Why is my email address being removed?

[alkapal]

Is it new policy not to allow email addresses in the profiles?

[Jacquilynne]

That is strange. It's unlikely to be something we're doing on purpose -- editing profiles isn't something mods can just do without jumping through some hoops first, so it's pretty much reserved for terrible spammers. It looks like you're putting a lot of information in your profile entries, though, possibly more than they're intended to hold. Is it possible that they're simply being lopped off or the changes rejected because you've exceeded the length of the field? It's possible there isn't much, if any, error message being generated in those cases.

[Jacquilynne]

Hrmm, I tested this, and it did let me add quite a lot of text. I tried adding an email to my profile and was able to do that, as well.

[alkapal]

jaquilynne, i think it is that when i edit to add it, it LOOKS fine, but then somehow it got lopped off. but what was weird is that it lopped it differently each time.

i think i have got the workaround putting the address in the "blog" section, as plastic cup recommended.

thanks for your work here on chowhound.

[Engineering]

The "lopping off randomly from the end" thing sounds a lot like a bug we've seen with users editing their posts. Although I haven't seen any mention of that bug recently, it's conceivable that what you experienced was the same issue. Which portion of your profile were you editing?

[alkapal]

the real name section.

[Engineering]

Ah, no, I see what happened here. There's a 255 character limit that is enforced in the database but not on the page. Your existing "Real name" text is already extremely close to that limit.

[alkapal]

haha -- yes it sure is!!!

so it first appears to have "set" but then once you come back it has been "cleansed" of the excess characters. is that it? anyhow, we have solved the mystery. well…you and jaquilynne have. thanks again ;-).

[inaplasticcup]

I have no answer for you, alkapal, but I'm glad you asked the question because it made me want to look at your profile which is quite entertaining. :)

[alkapal]

haha, i'm glad you enjoyed that little trip into my head. ;-)).

here's what is odd: i have never had an email address there until this morning, when i set up a gmail account specifically for this purpose. i know other people have email addresses in their profiles (or at least DID) because that is how i connected with them outside of chowhound.

it has been removed twice this morning. i thought i had omitted the gmail part the first time when i came back to look at it, but they had nipped that gmail part out themselves. then the second time, they removed the whole deal. ODD!!!

and i even did the routine of [at] and [dot]. (though that is to protect my account from spammers, i understand).

[inaplasticcup]

Hmm. Well, I've seen people add their email addies on the Blog: section instead. Try that maybe?

[alkapal]

i shall do.

[inaplasticcup]

Looks like it worked! (At least for the time being...)

[alkapal]

haha, yes i was going to say "so far so good".