Re: [IxDA Discuss] Username vs. email for business users
Hi Anthony, You can probably make up your mind quite quickly if you do a little experiment. Find all the sites that you personally have an account with that use your email address as a unique identifier. Change all of them to a new email address. It will take you days, and some of the transactions (Amazon, eBay, Paypal) will walk you through an exceptionally awkward multi-step confirmation process for security reasons. At some point during one of these processes, you will likely become confused about just what to do with which site. No two sites have quite the same email change process. I'm a digital adept and the process never fails to confuse me - I can only imagine how difficult it would be for someone who is not a computer professional to be successful. Contrast the experience with sites where your email address is not the primary unique identifier. You'll probably be able to simply go to your account, change the email listed there (maybe confirm it a second time) and press the save button. I hope this is helpful, Michael Micheletti On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 4:25 PM, Anthony Hempell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: anyone with an opinion on this? It's commonplace to have email addresses as the username for regular users, since generally an email address is tied to only one individual; However business email addresses sometimes have multiple users, and/or are sent to distribution lists; and possibly if a person uses their own business email (ie. [EMAIL PROTECTED]) and they move on / are fired / etc... then the account enters into a period of limbo if nobody can access the account since that email address is no longer valid. Hence -- is it better to just ask for a username for business users instead? Anthony Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Username vs. email for business users
anyone with an opinion on this? It's commonplace to have email addresses as the username for regular users, since generally an email address is tied to only one individual; However business email addresses sometimes have multiple users, and/or are sent to distribution lists; and possibly if a person uses their own business email (ie. [EMAIL PROTECTED]) and they move on / are fired / etc... then the account enters into a period of limbo if nobody can access the account since that email address is no longer valid. Hence -- is it better to just ask for a username for business users instead? Anthony Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Username vs. email for business users
Very good point ! I would say : give the users the choice. As many microblogs are doing right now. I would even add: make the use of a username a paid [but permanent] feature. (€1) It's about the only feature I believe people would pay for, because it's quite easier to have a shorted username version to type over and over again then a long email address. Pieter Jansegers http://webosophy.ning.com and initiator of the microblogs social network: http://microblogs.ning.com On 4/25/08, Anthony Hempell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: anyone with an opinion on this? It's commonplace to have email addresses as the username for regular users, since generally an email address is tied to only one individual; However business email addresses sometimes have multiple users, and/or are sent to distribution lists; and possibly if a person uses their own business email (ie. [EMAIL PROTECTED]) and they move on / are fired / etc... then the account enters into a period of limbo if nobody can access the account since that email address is no longer valid. Hence -- is it better to just ask for a username for business users instead? Anthony Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Username vs. email for business users
It depends on a number of factors (what are the goals of your site v. the goals of your users) but generally in Enterprise environments and regarding business users, using the work or business email address as the unique identifier is preferred for a number of reasons: -- Less likely to have duplication issues (which usernames often have as usership grows) -- It's a unique identifier that ties back to the company ID -- It's far easier to remember considering how many username/password combinations the given person has in their repetoire for work and play etc. etc. -- Email addresses are extensible to other needs within the business: email outreach, customer support/care, database cleanups etc. etc. Usernames are helpful in Social networking environments or commentary, if privacy or handles are preferred to so-called protect the innocent. A whole other set of difficulties that comes into play involves systems that support both modes: username and email address as an acceptable account authentification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28413 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Username vs. email for business users
It depends on a number of factors (what are the goals of your site v. the goals of your users) but generally in Enterprise environments and regarding business users, using the work or business email address as the unique identifier is preferred for a number of reasons: -- Less likely to have duplication issues (which usernames often have as usership grows) -- It's a unique identifier that ties back to the company ID -- It's far easier to remember considering how many username/password combinations the given person has in their repetoire for work and play etc. etc. -- Email addresses are extensible to other needs within the business: email outreach, customer support/care, database cleanups etc. etc. Usernames are helpful in Social networking environments if say privacy or handles are preferred to protect the innocent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=28413 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
