How does the new method work?
Just click the highlighted author contact as usual, and this will automatically open the e-mail software your web browser has been set up for. It may take a few seconds to work.

Can I compose an e-mail off-line?
Yes, just click the author contact in an article while on-line, complete the e-mail off-line and send when you next logon.

Note that if you save an entire article for off-line reading, this system will not work. When you next logon, please use the on-line article to contact authors.
 
 

FAQ's and troubleshooting:

The author contact link in an article will only work if your web browser has been set-up to open your e-mail software when clicking on a web page e-mail link.

Test 1: Click this test e-mail link (but don't send an e-mail). If this doesn't open an e-mail box, you need to set-up your web browser to use your e-mail software.

Test 2: If test 1 did open an e-mail box, try this new format e-mail link. If this didn't work after waiting a few seconds, you may have Active X disabled and/or a high security setting on your web browser. These can be reset for the e-mail script to work for either Explorer or Netscape browsers, as described below.

If you use Microsoft Explorer do 1 and 2 below:
1) Go into the menu Tools / Internet Options / Advanced and press button 'Restore Defaults' at the bottom and then press button 'Apply'. 
2) Go into the menu Tools / Internet Options / Security and press button 'Default level' and then press button 'Apply'.
This should make the e-mail system work.

If you use Netscape:
Go into the menu Edit / Preferences / Advanced and ensure all boxes are ticked like 'Enable Java', 'Enable Javascript. This should make the e-mail system work.

If you prefer not to adjust these settings, no problem, just ask the Micscape Editor for the e-mail address of the author you wish to contact.

Why a new method?
It provides an article author contact without displaying the author's e-mail address. Unlike open e-mail addresses, this is secure against junk e-mail and the latest crop of viruses like Sircam, which can be sent from an infected user's PC to e-mail addresses on web pages they have visited.

Any queries or comments on this system?
Please contact us.

A big thank you to Marly Cain-Fryman, webmaster of the sister magazine Beyond, for offering us the script and for helping to set it up. 

Also a big thanks to Bill Klein who wrote the freeware 'BK Replace EM' which allows quick and easy global search/replace routines in multiple html files (1500 files at the last count on the Microscopy-UK site!). Setting up the new system would have been impossible without this neat software.