# On the use of 'legacy' email addresses. . **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2022, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601 "2022-01-28T23:59:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/101 "2022-01-31T17:32:35Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Perhaps you have a fairly common name and the email address was already taken. Yes, I know it’s because it was already taken. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/102 "2022-01-31T17:39:41Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > What am I missing? What’s wrong with using these email addresses? Is there something out there I don’t know about and should be using instead? (Probably!) > > I use Yahoo and also the email address from my cable/internet provider. As was noted upthread, as long as an older mail provider is giving you good spam filterning, and has kept their security protocols up-to-date (to keep your account from getting hacked), there’s nothing _wrong_ with still using Yahoo (or AOL, or Hotmail, or whatever), from a functionality standpoint. The “issue” is about perception, particularly if you’re looking for a job; using a Yahoo email address on your resume and on your communications with potential employers will likely suggest to them that you are (a) older, and (b) out of touch, technologically-speaking. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/103 "2022-01-31T17:49:32Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > You certainly don’t have to add a number in general. You can use anything you like, with dots or underscores to separate different parts, if you want them. Keep in mind that with ProtonMail, you can add dots, underscores and hyphens into the address. For example, [straightdope@protonmail.com](mailto:straightdope@protonmail.com), [straight.dope@protonmail.com](mailto:straight.dope@protonmail.com), [straight-dope@protonmail.com](mailto:straight-dope@protonmail.com), [straight\_dope@progonmail.com](mailto:straight_dope@progonmail.com), [s.t.r.a.i.g.h.t-d.o.p.e@protonmail.com](mailto:s.t.r.a.i.g.h.t-d.o.p.e@protonmail.com), and [st\_ra.ig-ht\_do.pe@protonmail.com](mailto:st_ra.ig-ht_do.pe@protonmail.com) are all the same address. When replying to an e-mail like the above as well as with aliases, the reply uses the e-mail address that was received and not the way you signed up. Edit: With gmail, you can users periods in the username and it is still the same address. They apparently don’t permit hyphens and underscores. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/104 "2022-01-31T20:09:50Z")
One of my friends still uses a Prodigy email address that’s he’s kept from 1992? It’s from when we were still in high school. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/105 "2022-02-01T15:30:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@TRC4941](#): > > > > What am I missing? What’s wrong with using these email addresses? Is there something out there I don’t know about and should be using instead? (Probably!) > > > > I use Yahoo and also the email address from my cable/internet provider. > > As was noted upthread, as long as an older mail provider is giving you good spam filterning, and has kept their security protocols up-to-date (to keep your account from getting hacked), there’s nothing _wrong_ with still using Yahoo (or AOL, or Hotmail, or whatever), from a functionality standpoint. > > The “issue” is about perception, particularly if you’re looking for a job; using a Yahoo email address on your resume and on your communications with potential employers will likely suggest to them that you are (a) older, and (b) out of touch, technologically-speaking. Got it! Thanks ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/106 "2022-02-02T00:15:57Z")
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is kids using yahoo or hotmail addresses for the irony factor. And by kids, I mean people in their 30s. > [@billy-jack](#): > > Many web sites do not recognize aliases as valid – they don’t seem to like the ‘+’ in an e-mail address. I used those types of aliases 20-25 years ago, but I stopped because back then lots of places wouldn’t accept them. The worst I ever dealt with was IBM. They accepted +aliases when they subscribed you to their mailing lists, but they would not accept a +alias when _unsubscribing_. They subscribed you to a bunch of mailing lists anytime you emailed them for any reason, and there was no way to leave, because the unsubscribe end of their software rejected “+” as an illegal character in an email address. > [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > wifi demands an email address for access Lifehack! Many of those wifi portals don’t care what email address you put in, they just want something. I usually use ceo@business.name or root@business.name for wherever I am. Very rarely one wants to email an access code, but usually not, because how will you get it without wifi? ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/107 "2022-02-02T05:31:28Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Many of those wifi portals don’t care what email address you put in, they just want something. I usually use ceo@business.name or root@business.name for wherever I am. I’ve done that! I’ve used things like “fake.name@AOL.com” or a celebrity. I never thought of using THEIR domain, I really like it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/108 "2022-02-02T15:02:22Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Who still has an e-mail address like > utzoo!ihnp4!sunnyvax!diogenes ? I saw someone’s business card (in one of those “throw your card in and win a free lunch!” fishbowls). The guy was a lawyer and after his address, phone, fax, email, and “cellular” phone, he had: Ship-to-Shore: 84RX-157.1-WM 6934. That just announced “Dooooouchebag!” Like the customers who want to get higher on the wait list at my buddy’s dockside restaurant because "Ahem, we, uh, _came by yacht…?"_ . Teaching Design students, every once in a while we’ll get the “hipster trilby/vest/Italian shoes” type who WILL look down on anything Old or Average, especially your email address. But even if you did switch to his preferred Obscure Encrypted-in-Icelandic email, he’d find something else about you that would allow him to feel superior. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/109 "2022-02-02T22:00:53Z")
One thing that bothers me with many people is that the complain a lot about security and privacy on the Internet. Their first steps should include to stop posting their private lives on Facebook and start encrypting e-mail when possible. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/110 "2022-02-02T22:20:24Z")
I mostly use my Hotmail address when dealing with spammy stuff, but sometimes I have to give a website real life info about me, which I don’t want linked to that account (including my real name). That’s when I take advantage of the + sign. My canonical Gmail address has a dot in it. It seems most spam places that would take off the + also get rid of the dot, so I have such emails automatically sent to trash. I’ve had the very, very occasional false negative with spam, but no false positives in over a decade of Gmail usage. So I don’t tend to check my spam folder anymore. The only exception is when I’m expecting an automated email (like for registering an account) and it doesn’t arrive. But, even though I check, it hasn’t been in there in ages. The last example was when Twitch had something messed up on their end and weren’t properly authenticating their notification emails. But then the only thing I was losing was a notification that I would see on Twitter anyways. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/111 "2022-02-02T22:51:27Z")
I’ve used the same e-mail since 1996. I signed up with Mindspring, which merged with Earthlink in 2000. Since I was an “early adopter,” my e-mail address is [simple four-letter first name] at mindspring. No numbers or punctuation. People comment on it fairly frequently. When Mindspring merged, I was able to get [my last name] at earthlink. Again, very simple. Since the Earthlink plan includes 10 mailboxes, I have eight other e-mail addresses that I use for various purposes, as well as my business, Outlook, and Gmail e-mail addresses. People act like it must be complicated to have a number of different e-mail addresses, but you can just add them to a Thunderbird profile and they all show up in the same window. I can use the drop-down to select the outgoing mail identity. Very, very handy. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/112 "2022-02-03T04:52:39Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Like the customers who want to get higher on the wait list at my buddy’s dockside restaurant because "Ahem, we, uh, _came by yacht…?"_ Harris Ranch Restaurant in California has [its own little private airport](http://www.airnav.com/airport/3O8). Diners who fly in get a discount by flashing their pilot license at the cashier. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/113 "2022-02-04T03:58:39Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > using a Yahoo email address on your resume and on your communications with potential employers will likely suggest to them that you are (a) older, and (b) out of touch, technologically-speaking. I’ve been using a Comcast email address since around 2000. I’m officially retired but still look for temporary assignments. (So far nothing.) Would potential employers feel the same? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/114 "2022-02-04T04:32:06Z")
I had an AOL account from my childhood, when it was required to register with Disney Interactive. The password died with my mother. Dad still uses his AOL client every day, he was an _early_ adopter judging by his handle. I have a Hotmail account from my High School days, when we were required to make one for dual enrollment. Haven’t used it since. Still use GMail for work daily, via Thunderbird. But I also regularly send and receive letters for work. Coworkers have personal Yahoo! and AOL accounts. My personal email is via GMail via Thunderbird. I don’t normally use my personal email to communicate with people, Straight Dope excepted. Well, these days I usually log in to post. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/115 "2022-02-04T04:38:08Z")
> [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > I’ve been using a Comcast email address since around 2000. I’m officially retired but still look for temporary assignments. (So far nothing.) Would potential employers feel the same? My WAG: a Comcast address likely won’t be looked down on quite as much as an AOL or Hotmail address, but particularly if you’re looking for tech-oriented gigs, it may still feel dated. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/116 "2022-02-04T05:00:51Z")
I should add, I still see the occasional EarthLink or CompuServe email at work. Much less frequently than AOL or Yahoo! or Comcast addresses. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/117 "2022-02-05T15:37:44Z")
I still use my college email from 1987. It was originally hosted on a Vax 11/780. It became my work email after I graduated and accepted a position in IT. I couldn’t keep up with all the different platforms the email server has lived on. It finally grew so big with students, staff, faculty, and retirees that Gmail began hosting it. It’s odd because we still use the .edu address. Thankfully the Spam filters are pretty good. Otherwise such an old email address would be useless. I also use my personal Hotmail and Gmail accounts. My yahoo account has been inactive for at least 12 years. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/118 "2022-02-05T17:04:24Z")
Hotmail. And I’m proud of the fact that my address starts with five letters only, which screams “Early Adopter” (ish). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/119 "2022-02-05T17:27:56Z")
My experience with younger managers (and they’re ALL younger than I am now…) is that almost all the seniors they know are resistant to change. They’ve tried to get dad to stop butt-dialing his first iPhone (“Damn bells and whistles!”), and granny still calls to ask “Did you get that email I sent? Did the cute kitten come through? It was pretty colorful, so I wasn’t sure if I should’ve sent a black & white photograph…” So ANYTHING on a resume or in person\* that even hints at “doesn’t embrace new technology, and may not easily learn it” should be axed. Not a problem when a Gmail account is quick and free. Mine “points to” my usual email, so all my Gmail mail shows up there. \*do let a young’un critique your hair and wardrobe… I showed up in a sportcoat and tie to a company that was all ripped t-shirts; CEO had wrinkly painter’s pants as well). ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601/120 "2022-02-05T17:51:27Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Harris Ranch Restaurant in California has [its own little private airport](http://www.airnav.com/airport/3O8). Diners who fly in get a discount by flashing their pilot license at the cashier. I used to stop there often when driving from LA to SF. I sat next to a couple of CHP guys one time, and their uniforms were a bit odd-looking. I asked, and they said they were part of air patrol (or whatever it was called – this was years ago) and had flown in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-legacy-email-addresses/958601.md?page=7)