New rule: Disposable email addresses are banned

[Riocaz]

This should be common sense. But we only accept real people as users. So if you are using a disposable email address we will assume you are a spammer.

I don't think this applies to any of our actual users currently. But just in case...

[Zosherooney]

Please excuse my ignorance but what is a disposable e-mail address?

[Meganthemog]

I'm glad you asked Zosh as I haven't a clue either

[suffolk]

Mr Google is your friend

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_email_address

[Ratatouille]

That's what I had to resort to Suffs!

[Riocaz]

It's an email address that works only for a few minutes. You go to the website, they assign you an random email address and can see any email that comes in while you are on the website... As soon as you leave the website the email address stops working.

[Grasshopper]

It's an email address that works only for a few minutes. You go to the website, they assign you an random email address and can see any email that comes in while you are on the website... As soon as you leave the website the email address stops working.

That explanation is as clear as a brand new bell!


Grasshopper

[smithap]

Hello! I was just wondering why they don't accept Gmail addresses here? I have 2 gmail email addresses which are NOT disposable and I use them for personal emails and the other for business emails related to my side hustle. And the forums DID NOT accept both!!!! In the end, I had to use my work e-mail to sign up Bad UX in my opinion! The forum basically bans anyone from using common email addresses like Gmail. It cannot distinguish a disposable address from a real one.

[Riocaz]

You know what they say about opinions...

But you are labouring under a misconception. No one ever said that gmail addresses are disposable addresses!

Disposable email addresses are literally that. You go to the disposable email provider, they assign you an email address, and for however long you have the website open in your browser all email to that address will appear on the page. As soon as you close it the email address is deleted and stops working.

Gmail/free email accounts addresses are banned for being a HUGE vector for spammers. In that when we allow gmail and other free email addresses we have hundreds of new users sign up daily... 99.99%+ are spammers. We can reduce that via question and answers but even that usually only works for a day or two before it's bypassed (we used to use CAPCHA instead, which worked better, but a certain demographic of our users couldn't get on with CAPCHA at all).

[StokeySue]

CAPCHA is very hard for the visually impaired - and the audio version doesn’t always seem to work

[Riocaz]

That wasn't the demographic I was thinking of!

Ideally (from my perspective) we would have enabled CAPCHA for new user registrations, and the questions/answers for existing users trying to reset passwords etc etc. But we couldn't find a way split the two.

[StokeySue]

No but I spent 20 minutes trying to register for a site recently - I just couldn’t see the CAPCHA well enough!

[Riocaz]

That's annoying Sue. Personally I always preferred reCAPTCHA which is both easier too see, and has the fringe benefit of digitising texts like the archives of the New York Times. But it isn't an option for the board software.

[StokeySue]

Yes, I was try to remember the difference reCAPTCHA works well with a magnifier if necessary, and the audio is OK.. The photo ones are a nightmare not helped by all the street scenes being US so items not of familiar patterns

[smithap]

So does that mean, Gmail/Yahoo mail/Hotmail can't be used in the forums? Well, that basically limits the regular people from signing up considering not a lot of people have that luxury to have their own website domain for the e-mail address nor do they have a company e-mail they can use.

Moreover, how can a CAPTCHA not work for the visually impaired? if you were visually impaired, you wouldn't be even able to read the small font sizes on this forum in the first place. If someone can't see the CAPTCHA, they can just have the audio option to spell it out for them. There are also other ways of captcha now where all you have to do is just tick a box or click the image that is required.

[Riocaz]

I have numerous email addresses provided as part of various services. 99.9% of which I have never even looked at. Not to mention the numerous free email providers that aren't the big 3 you just mentioned that wouldn't be banned... It's very simple. This board is provided free of charge, and moderated by volunteers. I am not going to ask them to spend hours a day clearing up fake accounts created by spammers. If this means we have to forego a few valid accounts. Then so be it. But most people who want to be members here seem to be able to work it out.

Moreover, how can a CAPTCHA not work for the visually impaired? if you were visually impaired, you wouldn't be even able to read the small font sizes on this forum in the first place. If someone can't see the CAPTCHA, they can just have the audio option to spell it out for them. There are also other ways of captcha now where all you have to do is just tick a box or click the image that is required.

Given that someone WHO IS visually impaired has stated that CAPTCHA can be difficult for them, that the audio versions don't always work right, and that the picture versions are "a nightmare" not helped by them using American references which aren't always obvious for non-Americans (particularly for ones who can't see detail all that well)... Maybe don't dismiss their experience and opinions because it's bloody rude.

As for the board... If you are having issues with the "small font sizes" then simply clicking the change font size option at the top of every page (directly below "advanced search") though I have to admit for a function designed to help the visually impaired it's hard to see. But you can use the function built into most web browsers (in Firefox it's controlled by CTRL+ and CTRL-) to zoom in.

If you have a problem with colour scheme/contrast we have various board "skins" that can be chosen from the User Control Panel/Board Preferences/Board Style. Including "charcoal" which is a high contrast one, which IIRC Sue uses.

[StokeySue]

Thank you Riocaz

Smithap I think you need to learn to understand both English and manners

Visually impaired means exactly what it says - that the ability to see is impaired (damaged) not that it is absent. Even most registered blind people have some residual vision. I am registered partially sighted, which means I have more residual vision than a blind person but a lot less than the average

And it is generally considered very, very, rude to question a disabled persons when they tell you what they can and can’t do, in my case the specifics of what I can and can’t see it’s complex and very individual - even my ophthalmologist wouldn’t presume to be able to guess if I could see a specific thing in detail. But he’s a gent as well as a star in his field.