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Join using the System Password

Forums: General Discussion
Created on: 06/24/17 02:02 PM Views: 1254 Replies: 8
Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 2:02 PM

If I restrict the Member Profiles page and the Missing Members page I get a message from Classcreator which says in part

"If you restrict this page and also choose to restrict your Missing Classmates page you will be prompted to provide a System Password you can provide to non joined classmates so they can join your site."

I have done this but when I enter the system password on the login page it does one of two things -- and not consistently. It takes me to the login page again or sometimes to the member profiles page -- which is the one I want so members can sign up.

What am I doing wrong or what can I change so that using the system password on the login page always takes me to the member profiles page?

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Monday, June 26, 2017 at 5:22 PM - Response #1

Honestly, we simply don't recommend that you password protect both of those pages. It makes the join process very difficult for members.


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Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:05 PM - Response #2

Scott,

This is my current line of thinking -- also on the thread http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?threadid=687957CA-ECF4-BBD7-B9603C8C89D6A61A

"I will have a link for members on the home page that goes to a Join button (my own button). That button is set up with an email link that will get sent to me through the website with their name and email address. I will respond with an email that contains a link to the Member page and also the system password. So on the way to the Member page they will input the SP and it will take them to the member page where they can join.

It sounds a little more complicated than I think it will be but by doing this it really eliminates hi-jacking because there are no member names for them to click on -- they have to tell me who they are in the system generated email. So it works out to cover privacy, hi-jacking and verification all at once."

Now you have be thinking that the above method may not be a good idea.

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Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:26 PM - Response #3

Is there a reason you don't want to use the built-in member verification to avoid hijacking the website? The following is found on the PREFERENCES page.

NEW CLASSMATE VERIFICATION

Which option should I choose? How do I verify Classmates? Get help.

       ALLOW new subscribing Classmates to immediately see any password protected areas of the web site, access any Profiles that have been restricted to viewing by only fellow Classmates, post messages in message forums, and display new Classmate's Profile information.

       DO NOT ALLOW new subscribing Classmates to view password protected areas of the web site, access any restricted Classmate Profiles, send or receive emails, post messages in forums, participate in Live Chat, and hide Profile information from other Classmates until the new Classmate's identity has been verified. (Note: If you select this option, a new "Verified" field will appear in the Classmate's Profile area that only you, the Site Administrator, can see. When a new Classmate joins your site and the Classmate's identify has been confirmed, toggle the "Verified" field to "yes". The default will remain "no" until you do this. Once toggled to "yes" the new Classmate will be granted access to restricted areas of your site.

Then if the profile is hijacked, you can back out the hijacked member's profile data.


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Monday, June 26, 2017 at 6:43 PM - Response #4

I have looked at that but I would still have to somehow verify who they are by asking a question or something. I have thought about asking a profile question that only a member would know the answer to. With the verification on I would only have to delete or follow up on only the ones who could not answer the question.

We may have up to 250 or so joiners and I don't want to have to verify joiners.

If I did not restrict the member profile page, but not make it active, the link to it would come up in the login page. We could send out instructions to the members about that link so it might be very slight that a hi-jacker would click the link to the Members and Friends" page and then click on the members link. Maybe I am blowing this hi-jacking thing all out of proportion.

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Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 12:42 AM - Response #6

Hi, Jim!

I have a few personal thoughts on this...

1. Unless a site has a sensitive topic, I do not see a reason to hide the home page. My home page is strictly announcements - no bullets, no background, no "Announcement" heading. By using announcements, you have the option to choose who sees what: everyone, logged in only or non logged in only. That is perfect for separating what visitors to the site see without logging in.

2. Having worked in a few church offices, it has always been that a church welcomes visitors. With a welcoming home page, you could add (for non-logged in only) a message addressing visitors who may have questions with a link to the site's Contact Us. The ability to see their location by IP address in a Contact Us message is a plus.

3. Verifying members is not as much work as it sounds. I use it on one of several sites.

4. As to hi-jackers, I've thought of that on my alumni site. The deciding factor NOT to use verification is the amount of work that would be with the large class sizes especially the last couple decades. Remember, you will receive an email notification with details for every member who registers. That is a big help, especially for a church if you have a church directory.

Lastly, I was on my church website and could see every link visible. The church site does not have member ability. All photos, ministry schedules and such are visible to the public. It shows a congregation that participates.

I understand making these decisions can be a task.


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Edited 06/27/17 12:46 AM
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 1:23 AM - Response #7

Thanks, Gwen, but I have no intention of hiding the Home page. It is very welcoming and it has an obvious link to a first timer's page with lots of information. Currently nothing is restricted and there is lots of information there. Go ahead and take a look at the site.

What we would restrict are pages with financial information, documents for internal use, investments, committees with names, etc. But one of the main benefits of membership is communication among all members and dissemination of timely information.

Currently we have no members except for a few of us who are working on the site so the announcement thing could come later after we have lots (hopefully) members who have joined.

I will have to decide how we set it up and I really appreciate all input on this -- thank you!

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Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 12:48 PM - Response #8

I still go with hiding the Profiles page and keeping the "missing" page open. If they go to join they are brought to the "missing" page where they can select their name and register (join) and create a password. Once they are registered, their name is no longer on the missing page and they just log in with their email and password. Providing a system password to large numbers of people carries its own risk. Too easy for it to get passed around. Just my 2 cents.

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