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Parent - - By Cgregory (**) Date 01-04-2007 21:21
You can create a new password -- you don't need to use your zip code, although that's certainly one possible password. 
Parent - - By jon20013 (*****) Date 01-04-2007 21:41
So, when I logged in yestersday, using my member number and postal code, then customizing my settings will have been saved if I re-enter in the same manner?
Parent - By Cgregory (**) Date 01-04-2007 21:43
Yep!  You only have to customize once. If you want to customize more often, you can, of course-- that's up to you.
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-09-2007 07:24
I checked the drop down menus, still don't see the forum listed.

Best regards - Al
Parent - By Cgregory (**) Date 01-09-2007 13:11
If you look at the drop-down menu under "Services," you will see the forums listed there. We also have the hot forum topic of the day listed as well in the left side column at the bottom, giving us two links to the forums on the home page.

-- Christine
Parent - By ross (***) Date 01-05-2007 01:35
Website password for members is zip code initially, and the member can change it after logging in (log-in is member number).  Guests register with an email as login and make up their own password.*

Usually, your browser can remember your login (like the forum does) so you don't have to look up your member number every time - and the server will remember your preferences for what kind of welding news you like to see and your locality.

*This all refers to the website, not this forum, which has its own system of registering and does not recognize member numbers (until we unify the log-ins in the future).

Ross
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-05-2007 02:48
How many user names and passwords are we going to need?

I already have a couple for AWS, another for ASME, ASM, and the list go on forever. It's a royal pain in the Austenitic Stainless Steel!

I like the idea of being able to post picture, but from what I've seen, the ability to program in Fortran and two other computer languages just to access the page will be required. Not all of us are computer geeks. KEEP IT SIMPLE for God's sake. Even he (or she) would give up after a while. Maybe the great flood was just to get rid of the damn computers, its just that no one mentions them in the bible along with Noah and his big boat.

Most of us spend as little time as possible on the computer. We get on, type some text, and get off (the computer that is). Those sites that have too many bells and whistles might impress the computer programers and web site administrators, but it just ticks the rest of us off.

Al
Parent - By ross (***) Date 01-05-2007 03:59
There is no requirement to log into the website to use it. It's optional, and you do it once (if you want to) and you shouldn't have to do it again. No Fortran required. I don't know if that is deserving of a Biblical Deluge.

What (optional) logging-in makes possible is for welding professionals to have personalized home page notification of programs in their hometown, such as Section events and educational programs, local business news such as plant openings in their area, notification of local scholarships and  career-enhancing benefits, and other personalized messages from a society that is dedicated to advancing the welding professions. 

If you are passionate about any aspect of welding --- whether it is inspection, technology, education, safety, or whatever --- customizing the website by selecting categories of interests will give you access to the largest collection of welding-related, daily-posted news articles and resources that has ever existed.

Put in your member number and your zip code and the website knows who you are and will greet you by name whenever you return.

If you are not a member, registration is free and requires only your email address, name, and zip code.

I don't want to sound defensive or tedious about this, but you guys are sayings things that could exaggerate this difficulty of logging-in (which is optional), and some innocent person could get the impression that the website is beyond their capability and miss out on information that could be very valuable to them.

It's easier than using this forum.  Again, we are very open to suggestions and criticism!

Ross
AWS Mktg
Parent - By jwright650 (*****) Date 01-05-2007 11:06
Al,
Your thread has had some serious traffic! :-) LOL

I see that I'm going to have to spend a few minutes exploring the new site and customize it to my liking, if I can get a few minutes away from all this work that our recent AISC audit has caused me. For those who haven't been through the Special Paint Endorsement under the "new standard"...it was a eye opening experience.
Parent - - By Cgregory (**) Date 01-05-2007 13:36
Heh.  I know some of this feeling -- between school, AWS and personal e-mails and accounts and the account for the car insurance and the account for paying the electric bill and so on -- the login names and passwords can start piling up quickly.  One thing that I do do is create two general passwords that I use for websites that aren't going to hold any of my personal financial information or social security number.  That saves me from having to remember a huge number of passwords.

But the main reason why all of these websites require separate user names and passwords?  Security.  Think about what might happen if you just had one user name and password for everything on the internet. Then think about what might happen if somebody you didn't like got a hold of that user name and password. I don't know about you, but I'm not happy about the thought of somebody out there getting a hold of my private information, which is exactly why I have several different user names and passwords.  Trust me, my user name for Bank of America is NOT cgregory.  :)

The forums and the website are separate systems.  Right now, AWS asks that if you want to customize the website (optional) that you either enter your membership number and password, or an e-mail address and password (either one is acceptable), and if you also want to post on the forums (also optional) that you create a user name and password for the forums. I know that at least two people on here have used the same password for the forums and for their customized website use, although they are using separate user names.  So that might also help.

-- Christine
Parent - By jwright650 (*****) Date 01-05-2007 13:58
So you capitolized the "C" in cgregory for your PW at the Bank of America? ;-)

OK now go change all of your passwords.
Parent - - By HgTX (***) Date 01-05-2007 20:48
Wasn't it FORTRAN programmers who were in big demand over the Y2K issue?  Or was that COBOL or somesuch?

I had FORTRAN.  And Pascal--anyone remember Pascal?  And C, not C++, but plain old C.  And Motorola M6800 assembly language.  Now I have a fancy calculator I don't know how to program.

I hated the old website with a flaming passion.  It was just a mess.  Looked like my desk.  No organization, too much crap all jammed in on one page.  (I used to complain to the old webmaster on a regular basis.  I kinda miss him.  I bet he doesn't miss me.)  Eventually I came to terms with it, using just the dropdown menus at the top.  It still has dropdown menus at the top, and pretty much nothing else except the customizeable news--so none of the typical informative home page kinda stuff that most company and organization websites have.  So it's the same.  I use the dropdown menus on occasion (mostly I just bookmark my regular targets) and that seems to be about the same as it ever was.  As far as I can tell, they swept everything off the desk and put a newspaper there, keeping more or less the same dropdown menus at the top.
Parent - - By HgTX (***) Date 01-05-2007 20:49
Hey, how come the "hot forum topic" link leads to something that hasn't had any discussion in a month?
Parent - - By ross (***) Date 01-05-2007 21:15
The hottest thing since then has probably been this thread, but it's a little TOO hot. Any suggestions? Christine suggested these:

Boiler repair: http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=10560

Copper joining: http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=10561

Where does water come from: http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=10524

Votes?

Ross
Parent - - By jon20013 (*****) Date 01-05-2007 21:19
Personally, I like "where does water come from."  A very frequent misconception that even a few of us "old-timers" might admit is enlightening conversation.
Parent - - By Cgregory (**) Date 01-05-2007 21:25
Combustion!
Parent - - By hogan (****) Date 01-05-2007 21:32
i would have to disagree with the water choice. the thread was done in three postings, yet it went on for 38 postings.
Parent - By jon20013 (*****) Date 01-05-2007 21:37
While I would normally agree, thats just how the board works! ;-) The subject was very well fleshed out.  Agreements, disagreements, alternative suggestions and comments, all good stuff even if you quit reading after the third post.
Parent - - By jwright650 (*****) Date 01-05-2007 21:47
I was wondering if the software would pick up on the threads with the most activity for you? I know there are other forums where the "most recent" topic is noted.
Parent - - By ross (***) Date 01-05-2007 21:55
No, the software gets enough blame. Somebody pick a hot topic that we can agree on, please.

Ross
Parent - By jon20013 (*****) Date 01-06-2007 02:24
This one has been screaming hot: "Where have all the welders gone?"  Even more, it fits right in with a recent publishing.

http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=10536
Parent - By billvanderhoof (****) Date 01-05-2007 23:14
Responding to HgTX-
Mostly Cobol since it was used for a lot of accounting applications.  At one point the FAA was beating the bushes for anybody who knew JOVIAL, another old language, since the air traffic control system was written in that language and there were so few people left who knew it that it was impossible to make even simple changes.
Bill
Parent - - By ross (***) Date 04-12-2007 14:02
We redesigned the AWS website, based on input from you guys and some others. Take a look.

Thanks,

Ross
AWS Marketing
Parent - By RANDER (***) Date 04-12-2007 15:42
Looks,feels,works better.  I for one like it.
Parent - - By magodley (**) Date 04-12-2007 16:49
I'd like to see forums have a hot button on the bar, not have to make several clicks to find it.  all of the emphasis is on what AWS can sell you.
Parent - By Cgregory (**) Date 04-12-2007 17:20
Right now you should only need two clicks to reach the AWS forums. They are listed in two locations on the main page:

1) Under "Services," we've listed AWS's most popular services, including the forums.  You can move your mouse over Services, and then Forums appear. Click there. 

2) In the "AWS Easy Selector," we've listed the most visited sections of the website, including the forums.  You do have to click for a drop down box to appear in that section, but the forums are listed.

Hope this helps!

- Christine
Parent - By ross (***) Date 04-12-2007 17:34
There's pretty prominent one-click link to these forums next to the two magazine covers right in the middle of the home page.

There IS a lot of emphasis of things for sale, because the website has traditionally been a convenient tool for people who want to order codebooks or register for events, etc., 24 hours a day.  In the future you will see additional resources, I am sure.

Ross
AWS Mktg
Parent - - By Joseph P. Kane (****) Date 04-12-2007 17:21
Ross

Why is the AWS trying to intall an ACTIVE -X control when I open the web site??????
Parent - - By Cgregory (**) Date 04-12-2007 17:36
You don't have to install it.  One section of the page (below the Services Bookstore Certification bar, and next to the sign-in/advanced search boxes) has a Macromedia Flash section. If you are using Internet Explorer and you do not have the latest version of Macromedia Flash installed on your computer, the website will suggest that you install an Active-X control.

-- Christine
Parent - By Cgregory (**) Date 04-12-2007 17:44 Edited 04-12-2007 18:40
Whoops, my bad! What is actually happening is that Explorer is seeing Macromedia Flash and wants to open it, and needs the Active X control to do so, so is asking you to install it.

I probably shouldn't mention this since my boss is reading over my shoulder, but, um, the main reason I have Active X already installed is that it allows me to see Flash things on multiple websites AND play all of the games on Popcap.com and Yahoo.com.  So it's not just useful for AWS.com!

Edit: AWS.org, of course :)  Those distracting Popcap games :)
Parent - By ross (***) Date 04-12-2007 17:40
That's something your computer (and Windows) is doing.  At least it is warning you.  Maybe you should max out the security on your browser or not use Internet Explorer if security is a priority to you. (That's general advice, not specific to anything on the AWS site.)

Ross
AWS Marketing
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