(no subject)

[kestrelct.livejournal.com]

I work tech support at a college. Orientation starts next week, but right now we're still taking random summer calls from the faculty. I just got the following:

"Hi, I'm SomeDude in the IForgetWhich department, and I just got back on campus and the new wireless wants me to register my computer. Can we get this sorted out over the phone, or will I need to bring my computer in?"
Me: "So, what happens when you try to connect?"
SD: "Ok...let me go check...ok, it says "Welcome to OurCollege wireless, please register with your username and password. What should I do?"
Me: *headdesk* "Ok, you should put in your username and password, the same one you use for email and all our servers."
SD: "Is that my Unix login?"
Me: ...and yet he can't follow directions "Yes, yes it is."
SD: *typetty type* "It says 'Registration sucessful'! Ok, thank you."

Is our registration page somehow unclear? Is "login with your OurCollege username and password" not a good way to tell people to login? *beats head on laptop*

Comments

[major-error.livejournal.com]

It's painfully obvious that the mental V8 is currently running as a V-twin...

[gilmoure.livejournal.com]

I think his sister called me yesterday;

Moran's Sister: "Hi! I need to call 555-1234."

User-hating tech: "...Ok."

Moran's Sister: "I'll call them now. Bye!"


WTF?

[flainn.livejournal.com]

Well, do you guys have a single sign-on system? It sounds as though he may have different accounts for different things, hence the "Is that my Unix login?"

[kestrelct.livejournal.com]

They have one username for their email, their printing, their server access...everything except the student information website is one account. He should have a different password for the actual account on his machine, and for anything external to the college, but there is only one thing that "your College login" should bring to mind. Should.

[flainn.livejournal.com]

Eh. I call ambiguity, especially for a nontechnical person. But I enjoy playing Devil's Advocate anyway.

[chaobell]

*headdesk*

I always liked the ones that called because they couldn't remember their Medisoft passwords. We didn't keep them. We didn't KNOW them. Those were set and kept by the clients and we never saw the damn things, and the only way to reset them was to get someone with a Level 1 account to reset the doofus's password (or to go out and poke around with the data architect thingy, which would cost the client a lot more than really necessary).

However, two problems always came with that:

1. The doctor would want only one person in the office with a Level 1 account, and it'd usually be the doctor him/herself, and

2. When told upon installation "we would like to create a 'tech' account with Level 1 access in case of Password Forgetting Emergency," some of these doctors said "NO WAY, JOSE," and

3. Invariably, the password-forgetters were the Level 1 people at the NO WAY JOSE offices.

>_<

Our two main weapons are surprise, fear, and... wait

[chaobell]

...three. Three problems.

Brain go fzt.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

augh. I guess they could be dubious as to the site's authenticity, but the registration page has our header all over it and the url includes our domain. It could be a spoof (OMG! Walmart is sending me Firefox extensions! How nice!) but really. It's in the handbook, and the prof in question has registered before!

Yeah, next week will be FUN.

[ace-brickman.livejournal.com]

my first semester without PeopleSoft... :-)

How's the "new & improved" portal going? hehe

[ace-brickman.livejournal.com]

crap... sorry, I remembered that you work for a university, but judging by your location, it's not the one I went to.. sorry for the mix-up!

[viciousbleu.livejournal.com]

Ha, sounds like you're talking about my campus too.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

"new and improved!" "it's gonna be foolproof this time!"
and then the dumbasses come out of the ivy-covered brick.
Well, that sounds like IT support at every school EVER, so it's okay.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

I was confused for a moment there, yeah, but it's all good!

eyin' the icon

[ace-brickman.livejournal.com]

That was the only batman series I liked

[sneezypb.livejournal.com]

Most people understand "login" to mean supply a username and password.

However, the the notice said to register. In this context, most people would gather from the context that it means to login. Anyone unsure and not wanting to screw it up is going to call.

Have it changed to say, "Welcome to OurCollege wireless, please login with your email username and password."