friend of mine has all his work on page one. Is that better?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by KeriVit 

b-man, I can get design feedback from my colleagues, bring on the coding suggestions. Be gentle. It's my first site.

Sure, well, first of all, I have no idea what this is but I'm sure it can be deleted

Code:
<div>
  <div>
    <div>
      <div>
        <div>Content for New Div Tag Goes Her</div>

      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
</div>

Secondly, all of your Javascript and CSS can be moved to an external file just like you did for kv.css on the homepage. This will allow this stuff be loaded only once and cached, making subsequent page loads of other pages faster.

Portfolio page: move all of your incline CSS rules to your kv.css file.

Resume page: ditto for inline CSS rules, you can kill off this thing, no idea what it is supposed to be:

Code:
<div style="width: 35em; height: 5em; overflow: auto;"> <p>This is text is contained in a semanitcally correct element</p> <p>...that doesn't sabotage the HTML it contains.</p> <p>You'll have no problem with users accidently removing your content.</p> <p>Search engines will pay attention to the contents of this element.</p>

Good work on putting your resume in a div tag with overflow CSS attribute rather than a frame

I might suggest styling your links to match the look of your site, so:

Code:
a {
color:something
}

a:hover {
color:somethingelse
}

Contact: the problem with the mailto: link you included (aside from spam harvesting and all of that which we've talked about here) is that users who use some sort of web-based email are not going to be able to send you mail this way without setting up some standalone client. I would suggest a web-based form. Not only does it offer you some privacy, appears professional, but it provides the quickest and easiest way for people to email you. If you decide to include a form, be sure to secure it so that it isn't bombed by spammers. I'd be happy to help you with this, even give you the PHP code I use for form processing of my contact forms.


All in all, this is a very impressive first site!

[besson3c]

Also, is there any Flash on this site? I was just looking at your MM_CheckFlashVersion Javascript function.

[KeriVit]

WOW! I will have to take another look at this in the morning. Right now, it makes no sense. I come from a print bkgd. But I realize I need to learn it all. Thanks besson. I'll be in touch.

[KeriVit]

And yes, one Flash movie.

[KeriVit]

[QUOTE=besson3c;3688952
Secondly, all of your Javascript and CSS can be moved to an external file just like you did for kv.css on the homepage. This will allow this stuff be loaded only once and cached, making subsequent page loads of other pages faster.

Portfolio page: move all of your incline CSS rules to your kv.css file.

Resume page: ditto for inline CSS rules, you can kill off this thing, no idea what it is supposed to be:

[/QUOTE]

How do I do this?

[KeriVit]

Contact: the problem with the mailto: link you included (aside from spam harvesting and all of that which we've talked about here) is that users who use some sort of web-based email are not going to be able to send you mail this way without setting up some standalone client. I would suggest a web-based form. Not only does it offer you some privacy, appears professional, but it provides the quickest and easiest way for people to email you. If you decide to include a form, be sure to secure it so that it isn't bombed by spammers. I'd be happy to help you with this, even give you the PHP code I use for form processing of my contact forms.

And how do I do this?

I deleted the stuff you suggested and made a few other changes- for better or worse we shall see.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by KeriVit 

How do I do this?

Copy and paste your Javascript code into a separate file, save it with a .js extension (you can use something else, but .js is sort of the convention). Add the following within your head tag within the header of your pages (I'm assuming that you have constructed a header template)?

Code:
<script language="javascript" src="/path/to/javascript/file.js"></script>

CSS, just copy and paste your inline rules to your kv.css file, and then delete these from your HTML page.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by KeriVit 

Contact: the problem with the mailto: link you included (aside from spam harvesting and all of that which we've talked about here) is that users who use some sort of web-based email are not going to be able to send you mail this way without setting up some standalone client. I would suggest a web-based form. Not only does it offer you some privacy, appears professional, but it provides the quickest and easiest way for people to email you. If you decide to include a form, be sure to secure it so that it isn't bombed by spammers. I'd be happy to help you with this, even give you the PHP code I use for form processing of my contact forms.

And how do I do this?

I deleted the stuff you suggested and made a few other changes- for better or worse we shall see.

Google creating HTML form elements and construct your actual form interface, and I will help you with the email processing part... Having the interface done will help determine what is plugged into the form processing script in terms of variables that are posted to this script.