Re: "Send this article to a friend" techniques

I use a Java Script at http://www.westernracingleague.com/home.html  View
the source in the header as well as the body. Feel free to use it if you
wish.
- - -
Kevin Bayley
Web Developer
Prairie North Internet
http://www.prairienorth.com/
Member > HTML Writers Guild
Member > International Webmasters
                 Association

----- Original Message -----
From: "Louise Dade" <louise.dade(at)ntlworld.com>
To: <hwg-techniques(at)mail.hwg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 6:47 AM
Subject: "Send this article to a friend" techniques


> Hi,
>
> I run the website (volunteer basis) for a local theatre and thought a nice
> feature to add to the "What's On" pages would be a "Email these details to
a
> friend" function.
>
> Imagine the scenario:
>
> People looking for a good night out in their area. They come across a
> production on our website and think: "Hey, this looks good, I'll send the
> details to Friend X, Y and Z to see if they want to see it". The friends
get
> send an email from the website with the accurate (rather than
> half-remembered the next day) details of the production and they all
decide
> to buy tickets.  Net result:  bums on seats.  (As to whether they enjoy
the
> production and wish to see more of them is, alas, beyond a web designer's
> control -- of course, I'd LOVE to be able to run all the actors, directors
> and crew through a validator first!!!)
>
> I know people can use "Send as email" from their browser but a) not
> everybody knows they can do that, b) it sends the whole page, HTML, images
> and all... and personally I hate it when people send me whole webpages to
> look at, and c) if they use the "send as link" option in the browser the
> recipient may not bother to lookat it, whereas if the information is there
> in the email in front of them, they will be more inclined to read it.
>
> My worry, though, is that by having a web site form where visitors can
enter
> email address themselves will encourage spamming.  Even if the backend
> script (Perl, that's all I can use on this server) is set only to process
> forms submitted from the theatre's server (checking referrers) how can I
> stop people entering lots of email address in the form and spamming people
> USING my form - especially as the "From" address will also need to be
typed
> in by the user -- which means they only have to use the theatre's own
email
> address to fake spam from another source.
>
> Yes, I'm looking at a worst case scenario:  Somebody maliciously (I'm
trying
> not even to think of one of the cast well-meaning, but misguided) entering
a
> bunch of emails into the "To" section (oh, I dunno... all the local
papers,
> pubs, clubs, social groups etc), and the theatre's email in the "From"
> section, then sending.  It will look like the theatre is spamming people
to
> get more bums on seats.
>
> Has anybody done something like this before.  How did you minimise the
risk?
> Should I not allow any personal messages to be added?  Or maybe limited
the
> size of the messages?  Maybe I should only allow people to send to one
email
> address at a time?  Or will that annoy people who wish to send to two or
> more people? Should I abandon the idea altogether (although other web
sites
> have "send to a friend" feature)?
>
> The URL in question: www.qmt.org.uk/whatson/   (the "email to a friend"
> function would appear on the details page for each individual show)
>
> Any ideas, suggestions, techniques will be appreciated.
>
> Louise Dade
> ===============================================
> www.classical-webdesigns.co.uk
> www.classical-webdesigns.co.uk/falco/ - the Roman sleuth!
> www.qmt.org.uk - The Queen Mother Theatre
>

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