In reply to a post by TheEulerID:

I admire your ability to keep track, although I suppose if you use a mail server allowing for an unlimited number of addresses you can just use a name based on the site DNS contents.

GMail supports the idea of [email protected] where after the + and before the @ can be anything and you'll receive it into the name mailbox.

Although you still get some websites that don't allow the use of addresses with + in them...

I personally use aliases at my domain and block when required. It's nice to see the potential list of who is sharing your address too.

Matt

That's interesting, cheers.

In reply to a post by uno:

Although you still get some websites that don't allow the use of addresses with + in them...

I personally use aliases at my domain and block when required. It's nice to see the potential list of who is sharing your address too.

Yes - that is true. Having your own domain is the easiest way!

In reply to a post by uno:

I personally use aliases at my domain and block when required. It's nice to see the potential list of who is sharing your address too.

Been doing that for years - it's by far the best idea. Plus a unique password as well for security.

I have unique passwords for every site. The pain is trying to remember which sites forced me to use a number in the password.

When the (latest) Talktalk breach hit the headlines, I forced myself to change my password habits and started using a password manager to generate and save unique passwords.

I'm not brave enough to put my bank password in it though.

So how does all these separate and compartmentalised email address work when you have emails both to and from multiple contacts with other contacts copied in on the email?

How exactly are you going to reply to say 5 of your contacts about some subject unless you write 5 different emails to each of them from the 5 different email address allocated to each contact and then face the problem that each person will not know the others have also been informed in a separate email as they would if if was a straightforward reply to all.

Sounds all like a lot of work and will create a lot of confusion.
It will end up with many contacts using the 'wrong' email address instead of the one allocated to them as they have been passed on an email from you originally to someone else and they will reply to that address rather than the address allocated to them.

To be honest it sounds totally nuts!

Same, it's just not the norm for most users sadly.

I suspect that "each of my contacts" was not referring to personal contacts but businesses that require an email address, so it's not really an issue. I do the same and have about 500 email addresses at the last count.