Unique Email Address?

[potty64]

The form I'm trying to fill in says you must enter a UNIQUE e-mail address? Consequently it's not accepting my email address. I don't understand. What's UNIQUE?

[Obiter]

I would assume that it means the only address applicable to you.

[sandyRoe]

For the purpose of filling the form you could open a throw away e-mail with G mail or MSN
I don't know what unique means here.

[lcg]

one that is different from something that someone else has registered - i.e. somebody else has already used your email address (probably you on a previous attempt!) you might want to try contacting the help department....

[boxtops]

yes, I'd check with the company. It's an address used by nobody else. It says someone else has already entered what you are trying to enter.

[Obiter]

On thinking about it ,yes. As far as I understand it, no matter who your email provider is, there cannot exist two identical addresses, so I am at a loss to understand the use of the word 'unique' in this context.

[Buenchico]

>>>What's UNIQUE?

To be honest, I don't know (and I doubt that anyone else here will be sure of an answer). However I'd guess that you've used your email address somewhere else with the same website (or with a different website which shares addresses with the one which you're trying to register with) and that you're not allowed to use it again.

I've occasionally come across websites which won't allow you to use email addresses from providers other than ISPs. (i.e. they won't accept addresses ending in things like gmail.com or outlook.com but they will accept addresses ending in things like @virginmedia.com or @btinternet.com). However I can't see how their 'approved' addresses could be regarded as 'unique'.

However, if one address doesn't work, simply try another. Your existing email provider probably allows you to create 'aliases' or you could try using an address from a provider such as GMX (which I recommend):
http://www.gmx.co.uk/

[Obiter]

By the by, what is a throwaway address anyway? Is just that you open a new account and when you have received a reply you just close the account?

[sandyRoe]

Not close it, just don't use it again.

[Buenchico]

>>>By the by, what is a throwaway address anyway? Is just that you open a new account and when you have received a reply you just close the account?

Yes (or simply abandon the account, without actually closing it).

'Good practice' (for avoiding spam and/or tracking) suggests that you should create a different email address for every website that you visit. (i.e. you should use different email addresses to register with AB and any other forums you might visit, plus a different address for sites you make purchases from), keeping just one 'private' address for use by friends and family.

I'm far from 'perfect' in such things (i.e. I do use the same address for several things) but I've still registered well over 200 email accounts over the years but I only actually use 4 of them at the moment.

[Buenchico]

Typo!
"plus a different address for sites you make purchases from" should read "plus a different address for each site you make purchases from". (i.e. you should different addresses for eBay, Amazon, eBuyer, etc, etc).

[Obiter]

I have three adresses. Since I made an enquiry online using my main address I am plagued with spam, often thirty in a day. It's not a major problem as i just delete them but it gets a bit tedious having to empty the Spam bucket every day. I'm happy with my email provider 'Yahoo'. Should I delete this account and open another Yahoo account? Is this possible?

[sandyRoe]

If you were [email protected] you could open another account, obiter2@yahoo. No need to close the first one.

[Buenchico]

Obiter:
Get another address with a provider that offers a 'mail collector' facility. (i.e. it collects mail from a different address and forwards it your new one). I don't know whether Yahoo offers such a facility or not. (GMX does).

Get mail from your old address forwarded to the new one. That, of course, means that you'll get all of the spam as well but it will give you time to reply to non-spam mail still being sent to that address and to advise senders of your new address. When the 'non-spam' mail is all going direct to your new Inbox (rather than to the Mail Collector), disable the collection facility, thus losing the spam.

[Obiter]

Thank you Chico, will try that.

[Rosetta]

gawd , this is far too complicated for me, I have 2 email accounts, one for personal use, the rest for crAp. I have to say AB goes to the crAp account

[Obiter]

Brave girl, Rosetta, I wouldn't dare say that.

[shoota]

Rosetta, is you surname 'Stone'?

[shoota]

your ^

[Rosetta]

lol

[factor-fiction]

I think it simply means an email address you haven't registered with them previously