[kstrauser]

I have my HN username at a venerable webmail service. I check it about once a year, tops. My name isn't unimaginably rare, but neither is it "Smith".

I am shocked, shocked, by the number of different K. Strauser people who have typed that email address into some random website or another. I've gotten bank notifications, loan documents, Facebook signup info, meeting minutes from some random volunteer work, and all kinds of other things. When I can figure out from context who the intended recipient is, I try to let them know so they can fix it. On one occasion, the person sent me back a swear-laden diatribe for "hacking their email". Sigh.

I think this has made me a better engineer, though. When someone says something in a meeting like "...as long as they type their email correctly", I can jump in and address that myth head-on. No, people will not type it correctly. If it's a minor pain in the neck for me, with an uncommon name, I can only imagine the traffic that the world's John Smith's get.

[jdhawk]

Same issue. I've had university professors put my email address in their sylabus instead of ____.edu, and been carpet bombed by assignments, excuses, and pleading diatribes.

I'm listed as the email address for _many_ utility bills, doctors offices, and more political campaigns than I can count.

Comical how many people mess up their own email address.

[kstrauser]

I just don't get it. A legitimate typo I can see, sure, but so many of the things I get looks like someone said "email address? I guess I can just pick one!"