I don't normally share PM's that I get from users - however, I almost lost another keyboard in the process of reading this one. Please *DO NOT* consume any beverages while reading the information below. Batboard will not replace your keyboard should it need immediate decontamination. I feel bad for him, but, it's an important lesson. I felt it was worth sharing with the rest of the group so that others may help educate this user as to how the internet works, best practices etc. I may even make it a FAQ should there be constructive comments.
How dare you people sent me an email that openly displayed my password!! I used it for several important websites. Now I have to go to every one of those websites and changed them!! Your security is not only sloppy, but very dangerous. In the future, take people's password security a LOT more serious!!
My response:
Wow. You know, I've helped run this site for.... maybe 6 years now. I have to say I fell out of my chair laughing when I read your PM just now. That is the first time I have ever gotten a PM from someone about that....
Let me explain something: Your registering for a message board. On the internet. You see that there is NO "https" which means messages aren't encrypted between the client and the server. So when you typed in your password, and clicked submit, it went ****IN PLAIN TEXT**** over the internet to a website. At that point which you typed it in, your password was sent "in the clear" thus compromising it. You made the decision to do that yourself, we didn't force you or other wise hold your hand over a burning candle. You made the decision, so it's your responsibility.
It is not this sites responsibility to educate you on how to be an "internet citizen." It is commonly known and accepted practice to use different passwords for internet sites, and keep in mind when sites are secure and not secure. It is not my job to hand hold everyone who registers here on this forum. You should also note that it is very common practice to send passwords to end users in clear text as a reminder should they loose it in the future. All passwords are stored in encrypted format on this system and are not kept in plain text. You may also want to consider the use of a more secure email system if you believe that your email is that insecure.
Sorry while this may frustrate you, your message has made my day. I'll remove your name, but probably will use it as an example for others here.
-Alex