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How can I get wordpress.com to stop monopolising my email address?

  1. andrewgraeme
    Member

    This is a serious issue that needs an answer directly from wordpress.com.

    l opened a wordpress.com account just to compare the service with Blogger, which I already use. I used my gmail addresss with the account. l then decided though, at Ieast for the moment, to stay with Blogger.

    lt is important for me to comment on my contacts' blog posts using my name, Blogger blog url and email address. I found then that with a wordpress blog, wordpress was asking me to comment with my wordpress profile, as that address was associated with the wordpress account.

    That practice was questionable enough to me, but anyway, I imagined that if I changed the email associated with my wordpress account that I could free up

    I changed the email address for this wordpress account to an aol address which I had opened expressly for the purpose.

    To my disbelief, even though the gmail address is no longer associated with the wordpress account, I still get told that it is, and that I must comment with my wordpress profile.

    I need wordpress.com to release this gmail address for me. It is totally unacceptable that they have taken control of an email address that is not theirs. It does, after all, belong to me.

    At the least, this is unethical, and may be an illegal act.

    I use this email address to comment on all of my blog contacts' posts. Am I now supposed to turn my online life upside down, and change things because wordpress.com won't let me use my own email account as I please?

    I need action on this.

    The blog I need help with is andrewgraemegouldphotojournal.wordpress.com.

  2. timethief
    Member

    You have two separate email address settings at WordPress.com. Have you entered two different email addresses at these locations (see below) or have you entered the same one at both locations?

    Blog notifications for the admin (like comment moderation, Likes, new subscriptions, etc) are sent to the email address at Settings -> General in the Dashboard.

    Personal notifications (like comments on your post, subscription emails, and upgrade renewals) are sent to the email address at Users -> Personal Settings in the Dashboard.

    See also > Issues Changing your E-mail Address > http://en.support.wordpress.com/email-address/#issues-changing-your-e-mail-address

  3. andrewgraeme
    Member

    Thanks for trying to help, but it's no good.

    I've checked that. l have the aol email address in both my general and personal settings, and am not using the gmail address with WordPress, at all.

    So there it is, as I say, WordPress obviously believes it has the right to take control of any email address anyone has ever used with them.

    I stand by my original claim, then, that this is a type of abuse.

    Actually -- at great inconvenience to myself -- I have just made changes so as to not have to use that gmail address that WordPress has control over.

    But my question is, why should I have been placed in that situation in the first place?

    What I want now is an official explanation from WordPress/Automattic. They need to change this practice.

  4. justjennifer
    Member

    While you are logged in to WordPress.com, go to Gravatar and check your profile to see if the email address is mentioned there. If so, remove it.

    http://en.gravatar.com/

  5. andrewgraeme
    Member

    Just adding a thought...

    Fortunately, that gmail account which I've been forced to delete, was not my prime address, that I use with Google Plus.

    I am heavily involved with Google Plus, and have all my blog post photos stored there, mostly in private Picasa albums.

    You cannot change a primary gmail address for a Google Plus/Google profile. If I had used my primary gmail account for this WordPress account, I would have had to delete my entire Google account, along with G+ and Picasa, and start all over again. All that to retain my independence.

    This is very scary.

    Let me make it clear that this is not an "anti WordPress campaign", but a genuine concern of mine now for others who may unwittingly fall into this trap.

  6. justjennifer
    Member

    Did you look yet at your Gravatar profile? We may have cross-posted.

  7. andrewgraeme
    Member

    Hi there. I think we did cross post. Thanks for the suggestion, but have never registered a gravatar.

  8. andrewgraeme
    Member

    Can anyone tell me how to report this directly to WordPress staff?

  9. timethief
    Member

    This is a peer support forum where Volunteers and Staff work cooperatively to deliver WordPress.com support. Volunteers answer most questions and Staff monitor. When Volunteers cannot provide the required support we flag threads for Staff attention. I tagged this thread for Staff when I first entered it and commented above. It's a holiday so there will be a delay. There's nothing more that we Volunteers can do for you. You will have to patiently wait along with the others who posted before you did. Please subscribe to the thread so your are notified when Staff respond.

  10. andrewgraeme
    Member

    OK, thanks for that...

  11. timethief
    Member

    I'm sorry you have had such a hard time.

  12. zandyring
    Staff

    Hi Andrew,

    I'm going to transfer this to a private support ticket so we can discuss your email address/es without posting them publicly. Once I email you (it will go to your AOL account, which I see as your primary account), so watch that inbox.

    Cheers!

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