Should I list my personal contact info for business?

March 13, 2013 11:10 PM

I don't want overwhelming SPAM I am a private person but I know how much my clients like me and how much I like my job. But being a full-time student I don't have much time, so should I list my personal contact info for business? Would you put your email and number on social media to advertise. I have never put personal info on the web, I am very busy and don’t want any further spam. Do you think this is worth the risk?
posted by BKsFinest to Work & Money (5 answers total)

It's not clear from your posting whether you want new clients. If you do, you probably need to be easily contacted, right? There are various ways you can cut down on spam, including masking your email address using various techniques, or having a contact form with a captcha, and having a good spam filter.
posted by Dansaman at 11:19 PM on March 13, 2013

I make my email public knowledge, but keep my phone number private.

However, my phone number, company, job title, etc. are in my email signature. That way there's a bit of a filter involved. If I reply back to you and use my signature, you are officially approved to know what company I work for and what I do there, as well as to get in touch by phone.

Something like this might make it easier for clients to recommend you and pass your info along without making it public knowledge.

If you need something to make publicly available, what about a google voice number and/or a business address via a Mailboxes Etc. mailbox? That way people aren't able to contact you at "home" but can still reach out for business purposes.
posted by Sara C. at 11:19 PM on March 13, 2013

Just register a business email address. If you're lucky, [e-mail] will be available. Definitely do this if your normal email address is [e-mail]. You can forward emails from it to your main email account (if you're not likely to check it) or just check it as well as your personal email. Plus gmail has pretty excellent spam filters.

Similarly, sign up for Google Voice and put that number as your contact number. You can decide to have it forward to your cellphone or go straight to voicemail (or even set "don't ring my cell after x pm").
posted by BungaDunga at 11:20 PM on March 13, 2013 [3 favorites]

Seconding BungaDunga's suggestion of a new email (GMail) address and a Google Voice number.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:28 PM on March 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

gmail account with "business name" plus google voice. Problem solved.

I've had this set up for a couple years and it works great. I really like keeping my personal and business stuff separate.
posted by magnetsphere at 6:49 AM on March 14, 2013