Does e-mail obfuscation really make automatic harvesting harder?

Question

Many users and forum programs in attempt to make automatic e-mail address harversting harder conseal them via obfuscation - @ is replaced with \"at\" and . is replaced with

Answer 1

How to fight spamers? Make email address less recognizable for something without brain (i.e. computer).

Non-English speakers are your friends: if your user base is non-English speaking community, switch to obfuscating using other languages: team_małpa_stackoverlow_kropka_com or team_Affenschwanz_stackoverflow_Punkt_com are perfectly recognizable email addresses for respectively Polish- and German-speaking communities. Some email harvesters know Polish or German, but chance is most of harvesters will understand only English.

If you cannot leave English, than switch to some descriptive phrases- like: “in order to send us message write team in your address field, than put symbol AT, than write the name of our site!”.