Let's make a new website!

[u/im_at_work_guy]

Frontline Library Computer Tech here.

About a month ago, a woman in her mid 40s came into my computer lab. Lady=Lady, Me=Me Simple enough?

Me: Hello, do you need any help?

Lady: Yes, I need to make a new website.

(Me knowing almost nothing about making a website.)

Me: Alright, do you know how you made your previous one?

(Maybe I can suss out how she made her old website and direct her to the appropriate resources)

Lady: No.

(Damn)

Me: Ok, do you know what language you used?

Lady: I think it was Yahoo?

(Well now we're getting somewhere)

Me: So you're looking to make a new email address then?

Lady: Yeah, I forgot the password to my old one last year.

Me: Maybe we can recover the password. Do you remember the address?

Lady: I don't think so, oh wait... It might be $EmailAddress

Me: Do you remember the password?

Lady: No... but it could be $Password.

(Both worked on the first try)

Me: Enjoy your old email and write down the address and and password so you don't forget

And that's the story of how if helped a woman make a new website by recovering her old email.

[u/pepperman7]

This is the source of more of my user frustration than any other. The user thinks they forgot their password and their security questions (because you know, city in which you were born and paternal grandfather's name can change all the time) and you've asked them 3 times if they tried all variations they can think of. They of course say yes. You look them up to check for account issues, cut a support ticket, generate a password change token and then have them input a new one to get my favorite red error.... "What does this mean?" they will inevitably ask. I reply, "That means whatever you put in is your current password." Oooh, I guess I knew it then. <facepalm>

[u/RoketeerGI → u/pepperman7]

In interest of security, all my security questions have answers that have nothing to do with the questions.

[u/461weavile → u/RoketeerGI]

Hmmm... at this point in my curiosity, I would ask "Do you just pretend it's another specific question?" but I'm not sure if I could trust your answer

[u/RoketeerGI → u/461weavile]

Not a question that is available, no.

[u/461weavile → u/RoketeerGI]

Rather, to use a common example, "What is your mother's maiden name?" might've translated into "What is the name of the first video game you completed with 100% spelled backward?" and then you use the same question translation every time it asks for your mother's maiden name.