Throw-away email addresses

We’ve featured articles about disposable email addresses. They’re great. But what about the sites where you don’t want to get email from, you just need a one-time address to sign-up and confirm your email address. Yes! Just disposable email addresses – sort of like Kleenex. You use them once (I hope!) and throw them away.

Why would you need a throw-away email address? Say you want to read the Lower Slobovian Reporter. You just need to read one article. It’s not your favorite newspaper – but there’s an article on how to make Slobovian boar stew, and you need to read it.

All you want to do is sign up so you read one article. And you don’t want them to send you emails offering Canaries in a Jar or Real Homemade Slobovia Pickled Boar’s Feet. Yes, I know you’re already “boared” enough, but let me finish. So all you need is an email address that’s like a Kleenex right? Use it once, and toss it. And the best part is, that unlike Kleenex, you won’t destroy any trees, they are free, and there’s an unlimited supply. How can you beat that?

So as not to “boar” you anymore, we’ll bring the developer of the service to boar you some more! (All this stuff rhymes!)

“BugMeNot

You’re browsing the web and you click a link to an article on a site (let’s say nytimes.com) but instead of getting the article you get a screen asking you to login or register. Infuriated at the idea of pointlessly registering for yet another site you turn to your good buddy bugmenot.com

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Make a note of the website address your are trying to access. For example: www.nytimes.com
STEP 2: Visit http://bugmenot.com
STEP 3: Enter the address from step 1 into the box and press the “Get Logins” button
STEP 4: You should now be presented with at least one username and password. Make a note of them.
STEP 5: Go back to the site you were originally trying to access in step 1 and proceed to login with the username and password you noted in the previous step.

With any luck you should be able to access your article now!”

OK. Got it? You should probably visit www.bugmenot.com right now, and add it to your favorites or bookmarked. Then when you need it, you’ll have it. Right?