I started my business back in 2008 and I’ve used the same email address for all this time, info@mybusinessname.com. I have used this email for all my customer communication and nothing else.

I left godaddy for Epik and in a lapse in judgement, I used my business email to sign up rather than making a forwarder just for Epik. Then “anonymous” hacked Epik and released my credit card number and email address to the world. Now I get a ton of spam in my business email box. It’s more than enough to be annoying. Some customer communications get lost in the mix from time to time.

I don’t think i have a choice but to change my email address and delete the one I’ve been using for so long.

How will this affect communication? What would you change it to if you were in my situation. info@domain_name.com is really common and can often just be guessed, is there another common email username that is considered acceptable?

I wouldn’t do it. My email address is the username for MANY of my accounts. I’ve had that email address since 2001. My only email address. It’s part of my identity.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I wouldn’t do it. My email address is the username for MANY of my accounts. I’ve had that email address since 2001. My only email address. It’s part of my identity.

You would just wade through the spam? I have over 140 email addresses and the business account is the only one that gets spam. All because anonymous decided to hurt innocent people.

I can send a mass email out to my customers concerning the change in email address. I can also change my invoices as they are generated as needed. I can also leave the current email address open for a while until all the customers make the change in their contacts. Also this email address is not used for any login username.

I switched customer communications from my personal me@business.com account to a service@business.com account about 10 years ago. People still email my account. You can switch, but keep the original open and monitor it until it’s dead.

quote:

Originally posted by dbgeek:
I switched customer communications from my personal me@business.com account to a service@business.com account about 10 years ago. People still email my account. You can switch, but keep the original open and monitor it until it’s dead.

Service@domain_name.com is a good idea. Thanks.

Contact@domain_name.com also seems to be a good idea.

my primary email has been the same for years!!

My Email address dates back to dial up days. I have thought about changing it, but there is no real need to.

Email addresses are not social security numbers. They should be treated as viable until they aren't.

Once one is compromised, and many if not all will be eventually, then that's it. It's a royal PITA to get another one, since many are already taken (like domain names!), but there isn't much you can do once the spammers have their hooks in.

I had to because I was hacked, started getting 40 spam emails a day, switched, now I get 4-6 a day but no spam. It was a pain because I had to change a lot of contacts but worth it for me.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
You would just wade through the spam?
I have over 140 email addresses and the business account is the only one that gets spam.
All because anonymous decided to hurt innocent people.

One thing I would do is deploy a SPAM Gateway, if you haven't already.
A much easier process since you own your own domain name.
I use MXGuarddog for several of my IT Clients.
You point your email to them, they scan it and forward on or traps it on their site.
Very configurable and cuts waaaayyy back on the volume of really bad/obvious stuff.

This is how old my business email is.

It ends in aol.com

I’ve had younger people ask me what that is.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
You would just wade through the spam?
I have over 140 email addresses and the business account is the only one that gets spam.
All because anonymous decided to hurt innocent people.

One thing I would do is deploy a SPAM Gateway, if you haven't already.
A much easier process since you own your own domain name.
I use MXGuarddog for several of my IT Clients.
You point your email to them, they scan it and forward on or traps it on their site.
Very configurable and cuts waaaayyy back on the volume of really bad/obvious stuff.

That’s a really great idea. Unfortunately, I am not sure that I can change my MX record. I’m not sure that can work for me.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
This is how old my business email is.

It ends in aol.com

I’ve had younger people ask me what that is.

Me too....why should I change ?

quote:

Originally posted by oldfireguy:
I had to because I was hacked, started getting 40 spam emails a day, switched, now I get 4-6 a day but no spam. It was a pain because I had to change a lot of contacts but worth it for me.

I’ve got tons of office work to do but i don’t actually start working again until March. I can probably do it over the next month.

Looks like I may have to go with the change.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
Email addresses are not social security numbers. They should be treated as viable until they aren't.

Once one is compromised, and many if not all will be eventually, then that's it. It's a royal PITA to get another one, since many are already taken (like domain names!), but there isn't much you can do once the spammers have their hooks in.

That makes sense. I like zero spam. My current system works very well when i don’t use an email in a place that i shouldn’t.

Sign up with Aura identity protection. They have a process to remove your email from data brokers where the majority of spam emails come from.

I would get a new address and send an email to your contact list from both addresses.

Your contacts will get two emails but the note from your old address should reference the new address.

Keep the old one but keep it inactive.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I would get a new address and send an email to your contact list from both addresses.

Your contacts will get two emails but the note from your old address should reference the new address.

Keep the old one but keep it inactive.

that looks like the plan I’m going with.

My first email for years was @cox.net
When we moved, Cox does not service our area so I went with @icloud.com
I went from maybe 15/20 SPAM in @cox per day to maybe 1 per month @icloud.com

That alone is worth going with iCloud.com

Yes you might have to do a lot of changes to your accounts/clients/friends but SPAM reduction means a lot to me.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

I am not sure that I can change my MX record.
I’m not sure that can work for me.

I wouldn't know why this would be a problem unless either you don't own the domain or have control of your DNS.

The MX is changed and then forwarded to your email server.

I see a lot of people who let one entity control everything, DNS, Registrar (Domain), Email, Web.
These entities want to do everything, their way, the easiest way in their best interest, not yours.
This will lead to a massive loss of control of and makes it especially painful in any migration or changes.
The same results can be achieved when you have control of these accounts and I have made them work in every case without a hitch.