Template talk:@

Why?

Why is this template needed?

If you can type the @ to summon the template, then why would you need it? --210.246.47.112 02:26, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

There is a (disputed) theory that using this template defeats the spam bots that try to harvest email addresses from the sites. Because it won't show up as user@domain.tld, it would show up as user{{@}}domain.tld. Philippe Beaudette, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 02:59, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

Ahhhh, that's sufficient reason to keep it then.

Thanks for the rapid enlightenment, Philippe! --118.93nzp (talk) 09:17, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Except that when you do a "view source" on a page that uses this template, it just looks like a normal email address. -- WOSlinker (talk) 09:23, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

So unless someone can turn up another use for, we should junk it, yes? --118.93nzp (talk) 10:40, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Could be changed to [[File:At sign.png|alt=@|link=]]. For example: -- WOSlinker (talk) 13:00, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Yes, a little image would beat some spammers. However, unless we keep changing that file name at frequent intervals, that would not stop the determined and flexible e-mail harvesters. Nevertheless I did make a change of the sort you suggest a couple of hours before you posted; sorry not to have updated this discussion at the same time too! Since this template now may have some limited functionality, I've struck my "junk it" comment above. --118.93nzp (talk) 00:04, 13 February 2014 (UTC)