It may be tempting to make your code words sound awesome or sexy and catchy, like "apple bottoms" or "silver tongue", but unfortunately, this type of code is the most likely to backfire. Anything that sounds awesome and catchy will look like a band name or a clothing brand. 

The code should be lame, signifying nothing.

Anticipated Questions

Q1: eHarmony doesn't allow me to type in anything for my own profile. How can I sneak a code into my profile when I'm not writing a profile?

A1: Sneak it into one of your photographs. This will probably be a pain, but if you can write a nonsense message into your photo background. "TERSE GREEN ANTLERS" in lipstick on the mirror behind you, standing next to a "CORN GOD" sign, or holding up two jars with labels that don't make sense when read together.

You could also take a picture next to a bus, and use the number on the bus license plate as your email code.

You may be able to get the message across. If potential mates can figure out that you are trying to send a secret message, maybe they will find your email address here.

A2: Well, a stranger could definitely get your email if you use this system. Use a non-permanent email addresses or ignore unwanted messages.

Q3. Does the code translate into an email address through letter substitution? 

A3. No. This system isn't scrambling your email address into a code. 



Q4. What is the code for "Gmail.com?" 

A4. Sorry, this doesn't work like that. The email concealer codes don't swap out the parts of your address, like "Aluminum" isn't code for "AOL.com", and "Yellow" isn't code for "Yahoo.com". If I did that, dating sites administrators would just edit the words "Aluminum" and "Yellow". The Cockeyed.com concealer code scheme means that ANY word can be used as the email code, which would take a pretty clever site administrator to prevent.


Q5. Can I use a alphanumeric code like 24F489G1-598 to stand for my email address? 
A5. Yes. 

Q6. How about "Fall Out Boy"? 
A6. You could use Fall Out boy for your code, but "Fall Out Boy" is in a million dating profiles. If you associate that phrase with your email address, you might get a ton of mis-directed attention. Try something really unique and boring.


Q7. Rob, are you on any dating sites? 
A7. No! I am happily married. 

Q8. Where did you get this idea? 
A8. My friend Brooke B. told me about this "pay to talk" scheme among the dating sites, a problem which I found intriguing. The crux of the problem is to create a system which is really hard for the dating sites to detect and block.

Q9. This is dishonest. You are creating a scheme to circumvent legitimate businesses.

A9. I see your point. What do I have against these dating sites? These sites hide the price (and the fact that there even IS a price) until they already have your profile linked in. That is what I am against. Not on the front page, or the second page, isn't on any of the three pages where you compose your profile. The prices are hidden. They aren't on the Terms of Service or the Privacy page. Check for yourself. Go look at Match.com, or eHarmony or JDate and let me know how much they charge. Go for it.
If I hadn't been tricked into filling out a bunch of forms at Classmates.com, only to then be told that I have to pay, I probably wouldn't be pissed off about it now. To this day, they are probably selling my contact information, which I gave to them, dutifully typing in, thinking they were going to provide something to me.
I was tricked.
What do all these dating sites offer? What are they? Your profiles. Your profiles are the content. 
Ebay doesn't trick you, Hotwire doesn't trick you. itunes doesn't trick you. Why do the dating sites have to trick you? 

Q10. Won't this violate the terms of service on the dating site?

A10. Some of the sites, such as Match.com, specifically prohibit email addresses and telephone numbers, but other information, such as the color of their house, or their occupation is not prohibited. I believe that these codes fall into the "other information" category.

Q11. You are putting people's addresses directly in the path of spammers' harvesting bots and scripts.

A11.The email addresses aren't on a web page, unless you search for one with a concealer code. 

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