In Context
If your advertisement comes in the form of typing instructions, perhaps an IM client isn’t the best place to advertise it :)
Archive | Humor
Overachiever
MozyHome offsite backup goes above and beyond.
Off to Toronto for the Labor Day weekend!
Confusion
When selecting paper on the copier at the office:
I know what’s in trays 1 and 2. Nobody knows what’s in the final tray and I have a strict don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy with the copier after an altercation years ago, that we’re both working hard to forget. A simple question mark wasn’t enough to convey the copier’s emotion, so two more were called in. It could be Gremlins? Or Zombies? More likely some advanced form of paper from the future.
Credit Crunch?
From my Amazon.com Visa January credit card statement. Anyone know any loan sharks? They’re bound to have better rates…
First Impressions
My company recently switched (back) to WebEx for our web conferencing needs. To begin the signup process, you complete an “email answer-back”, meaning that WebEx sends you an email which verifies that you have access to your email account.
The first step is to assign you a password.
There are a few things that have me concerned:
- The new password is displayed on my screen, “in the clear”. Rather than assigning me a made-up password, how about allowing me to change the password right now? Certainly WebEx doesn’t expect me to remember this randomly generated password. If the next reasonable step is to change it, allow me to do that right from this screen rather than require me to search through the WebEx plug-ins or website.
- The password is so complex, I have to write it down.
- There’s no indication that I’m able to change it, and quite the contrary – a strongly worded message instructing me to remember it. I darn well better write it down! (I took a screenshot – it was easier than writing)
I’d prefer not to write it down (I don’t have to write down any other passwords – why start now?). My first order of business will be to figure out how to change my password.
Before getting started, I’ll quickly peruse the receipt WebEx sent out:
I have a dream… That one day, WebEx will refrain from displaying my password. At this point, I’m assuming the worst WebEx is doing is storing my password in the clear in their own internal databases, though with their propensity to flaunt my secrets willy-nilly, let’s just assume they have a monthly newsletter containing the passwords for all new accounts, distributed to local newspapers and radio stations.
Well, I’m going to give WebEx a piece of my mind. By sending a carefully crafted letter to customer service, I hope to achieve real results!
WebEx, digging deep into their bag of tricks, surprises me yet again!
Not only is WebEx putting my password in Christmas cards to all of their customers, they don’t want to hear about what I think of such things.
WebEx, you’ve won. I’ve given up. I’m walking away, with my tail between my legs. I’m quietly changing my password and moving on.
Well, not before WebEx sends me a few parting shots.
Is the password “invalid”? Or does it not meet WebEx’s security requirements? More than one “letters”? More than one “numbers”? With examples of what letters and numbers are? The “host name” is an “easy-to-guess characters”?
To be clear, I’m not picking on the individual responsible for this dialog and error message, I’m picking on WebEx for choosing to assign work in a sensitive area (enforcement and communication of password strength requirements) to a non-native speaker.
How about something like this?
Here is a dialog:
- That does the work of both dialogs above.
- Indicates which of the criteria have been met (although I should incorporate display of the company and host names just so you’re sure).
- Allows you to proceed while alerting you to your password strength.
Taking this further:
- Distinguish between “required” and “optional” criteria (perhaps with horizontal rule and some labeling).
- Indicate password strength along a spectrum or use of grading. “Your password is of MEDIUM strength.”
If your password requirements are too stringent, people have to change the way they work with your system, and that’s never a good thing.
Stepping back, if WebEx were to run a survey on their brand after the first 15 minutes, what do you think the results would be?
- “insecure” – passwords in the clear both in the browser and via email
- “sloppy” – customer service email address incorrect, confusing wording/grammar in the password dialogs
- “annoying” – requiring me to remember difficult passwords, not immediately apparent how to change them, excessive password requirements (if it’s stronger than my bank and doesn’t have my money, it’s excessive)
What baffles me about all of this is that this process is undertaken by all of WebEx’s users. Anyone hosting a conference signs up for an account like this. The password requirements are so strict that a majority of them will experience at least one, if not both password error dialogs.
After recently finishing The Designful Company
109 / 68
At a checkup for a small break on my left index finger…
“Is your blood pressure always this low?”
I’m not sure, maybe I have a case of the Spanish Handouts?
Guitar Hero World Tour: 4, Rock Band 2: 0
The scene at my local Best Buy customer service counter, the day after Christmas:
What you don’t seen is the woman in line behind me, also with a set to return. I would suggest holding off on Guitar Hero World Tour. Alternatively, pick up a copy of Rock Band 2 like I did after returning mine! :-)
(mine’s the one on the far left)
UPDATE: There appears to be an issue with the placement of the sensors on the cymbals that you can fix with a combination of the RedOctane GHWT Drum Tuning Kit and perhaps a manual relocation of the sensor inside the pad. I’m pretty sure the price of the full kit just dropped from $189 to $159.
Payoff!
All my years of using Amazon, feeding my buying habits into their recommendation engine… well I knew the payoff would happen someday and here we are.
While preordering my 15″ MacBook Pro (hereto referred to as “the new hotness”) Amazon melted my face with a legendary buying tip:
First, I love the discount. When spending nearly $4000, I can rest easy knowing that I’m saving 0.003%
Second, I have to applaud Amazon for suggesting this pairing. I’ve been concerned that my new notebook might be lonely and this the perfect solution.
Third and finally, I really have to question this pairing. A MacBook and a MacBook Pro? Those of us who buy our notebooks in pairs would opt for the Pro and the Air, not the Pro and basic MacBook. It’s just common sense.
