Protecting your email address

I have multiple email addresses.  I've evolved into this multiple mailbox strategy over the years mainly to avoid spam. I have an email address I give out to family and friends.  One for work.  One for my students that's on a district Gmail account.  A yahoo account that I used in accessing some of their services. Plus several others including one that is a throw away I use whenever an email address is required to enter a site or get information.

This post at digital inspiration, GiveYour Email Address Online in a Safe Way, gives some options other than having a million accounts.  He has suggestions for temporary email accounts that you use once. Several ways to put an email on your blog/website using a CAPTCHA.  And one that I should have known about, changing the settings in Gmail so that other Gmail users can send you a message but not see your email address. 

[Image: "A blue lock for George"; Uploaded on February 28, 2007
by Darwin Bell; http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/406208791/ (CC: attritbution-noncommercial)