Contact email to send from respondent's default mail client

[StephanusvS]

Hi,

I am looking for a way to have the email address on our Contact Us page http://www.lightthefireministries.or...ontact_us.html, that is, info@lightthefireministries.org.za, open up automatically on the respondent's website in their default mail client (Outlook, Thunderbird etc.) when clicked upon.

This way they will send an email from their computer and their mail account, not merely from the website.

Is this possible in BlueVoda?

[Vasili]

Re: Contact email to send from respondent's default mail client

Yes, but it is not exactly recommended and is a throwback to the 'old way' of doing things since it exposes email addresses to being "scoured" by bots and programs that collect email information online to later exploit or 'spoof' and thus create problems for you later on.
Also, even though the User client opens up to compose the email, it will not be sent or otherwise actioned until they manually open their email client: although Outlook may open a new email pane, it will be saved to the Outbox until Outlook is opened and connected online, and is not sent "immediately" like a Blue Voda FORM would be ......

This is why the whole idea of an online (live connection) eMail FORM was evolved to include validation for fields and the CAPTCHA feature also included to weed out auto-bot email generations.

To regress back to do what you want, simply create an image or icon of some sort and "Hyperlink" it as you would any other shape or element on your Blue Voda page, but instead of using an HTML Style link, use the drop-down list to select "mailto:" type link and enter the email address you wish the "auto-create" email to be sent.

I really don't know what you hope to accomplish by doing this, maybe allow Users to "Add To Contact" the addrress the email is being sent? This will come at a great cost, in my opinion, exposing your address online like this, even if "veiled" as a linked object rather than text to be 'read' ....
The fact that senders will have to make extra effort to actually send the email is redundant as well (in my mind), as they will need to not only have to turn on their email client if not on already.
And a third negative (IMO) is the fact you cannot be sure everyone has an email client to process the email you are asking them to create on their end: many use webmail rather than Outlook, Express, Thunderbird, etc. At least if they have the ability to use a FORM on your website (a confirmed direct connection and secure processing) you are sure to not deny everyone the ability to communicate --- everyone that can connect online (be it to your site, to their webmail, etc.) can send you an email if you use a FORM on your site.

If it sounds like I am trying to talk you out of it, you are right. For good reasons, most of which I have tried to express here. But, you're the Boss, and I gave you a 'better' method to do what you asked for, even though it is not typical ....

[StephanusvS]

Re: Contact email to send from respondent's default mail client

Thank you Vasili,

You are quite right. I never considered all this. After having read your reply I realise that I do not want to do this after all. I will rather go for the online email form as suggested.

Thank you for your input, yet again.

[Vasili]

Re: Contact email to send from respondent's default mail client