The simple answer is: maybe.
The key to avoiding spam is to understand how spammers get a hold of addresses. If they can't get your online address, they can't spam you.
Sometimes spammers will use brute-force tactics to "guess" an e-mail address on a popular domain, such as SomeHugeISP.com. They'll try aaron@SomeHugeISP.com, adam@SomeHugeISP.com, john, johns, johnsmith, smithjohn etc. Some even use random combinations of letters, fishing for valid addresses.
Other times they'll use bots -- agents designed to scour the Web and newsgroup postings, looking for e-mail addresses, much in the same way search engine bots scour the net for fresh content.
You may even give your e-mail address to spammers if you're one of those poor souls who still thinks plugging their address into a porn-site's registration page is kosher.
So how to avoid being consumed with e-junk? It's quite simple. Don't post messages to newsgroups or mailing lists. Don't put your primary e-mail address into a Web form. Ever. And get yourself an e-mail address on a really obscure domain name which is unlikely to attract an attack.
For US$10 (~AU$14) you can register your own .com, .org or .net domain name, and you can probably have it hosted by your ISP fairly cheaply. Don't even set up a Web site on that domain -- keep it mum; your e-mail address and online presence is best kept low-key.
Set up a Hotmail account to use when you're prompted for your address. This is handy when you need to provide an address to obtain information required to, say, download some software.
There's still a chance you could find yourself on a spammer's list, but these rules can help you to avoid spam.
This article was first published in Technology & Business magazine.
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