Disable user email

Disable user email Started by badmonkey · October 27, 2020, 06:38:12 pm · Read 11203 times 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. previous topic - next topic

Disable user email

October 27, 2020, 06:38:12 pm

Emails sent from forum sites are often filed directly to spam. Sometimes they are straight blocked altogether. This leads to user complaints they aren't receiving notifications or cannot reset their own password.

Add to that some user privacy concerns. Many use disposable emails for registration or simply don't register at all.

Rather than have users believe they can rely on email notification, I think it may be easier to disable the forum email requirement. What changes would be necessary to achieve this? Thanks!

Re: Disable user email

Reply #1 – October 27, 2020, 08:12:09 pm

Yup ... email can be a PITA !

The disposable stuff you can use https://addons.elkarte.net/admin/Block-Disposable-Email.html (shameless plug, but I've not tested it in a bit)

Generally blocked emails is a fact of life from shared/VPN hosting. You must enable all of the email checks (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) but even then it can be ugly. You have to check your bounced email and "comply" with whatever demands the bouncer may have. AOL and SWB have always been a PITA and I'm still shocked how many of those are still out there.

Then even if you get everything squared, you will get some users who leave a site and instead of disabling emails, instead mark them as spam in their mailbox and you get blocked again ... ARGH!

You can of course use admin approved registration to "bypass" the need for a valid email, of course that could break password resets and any email notifications. You would then have to do turn off email for all uses (sql update) and "remove" the option to enable emails via PM or from other users or as notifications. I know all those are NOT available in the ACP so you would have to do some hacking.

Re: Disable user email

Reply #2 – October 27, 2020, 08:48:14 pm

Sing it brother! Lol!

I'm actually launching a new project. At least it wouldn't be necessary to disrupt anything *existing*. The anticipated audience would likely prefer anonymity anyway, when possible. Either way everyone signing up would understand up front the absent email requirement, including the usual associated functions.

Ideally the new project would continue using the same antispam the current projects have successfully used for years. A clever question reduces spam to nearly zero!

Re: Disable user email

Reply #3 – October 28, 2020, 04:29:00 am

To be honest I can't imagine a forum without email. How will you handle the password recovery?

Off-topic
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Re: Disable user email

Reply #4 – October 28, 2020, 09:24:27 am

Quote from: radu81 – October 28, 2020, 04:29:00 amTo be honest I can't imagine a forum without email. How will you handle the password recovery?

Off-topic
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As for email delivery you can use Amazon SES which is very cheap (0,10$/1.000 emails). I setup Postfix to go through Amazon SES.

In the past I have set up a VPS to send emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reverse DNS ... all set up), bounce emails, a clean list of members, I used periodically https://www.mail-tester.com/ to check the spam score which was 9,5-10 /10 and in the end there were always some random problems with delivery.

I'm not saying that with Amazon SES everything is perfect, but it's pretty decent and the configuration is simple. On my forum I blocked most of the temporary email domains. I try to keep clean the memberlist by deleting inactive and bounced members with 0 posts.

Quote from: Spuds – October 27, 2020, 08:12:09 pmThen even if you get everything squared, you will get some users who leave a site and instead of disabling emails, instead mark them as spam in their mailbox and you get blocked again ... ARGH!
Yep, that's another problem, but if a member marks you as spam, Amazon will not send any email to that account until you whitelist that account manually. This is good to keep a clean memberlist, but blocked email will not be able to request a new password.

Quote from: Spuds – October 27, 2020, 08:12:09 pmYup ... email can be a PITA !
You can say that loud, email is a PITA!

Password recovery can be obtained through the contact form. On the million + post forum, it happens that way more often than not anyway, likely due to the email issues already stated. Password recovery is infrequent, and manual recovery is orders of magnitude less hassle than dealing with the email issues and complaints.

Re: Disable user email

Reply #5 – October 28, 2020, 03:30:32 pm

I understand, but I still have my doubts. What if I write you through contact form and ask you a new password for my account named @Spuds‍ ‍? How do you handle this?

Re: Disable user email

Reply #6 – October 28, 2020, 05:31:14 pm

One would assume that the email you'd put in the contact form is the same email that would be in the account details.

Re: Disable user email

Reply #7 – October 28, 2020, 07:10:38 pm

ok, but let's say I know Spuds email address

Re: Disable user email

Reply #8 – October 28, 2020, 07:30:20 pm

Quote from: Arantor – October 28, 2020, 05:31:14 pmOne would assume that the email you'd put in the contact form is the same email that would be in the account details.

Yes, and that has been one checkpoint in the past. Combine that with "knowing" users, many in real life. That said, radu has a good point. The new project would nullify that situation. That would require some form of security question. Perhaps that could be an intentionally fictitious email addy! Lol

Re: Disable user email

Reply #9 – October 28, 2020, 07:45:29 pm

Well, this is also solvable; you can trigger a password reset without even email if you set up a secret question/answer in your profile... but that's not the default.

Re: Disable user email

Reply #10 – October 29, 2020, 04:18:17 am

@Arantor‍ that make sense, but as you said need to be coded