For those of you using a catch-all domain - how do you keep track of it if you do not have a simple mnemonic like the name of the company you are getting emails from? Do you use a spreadsheet?
Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
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Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#242I'm using catch all since forever. I regret nothing. Two stories: I don't use mails like facebook@domain uber@domain - that's too obvious. And knowing that may often disclose that I actually have an account registered on given page. I don't want that, so I go full random, using few words I have in mind, current few words from the song I'm listening too, etc. So password manager helps me with e-mails too. But Sometime…
I too have been using a catchall email address since some time in the last century, and it's been cool, although the post is right when they say
> The truth is no one really sells your email
The reason I started doing this was to monitor if someone would transfer my address, and it's never happened. You also get more spam because every firstname@yourdomain works.
But the weird interactions are good! Last year I wanted to get my kid in a somewhat selective middle school (in France) and the fact that the email I was registered with was name_of_school@mydomain helped, because the principal was convinced I was and always had been a huge fan of the school, to have my email named after them...
People simply don't understand you can have more than one email address -- let alone a million. That's kind of fun.
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#243For those of you using a catch-all domain - how do you keep track of it if you do not have a simple mnemonic like the name of the company you are getting emails from? Do you use a spreadsheet?
If a company is unhappy with me because "you can't have our name in your email address" I just spell their name backwards, that usually shuts them up and we can all move on with our day.
I had one small business owner so confused "but that's our domain name, we own it, you can't have it in your email address".
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#244I've been doing this for over 20 years, and it hasn't really been a problem. During the occasional real-life interaction that requires someone to confirm my address and they express surprise, I just tell them that it's correct and I have advanced email needs. It never takes more than a few seconds -- nobody has ever said "please tell me all about your advanced email needs!" :) > I use a password manager for passwords…
> During the occasional real-life interaction that requires someone to confirm my address and they express surprise, I just tell them that it's correct and I have advanced email needs
When someone has asked I say I have it set to whitelist them so it doesn't get accidentally filed as spam, they really like that answer =]
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#245Title says that using a catch all domain (whatever that is) is a mistake, but the bulk of the article about it being a mistake to use the other party's company name as the local part of a throwaway e-mail address which you use for communicating with that party. There is nothing about the catch all aspect being a mistake. You don't have to give a Hilton hotel an address like hilton@example.com; it could be bob-2022-05…
> You don't have to give a Hilton hotel an address like hilton@example.com; it could be bob-2022-05@example.com, right?
Sure, but then it's impossible to remember, or use for classification of incoming mail. Password managers can help with the first problem but not the second one.
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#246I'm using catch all since forever. I regret nothing. Two stories: I don't use mails like facebook@domain uber@domain - that's too obvious. And knowing that may often disclose that I actually have an account registered on given page. I don't want that, so I go full random, using few words I have in mind, current few words from the song I'm listening too, etc. So password manager helps me with e-mails too. But Sometime…
Another no regrets checking in. I've caught companies either selling (or leaking) my address so for me it's been worth it.
Some businesses freak out that "that's our domain name, we own it, you can't possibly use it".
To placate them I'll spell it backwards or give a related name that I can still work out the source. eg. fleet2022@ if I'm renting a car
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#247I'm using catch all since forever. I regret nothing. Two stories: I don't use mails like facebook@domain uber@domain - that's too obvious. And knowing that may often disclose that I actually have an account registered on given page. I don't want that, so I go full random, using few words I have in mind, current few words from the song I'm listening too, etc. So password manager helps me with e-mails too. But Sometime…
I use myname-shortbusinessname@mydomain and once the delivery person for a pizza place i ordered from fairly regularly asked if i worked for the store somehow. I changed the email i used with them to one that was less obvious after that. Not as exciting as getting accused of trademark infringement, but it’s interesting how people interpret these things.
With all those similar stories I wonder why people even bothering with changing an email recipient when some random guy asks about it.
Like... delivery guy asked and?..
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#248Title says that using a catch all domain (whatever that is) is a mistake, but the bulk of the article about it being a mistake to use the other party's company name as the local part of a throwaway e-mail address which you use for communicating with that party. There is nothing about the catch all aspect being a mistake. You don't have to give a Hilton hotel an address like hilton@example.com; it could be bob-2022-05…
> You don't have to give a Hilton hotel an address like hilton@example.com; it could be bob-2022-05@example.com, right? Sure, but then it's impossible to remember, or use for classification of incoming mail. Password managers can help with the first problem but not the second one.
You can search by email in most password managers.
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#249Been using a catch all email domain since 2005. I've not had any major issues with it. The entire "calling up and having to explain the username" thing is few and far between. Had that conversation in person and over the phone dozens of times, at most I get a little ask to verify I spoke correctly. Customer support doesn't care. They have people calling them up with an email address of "420hotcock69 at something dot…
> Then set a filter to mark all email to that user@ to be sent to spam/deleted. Problem solved.
Just forward it back to sales@solarwinds.com. Or just to sales@solarwinds.com
Re: Using a catch-all domain is a mistake
#250I'm using catch all since forever. I regret nothing. Two stories: I don't use mails like facebook@domain uber@domain - that's too obvious. And knowing that may often disclose that I actually have an account registered on given page. I don't want that, so I go full random, using few words I have in mind, current few words from the song I'm listening too, etc. So password manager helps me with e-mails too. But Sometime…
> When I started with catch-all I was actually using mails like companyname@mydomain […] I missed out on a dentist appointment because of this. They thought I was a robot. I blame gmail.
I've missed out on appointments too, the business owner later told me after I finally reached them on a social platform "that address looked weird so I just deleted it"
Regardless, I still regret nothing, seeing my spam free "catch all" mailbox compared to my spam infested decade old web mail is all I need to know it was the right choice.