Perhaps I need more of a life, but spam now accounts for around 80% of the email I receive. I could stop the flow of spam pretty quickly (albeit temporarily) by changing my email address, but then I'd have to go through the hassle of telling all my friends about the change, not to mention getting my business cards reprinted (though I could change them to show only my website, and people could pick up my new email address from there).

But what if there was some automatic way of changing my email address without requiring human intervention ? An authenticated "change of address" notification could be sent to all my contacts, and their software would automatically (with their consent of course) change my contact details on their system. Of course this would mean creating an open/standard format for address change notification, and then of course everyone would have to use it.
-- bumhat, Dec 06 2002

SpiderList http://www.spiderlist.com
Your Address Book That Updates Itself [davewin, Oct 04 2004]

If you're designing a new standard and having everyone you get mail from adopt it and requiring that everyone you get mail from be on a list of yours... well, if you're going to all that effort there are easier and better ways to combat spam.
-- egnor, Dec 06 2002


Mmmm... spam dodgers and pemmican! Now you're eatin' early American Colonial style!
-- Pharaoh Mobius, Dec 06 2002


why not just delete any email not from someone in your address book?
-- yamahito, Dec 06 2002


And, if someone is in trying to sell you something in the street and gets very annoying, you can always get a new face trough surgery, right? Then an automatic software sends your new identity to all your friends and family.

It's SPAM what has to stop, not our life.
-- nelovishk, Jul 24 2004



random, halfbakery