Wikipedia:E-mailing users
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This page in a nutshell: The MediaWiki software has an opt-in option to send e-mail between users. You do not have to reply to such e-mails and can disable the feature if desired. |
- If you are a user who has received an abusive or objectionable e-mail, please see Abuse below, or if necessary, the policy on dealing with harassment.
This page sets out information on the Special:EmailUser feature, which allows registered users, if they wish, to exchange e-mails. The contents of e-mails between users are private. As a result, limited help is given if the feature is abused, other than disabling it, and the contents of such e-mails cannot be checked by others for appropriateness as easily as communications left on users' talk pages. The feature can be disabled for any user by an administrator as part of blocking, although this is not usually done unless the facility is abused.
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[edit] General
If you have set an e-mail address in your User preferences, you can exchange e-mails with other users through the Wikipedia user interface. To do that, visit your correspondent's user page and follow the "E-mail this user" link in the "toolbox" on the left-side navigation menu. The e-mail address you entered in your user preferences will appear as the "From" address of the mail, so the recipient will be able to reply.
Users who have openly disclosed their e-mail addresses can be e-mailed directly. However, Wikipedia doesn't encourage such open disclosure. E-mailing users through Wikipedia is a privacy feature that protects your e-mail address from spam.
Wikipedia e-mails are sent immediately when you click on "send". You can set your preferences so that you'll also receive a copy of every e-mail you send; if you don't choose this option, this can still be done for individual e-mails. It may be useful at times to leave a brief courtesy note on a recipient's talk page that you've sent them an e-mail, since some users may not check their inbox regularly.
A link to the e-mail feature can be created in text or a signature by typing [[Special:EmailUser/Username]].
[edit] Enabling and disabling user e-mail
E-mail is disabled unless you specify a verified e-mail address. This can be done either in setting up your account, or in "preferences", at any time.
Once you have specified an e-mail address, you may enable or disable e-mail yourself, by visiting "my preferences", and checking or un-checking "Enable e-mail from other users". This is linked from the top-right of any page when you are logged in. If you are enabling your e-mail, MediaWiki requires verification that the e-mail address belongs to you. It will send a confirmation e-mail with a link inside. When you click the link, it will confirm your e-mail address. The confirmation link expires after about a week.
[edit] Privacy
Sending an e-mail via the Special:EmailUser system will disclose your e-mail address for the purposes of a reply, but no other information will be provided by the system to the recipient. (Note that e-mails sent this way are private – they are sent as written, as a private communication between willing parties who have agreed to send and receive e-mails.)
If you receive an e-mail via this feature, you do not have to reply, or you may reply on the user's talk page if you wish. Replying may be done in three ways:
- By using your usual e-mail reply method (however you usually reply to e-mails)
This will disclose whatever information your e-mails usually contain. It may contain your IP address, or a signature line, or time zone, or the like. - By visiting the user page of the sender, and using "E-mail this user" yourself
This will disclose nothing except your e-mail address. You can do this by visiting the sender's user page (their name will appear in the header or footer of the e-mail), then selecting "E-mail this user" from the "toolbox" on the left of the page. - By leaving them a reply on the wiki itself
In some cases you may wish to leave a note on their talk page, on the wiki, for example to say the e-mail was received, or a brief reply. Since e-mails are usually sent as a private communication, it is often courteous to keep a reply on the wiki as brief and non-privacy breaching as possible, since the sender will usually expect a private reply.
[edit] Abuse handling
If you receive an objectionable e-mail through this system, you should contact an administrator, possibly by e-mail, to ask advice. In serious cases you may wish to escalate the matter, especially if there is a pattern of harassment involved. Please note the following:
- Do not post the e-mail on-wiki without permission
You should not post the e-mail itself on the wiki without permission (although you can describe briefly in summary what it contains or shows). This is partly due to copyright concerns, given that Wikipedia pages are able to be re-used by anyone. - E-mail can be disabled, at any time
See Enabling and disabling user e-mail for instructions. - Retain objectionable emails in case they are needed
You may need to refer to them again. At a minimum, consider saving the e-mail header and text for future reference.
[edit] See also
- General email information
- Wikipedia pages related to e-mail functionality
- Template:Email user
- MediaWiki:Emailuserfooter - the footer that is added to all e-mails from this site
