Blank Website Queries

Q:  I’ve gotten a blank query from the website for the third time.  The strange part is that it’s addressed to us and from us.

Q:  I keep getting blank website queries?? Any thoughts?

A:  I suspect that it’s the work of robot spiders that search the internet.  Not all spiders or bad, even Google uses them to index the web.  However, there are a lot of annoying spiders, along with a few vicious ones.  A not-so-friendly spider may be searching for and extracting email address for use later in spam lists.  When one of these ‘bad’ spiders finds a form, it may enter the extracted info into the fields — just part of the automatic programing.  Unless it becomes a major problem — large amounts of junk emails in your inbox each day, then don’t worry about them.  Don’t reply to these emails either.  The more it seems like you’re not home, the better.  Just trash ’em.  It’s the 21st century’s electronic junk mail.

Tip: You may want to limit the amount of spiders that visit your website(s) because they take up bandwidth and other resources.  This can be done easily through the .htaccess file [the dot is needed — that’s NOT a typo], and you can see the last link in the ‘Reading’ section below.

Further Reading:
When Mailto Forms Don’t Work
I am desperate!!!!! My website is sending blank emails | drupal.org
Email  Me Form – HTML Forms, Web Forms, PHP Forms
How To Block Bad Bots and Spiders using .htaccess

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