not new to the boards, but stupid "green" question...

[supercalifragilous]

I've noticed on some posts that when some posters give their e-mail address, instead of typing it out like a hyperlink (i.e. [email protected]), they spell it out (i.e. jane space doe two at aol dot com). Why do people do this? Is pasting a hyperlink against board rules?

Also, is discussing or listing prices taboo on the boards? I know in the past I've personally asked people what they've spent on an item just out of curiosity and either I've received no reply or I've been rudely told to contact the merchant myself. I don't know if this is b/c it's not allowed by BBB or b/c people are just trying to snub me. I really try not to take it personally.

I guess I'm not clear as to what the board "rules" are - is there a page for this?

[khakismom]

People type out their email address so they won't be spammed by internet spammers scanning for email addresses. Posting/pasting hyperlinks isn't against board rules at all. :)

As for prices, discussing how much you paid for an item isn't taboo either. But listing an item for sale here is taboo. That's why the Yahoo swap and babybags groups were started. The Fields just don't want messages appearing saying "Selling my XXX, asking $10 for it". Those messages belong on the Yahoo groups.

Hope this helps! :)

[Momof3Labs]

Typing an e-mail address with spaces or whatever makes it much less likely that you will get spammed (and yes, I've had huge problems with this on other boards).

Discussing or listing prices is not taboo, but some retailers are offering lower prices "under the table" and if we post them here, they could get "caught" and banned by the manufacturer. You would probably do better sending people an e-mail or private message when you have this question - they are more likely to share the info with you privately.

ETA: Also, not everyone revisits all the threads that they've ever posted in, so they may not ever see your question about how much they paid for something.

[kelly ann]

Here is my take on this...maybe others can provide other reasons if my are not correct.

I think people spell out the email address to avoid spam.

As for the pricing issue, sometimes when you are told to ask a merchant it is probably because the retailer has given a really good deal for this board and may not want exact prices posted in "black and white" - it could possibly harm their relationship with the supplier.

[supercalifragilous]

Whew! Thanks for the replies and explanations!

I totally didn't think about the spam issue - This is totally new to me!

Thanks for explaining the price-posting issue - that totally makes sense now! Personally, I try not to contact merchants discussed here (unless it's invited, like Kim @ Whimsical Wears) b/c a lot of them seem to not like being inundated with tons of e-mails asking the same thing and that's totally understandable! :) I didn't even think about this until Tracy @ Kecci pointed this out to me as one of her concerns about doing a co-op with BBB but it seems like she's responded quite nicely to the individual e-mails she's received! :7