Thanks PA Bear, but please note: I already know this, now. The issue the
gets me stirred up is that there is not any warning in the help files of OE
about setup so that a user knowns this in 'advance' before the problem
appears and its already too late. There is no reference to additional info
on the web there either. I am aware that this information does exist
elseware, but it forces the user to search the net possibly extensively for
this info, and during a search, a variety of help pages on this issue
neglect to mention this also, including some of Microsoft's own pages such
as: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/...ups/howto.mspx Note
that this page only says, "enter your email address" which misleads a user
to enter a real address, no mention of alternatives. So even a user who
attempts to search for additional info may continue thinking no risk exists
and end their search there. A user must get lucky to come across the proper
info first such as:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/ou...snewreader.htm which is 3rd
party, or:
http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...mailAndPrivacy
which at first glance appears to be directed at the web based application
and might be discounted by those looking for OE info. (Thankyou to Michael
Jennings for pointing me to this one also in his recent post.)

I know some people don't even read instructions before they do things, but I
do. So I, like many others, could not possibly foresee the solution, without
any indication that a problem exists in the first place. Some have suggested
that it is my fault and I just should have known this, I guess through
'devine' revelation, but I think most understand my point. I also take
acception with the fact that an email address is even displayed rather than
just a username, as it appears to have absolutely no necessity for the
functioning of ng's. I realize that this software was likely written long
ago, but probably neglected for upgrade to address the current internet
environment. If there is no intention to begin blocking the email address
after the username in ng's, I think that at least a patch should be added
which will prominently display and warn the user to this risk during setup
for ng in OE, or a warning text in the help files for ng setup. And pages on
MS's site like the first link example above should be updated.

While the real problem is the spammer scum and the gov'ts lack of enacting
and enforcing internet protection, a few small actions as noted above could
go a long way toward combating at least large part of this problem.

Thankyou to you also PA Bear for all the generous help you have provided to
users here, you are appreciated.
Merry Chrismas, and Happy Holidays to you,
Dan


"PA Bear" wrote in message
...
QP
About e-mail addresses and privacy
It is highly likely that you will receive unwanted messages (spam) in your
regular e-mail account if you use your actual, unmodified e-mail address
as your display e-mail address in a discussion group. Note that your
display e-mail address is different from your notification e-mail address.
Your notification e-mail address must be a real e-mail address in order
for you to be notified; it is stored privately by Microsoft. It is not
visible to the Community. However, your display e-mail address is public
and visible to everyone in the Community.

People who send unwanted bulk e-mail (spammers) regularly gather e-mail
addresses from discussion groups. To help prevent spam in your regular
e-mail account, the default display e-mail address when you post a message
in a discussion group is . The
following are the display e-mail address options you can choose from:

Use a false display e-mail address we generate for you
The default address will be used
when you post a message if you do not change your display e-mail address.

Use a modified display e-mail address
Use a different version of your e-mail address that others will
understand, but that spam tools can't automatically pick up. For example,
if an actual e-mail address were , we would recommend
modifying it to one of the following:

.(donotspam)



_SPAM

In this case, the spam tools will send mail to an invalid e-mail address,
and others will know to exclude the invalid information when they send you
e-mail.

Use a secondary e-mail account
Set up or use an e-mail account, such as a Hotmail account, that is
separate from your primary account for posting to discussion groups.
/QP
Source:
http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales...mailAndPrivacy

The above is admittedly from an MS page about using the web-based
newsreader and the same caveats /should/ be prominent on pages about using
NNTP newsreaders (e.g.,
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/...ps/howto.mspx).
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)

Dan wrote:
snip
Let me say that I have found this forum EXTREMELY helpful for solving
problems. Bruce Hagen, if he is still around, did an excellent job
assisting
me. He also alerted me to the fact that my real email address was
available
to all on this forum, BECAUSE MICROSOFT FAILS TO WARN & INSTRUCT USERS
WHEN
SETTING UP OUTLOOK EXPRESS TO USE THESE NEWSGROUPS, that you should NOT,
I
repeat NOT, NOT, NOT enter your real email address...