Put in bogus info. You can get creative or just use any old name. Alot of Bill Clintons and George Bushes have joined GW in the past few weeks.

Sue

Yes, I created a new yahoo email address and switched my usual email to the new one for the GW (that I won't check) and my new name is Daphne.

Regards,
Daphne caucasica

Thanks! I've successfully transformed myself.

I have the same trouble. I would like to change the info, but it allows only us/can info.
I can fill in most of the fields, but I dont know how a US postal code (zip code) looks like. Has anyone a (bogus) example?
Simon (The Netherlands)

Hi Simon,

See my link below and take your pick.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Zip code listing for CT

I'm a little confused here. If you change or delete your email, doesn't that mean that replies to your posts won't get forwarded to you? (I assume that if you reply to someone else's post it will go to them whether or not you have a valid email address but again, they might not be able to get back to you).

Can someone clear this up?

Hmm, I had the opposite problem. My profile info disappeared. I was told it would reappear when they got the name thing straightened out. However, my name is corrected now and my member page is still gone. Go figure.

fgilles, that's a good question. As a matter of fact, I sent myself an e-mail to see if I get it. It said it was sent, but I have yet to receive it...

:)
Dee

And I've been trying unsuccessfully to send Monique an email about Cerinthe major to absolutely no success. Monique if you read this - let me know how to reach you. Your email is disabled on your member page and I sure can't find Daphne.

I can't get iVillage to remember that I'm a member - have to log in every time, and it no longer sends my thread emails to my box. But I am a big believer that you don't put your actual contact info in an on-line sign up sheet. Thus I am a balding 74 yr old man who makes $13,500 a year in the trade industry and drives a 15 yr old Dodge pickup and whose only interests are electrical engineering and walking.

I eliminated my profile a day/two after iVillage took over. I went nuts when my actual e-mail address appeared on my member page. It took me a couple of tries to void it entirely, but I was successful.

Nothing has saddened me more than the changes on these sites (esp. THS). I have reduced the volume of my own participation greatly.

"... don't it always seem to go, that you don't what you've got 'til it's gone?... "

I have not had any problems with GW since the first few days after the change over, other than missing the members who left and occasionally feeling like I was being "hit on" to move to the other site.

My email link is obscured UNLESS I am testing, then it shows up, but in the From: field, not the To: field. The test mail that I generate from my GW home page comes through fine.

I have "sounded out" a few other sites; more specifically directed to my own interests and with much less obtrusive advertising. Some have proven more pleasant than others... . LOL; I'm thinking of my brief foray to a "christian" site... had I known, I'd've given it a really wide berth... (the more he spoke of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons...) ;)

I was especially offended by the "new members" (under a month, with names I didn't recognize at all) deluging me with requests for "free" advice I'd already dispensed (several times over, I might add), had they bothered to use the search feature... .

IMO, even with the reduced participation Gardenweb is still the best garden site out there (and I belong to most of them). In time I think you'll see people like Chelone gravitate back. Lately the biggest complaint I hear is having to log in for every visit. It isn't a problem I have but it wouldn't keep me away.

Sue

I always figured my profile info could be useful for Garden Webbers, and would be of little interest to the marketers. My magazine subscriptions probably say more about me than my profile does.

It's depressing to click on someone's profile when you want to know what state or zone they're in and get nothing but "I live in United States".

Claire

When the appearance of e-mails started, many people where really upset, including myself. I sent complaint to ivillage and they explained to me the following.
Many people think that their e-mail is available to everyone because when they are sending an e-mail through GW to another member, they see their e-mail address on the screen. this was being seen because the member was logged in and sending an e-mail. You will also see your e-mail address on your own page when you are logged in but others can't unless you select to have it that way.
Yes there where many e-mail addys showing up on member pages and as I searched some of the member pages that I knew, their page was the same, e-mail addy showing as usual.
There where some problems, but not enough for me to leave. I've checked out some other sights and always come back here as I believe it's the best, but do miss some of those that have left.
I also didn't appreciate those that where trying to push me to leave because of what they didn't like.

Fran

When all the troubles started I joined another popular garden website and paid the $15 yearly fee. It has several nice features that I like a lot (one being the easy posting of pictures) but I still gravitate back to GW's New England Forum. The people here have much more relevant advice than the Northeast Forum on this other site. The topics started here for gardening in New England and answers provided are well thoughtout and relevant. So for me it doesn't hurt to participate in both places. I just choose to read the other forums on the site that I am interested in such as the Begonias or House Plants which are more active than at GW.

I always liked having my profile up there for other members, too. I thought it was a nice way to tell other people about my approach to gardening, things that had been successful for me and those that had proven troublesome. I was always fine with the "send me an e-mail" aspect, too. I knew from whence the message originated and was able to keep my e-mail private unless I replied to the message (which I generally did).

After the hand over, however, I had to REsubmit my information to the powers that be. In spite of opting to have my address remain hidden, there it was, BOLD AS BRASS for anyone to see/use/ ABuse. Naturally, I was blissfully unaware until the volume of messages in my in box increased markedly... . I was BULL----. I was not the only one, as I soon learned. More than a few "regulars" from other forums thought everything was OK, too... only to realize that the "changes" took time to percolate through, and what they thought was hidden, WASN'T. I complained, too... and received an anemic reply/apology about 4 days later. I was less than impressed.

It was then that I decided to eliminate the entire profile. And I "flushed" any e-mails from places I didn't recognize; it still bothers me that "regulars" probably felt "blown off" (but I had no way of "recognizing" them via the subject line)... the very people I would have happily replied to had things not take the turn they did. I wasn't really interested in giving personal drapery consultations FOR FREE... in the past I had welcomed questions, requests for clarification.

It will be a long time before I'll be able to rid my mouth of that bad taste.