Are hyphens bad in an e-mail address?

[yaxomoxay]

I'm asking in the context of using a free email service like hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc.

I just want to create an email for a specific purpose, and would like create a meaningfull handle, and when I concatenate several words together it seems like it is harder to read.

That is why I thought hyphen might help.

(*Note: I am NOT asking about a domain name, where hyphens would indeed be evil!)

Contrary to popular belief, the most important part is what comes after the @. If the purpose is spreading a message or generate interest then it's much better to never use free services (which people associate with non-professional websites, or worse, spam, or worse, phishing).
info@savetheworld.us is much better than savetheworld@hotmail.com

 

[Ambrosia7177]

A quick search brought this up:

Display name and email signature | Proton

Display names and email signatures are a helpful way to provide identification and personalization to the emails you send.

protonmail.com

I just corrected post #24 as your were posting.

Thanks!
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Contrary to popular belief, the most important part is what comes after the @. If the purpose is spreading a message or generate interest then it's much better to never use free services (which people associate with non-professional websites, or worse, spam, or worse, phishing).
info@savetheworld.us is much better than savetheworld@hotmail.com

I agree, but that is the wrong context here.

I tend to silo my work when it comes to e-mail. So if I want to learn how to repair an old Chevy pickup truck, I might create a free e-mail address like: "OldChevyPickupLover@mail.com"

That way, I can organize all e-mails related to that project in that e-mail.

(Most people seem to want ONE e-mail for their lives, and that is fine, but that is NOT my workflow.)

@yaxomoxay, since you seem to have come out of the woodwork again, this thread is NOT related to other threads of mine related to my startup business or social media. This is just a one-off e-mail for a new project I am starting and on which I need some expert help!

 

[D.T.]

I agree, but that is the wrong context here.

I tend to silo my work when it comes to e-mail. So if I want to learn how to repair an old Chevy pickup truck, I might create a free e-mail address like: "OldChevyPickupLover@mail.com"

That way, I can organize all e-mails related to that project in that e-mail.

(Most people seem to want ONE e-mail for their lives, and that is fine, but that is NOT my workflow.)

I guess then I'm a touch confused about why the readability/case is such a big concern. If it's an inbound email to you, it doesn't really affect anything, if you're registering on forums, blogs, newsletter systems, the code certainly doesn't care.

I totally get using multiple email addresses (I have several), though I tend just to use aliases if it's just for the purposes of using inbox rules as I don't want to actually manage multiple accounts. FWIW, I mostly just manage via the client address, so my various rules are based on some global client domain, some specific client contact, sometimes a few rules (special handling for certain attachments from specific senders), etc.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I guess then I'm a touch confused about why the readability/case is such a big concern. If it's an inbound email to you, it doesn't really affect anything, if you're registering on forums, blogs, newsletter systems, the code certainly doesn't care.

Because I have a couple of cool phrases/slogans I am thinking of using for my new e-mail. And I want it to be readable so the unsuspecting recipient is more like to open my e-mail.

(I read a really cool article in the NYT this weekend, and I want to reach out to the person in the article and see if they'd be willing to maybe mentor me. Will likely just call them first, but I want a decent looking email address as well.)

And as you know, I over-think everything!!

I totally get using multiple email addresses (I have several), though I tend just to use aliases if it's just for the purposes of using inbox rules as I don't want to actually manage multiple accounts.

I have thought about that, and can do that with ProtonMail - at least my paid account - but I like segregating things moreso.

FWIW, I mostly just manage via the client address, so my various rules are based on some global client domain, some specific client contact, sometimes a few rules (special handling for certain attachments from specific senders), etc.

Yeah, I can see that, but not my style.

What I did do, however, back earlier this year was to set up Thunderbird on my Retina MBP to point to my two servers and all of my e-mail addresses, so I can just open up Thunderbird and check all 6 e-mail accounts at once!

When I have time - which is never - I will try and do with with my paid ProtonMail account.

I also have done this with my sunsetted AT&T email account.

But for this latest project, I will just create a throwaway account, dedicate it to my latest learning endeavor, and see if I can use it to learn some new things!

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I decided to go with no hyphens, and chose an email that was only two works, and where the letetrs fell in a way that it is pretty readable by itself in lowercase.

 

[TiggrToo]

Because I have a couple of cool phrases/slogans I am thinking of using for my new e-mail

Every single one will be utterly pointless.

As *I* stared multiple days ago - this sort of thing might have been worthwhile ten years ago, nowadats it would be way too long, or invisible. Either way there's zero point to any of it.

Email addresses with "human meaningful" long names in the local-part of the address are passé.

I have about 400 Aliases for one domain - each looking like x.businessName@ (where x = either my first initial or my wife's).

That's all it needs to be.

 

[D.T.]

Every single one will be utterly pointless.

As *I* stared multiple days ago - this sort of thing might have been worthwhile ten years ago, nowadats it would be way too long, or invisible. Either way there's zero point to any of it.

Email addresses with "human meaningful" long names in the local-part of the address are passé.

I have about 400 Aliases for one domain - each looking like x.businessName@ (where x = either my first initial or my wife's).

That's all it needs to be.

Great post. None of these sorts of things work in modern internet communication and marketing. We did all this decades ago, overly complex emails, gimmicky domains, hahaha, we once emailed golf balls printed with - and in another case a 1x4 piece of wood engraved with - unique domains for specific companies as a cold marketing contact (that was the PGA Tour and Home Depot ).

People have gotten past this and are more interested in the content itself.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Great post. None of these sorts of things work in modern internet communication and marketing. We did all this decades ago, overly complex emails, gimmicky domains, hahaha, we once emailed golf balls printed with - and in another case a 1x4 piece of wood engraved with - unique domains for specific companies as a cold marketing contact (that was the PGA Tour and Home Depot ).

People have gotten past this and are more interested in the content itself.

You guys haven't been listening again...

I'm not selling anything, and this is NOT for a business. It is for a particular topic that I want to learn more about, so I created an email to handle things related to such endeavor.

Since I don't want to use my name, I thought a handle related to what I am trying to learn might be helpful.

Anyways, it was just a general qusetion because I tend to overthink everything.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[D.T.]

You guys haven't been listening again...

I'm not selling anything, and this is NOT for a business. It is for a particular topic that I want to learn more about, so I created an email to handle things related to such endeavor.

Dude. You said this:

Because I have a couple of cool phrases/slogans I am thinking of using for my new e-mail. And I want it to be readable so the unsuspecting recipient is more like to open my e-mail.

So you said it's not just a unique email to handle a workflow, you say above, "unsuspecting recipient". That doesn't sound like some kind of passive communication mechanism[?]

 

[TiggrToo]

And I want it to be readable so the unsuspecting recipient is more like to open my e-mail.

And good luck with that. If you're going to start spamming people with unsolicited email then you're going to get a real bad reputation real fast.

And, such an action will also get your account closed by ProtonMail:

You further agree to not use ProtonMail to send Spam, junk mail, bulk emails or mailing list emails that contain persons that have not specifically agreed to be included on that list. Any account found to be sending the aforementioned type of emails will be immediately suspended

Terms of Service | Proton

Terms of Service for using the proton.me website and your Proton Account, including Proton Mail, Proton Contacts, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.

protonmail.com

 

[Scepticalscribe]

This "unsuspecting recipient" tends to be very, very underwhelmed by any such attempts at online creativity, not least, because such expressions of online creativity, much like attempts at humour, tend to be exceedingly subjective, and strangely subject to context.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

And good luck with that. If you're going to start spamming people with unsolicited email then you're going to get a real bad reputation real fast.

And, such an action will also get your account closed by ProtonMail:

Terms of Service | Proton

Terms of Service for using the proton.me website and your Proton Account, including Proton Mail, Proton Contacts, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.

protonmail.com

Do you ever read anything I post? Ever?

You just seem to like to argue...

Please stop twisting things that I say...

I'm done responding to lies in this thread....

 

[TiggrToo]

Do you ever read anything I post? Ever?

You just seem to like to argue...

Please stop twisting things that I say...

I'm done responding to lies in this thread....

Just how are we to interpret this, then?

And I want it to be readable so the unsuspecting recipient is more like to open my e-mail.

That is telling us you wanted to also use these addresses to email other people.

Stop getting upset just because we're responding exactly to your posts.
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This "unsuspecting recipient" tends to be very, very underwhelmed by any such attempts at online creativity, not least, because such expressions of online creativity, much like attempts at humour, tend to be exceedingly subjective, and strangely subject to context.

That and they're not likely to see much more than OldChev...@domain.com (unless a proper display name has been defined. At which point, why even bother?)

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Just how are we to interpret this, then?

That is telling us you wanted to also use these addresses to email other people.

Stop getting upset just because we're responding exactly to your posts.

Emailing someone at a mentor program - where people are invited to ask for help - is hardly spamming someone.

The fact that I wanted an e-mail address dedicated to this mentor problem, and which describes what I am doing, is hardly a bad thing.

But that doesn't matter because you just like to stir things up...

 

[TiggrToo]

Emailing someone at a mentor program - where people are invited to ask for help - is hardly spamming someone.

The fact that I wanted an e-mail address dedicated to this mentor problem, and which describes what I am doing, is hardly a bad thing.

But that doesn't matter because you just like to stir things up...

So why use "unsuspecting"?

These are YOUR words, not ours. If you didn't mean that then don't use the word.

Words have meaning. We get that, do you?

It's not bloody rocket science you know.