In which our heroine accidentally torments a client...

[firstfrost]

So, it is frequently the case that users are not very clear in their complaints. "My email is broken." "My account doesn't work." "I can't get into my Athena." So, today:

"I'm trying to log into my mit edu account and it says my password is wrong."
"Okay, how are you trying to log in to your account?"
"I'm going to my mit edu and typing my username and password."
"Um, okay. Where are you typing this? Are you sitting in front of an Athena workstation, or trying to access your email, or get a certificate, or something else?"
"No, just my mit edu."
"Okay, but can you describe where you're trying to type your username and password? Is this in a web browser?"
"Look, I'm just trying to talk to some sort of representative to help me with getting into my mit edu account."
"Yes, that would be me, I should be able to help you, but I'm just trying to understand how you're trying to connect so I can start trying to tell what the problem is. Is this a web page you're trying to access?"
"Yes. It's my.mit.edu."

And this time, I manage to hear the unspoken periods.

my.mit.edu, it turns out, is the Admissions Office web site. It's for people applying to MIT to check on their applications. Not, in fact, something I can help with at all. But wow, that was painful.

Comments

[kirisutogomen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what if you're convinced that you haven't forgotten anything, but it's rejecting you anyway? Then neither link is appropriate. (Actually, they're the same link, just repeated with two names.)

Also, how does a page about admissions get the incredibly uninformative name "my.mit.edu"? What would be wrong with something like "admissions.mit.edu" or the like?

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

I think it's the same sort of marketing/titling decision that came up with the email address of mykidis@mit.edu for parents to send questions to. :)