AIM is a POS

[dguy6789]

My aim account is really old. I wanted to change my password. Instead of letting me access my account settings by password, it asks me a security question I set over 10 years ago that I do not remember.(What is your favorite town? What the heck was I thinking?) The email address associated with my aim account doesn't exist either. Can't change my password, can't change my email address, can't change the security question. So now I am stuck. GRRR.

 

[TallBill]

Don't use it then.

 

[mugs]

I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

 

[dguy6789]

I would use something other than AIM except that the vast majority of people I talk to use it and don't use anything else. I never will understand the reasoning behind how troublesome they make it to change your password.

 

[effowe]

Hey dude, set a new AIM name, not hard.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

I usually enter every question like that with a combination of a certain word (for example, the third) in the question plus a PIN number. Not only is it far more secure than questions like "What high school did you attend?" but it's so much easier to remember.

 

[Nizbot]

GTalk FTW

 

[dbk]

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

No mother's maiden name? high school? first pet?

Isn't mother's maiden name question default? I don't think I've ever NOT seen that one.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

No mother's maiden name? high school? first pet?

Isn't mother's maiden name question default? I don't think I've ever NOT seen that one.

Meh, some people choose "my favorite band" thinking it will be the same in 5 years.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

No mother's maiden name? high school? first pet?

Isn't mother's maiden name question default? I don't think I've ever NOT seen that one.

For this account there were three questions that had to be answered, and each had a set of options to select from. The three you mentioned were options for other questions. It was just one of the three questions where all of the options had answers that could change in the future.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

No mother's maiden name? high school? first pet?

Isn't mother's maiden name question default? I don't think I've ever NOT seen that one.

Meh, some people choose "my favorite band" thinking it will be the same in 5 years.

I think that's the one I ended up choosing, actually. It's the least likely to change for me. I don't get into new bands anymore. I mostly listen to older rock music. Metallica > *

 

[Crono]

I have a standard fake answer that's usually unrelated to the question being asked. Something I wouldn't forget easily.

 

[DrawninwarD]

Those security questions suck. Sometimes I'd just mash my keyboard to get some random letters and use that --> gfuiaegnreqo.

Or I'd enter bogus answers. What was your first pet? Lolrus.

Originally posted by: Crono
I have a standard fake answer that's usually unrelated to the question being asked. Something I wouldn't forget easily.

I do this now.

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

Originally posted by: Crono
I have a standard fake answer that's usually unrelated to the question being asked. Something I wouldn't forget easily.

Yes.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: Crono
I have a standard fake answer that's usually unrelated to the question being asked. Something I wouldn't forget easily.

:thumbsup:

 

[Insomniator]

Aim is a POS because you can't remember something you specified and changed your email address without moving over all your accounts?

 

[Crono]

On a related note, AOLs applications have always been bloated and crappy. At least there are AIM alternatives and they have a web app now.

 

[lokiju]

This applies to so many security questions really.

All the damn time with these retarded question that are more likely to change over the years than not.

"whats your favorite band"

Well 10 years ago it's going to differ from today.

"what color car do you drive"

It needs to be shit that never changes.

Like what's your mothers maiden name, or whats your fathers middle name. Shit like that.

 

[Saga]

Originally posted by: mugs
I'm probably in the same boat as you... but I have no desire to change my password.

Just recently I set up an account - I think it was a bank account - and for one of the security questions ALL of the question choices were things that may change in the future (i.e. "What is your favorite TV show?"). I HAD to choose one of these questions. And you have to figure that if I can't even remember what kind of account it is, I'm probably not going to remember the answer to that question.

For precisely this reason, whenever asked to make a "secret question" type answer, I simply choose one at random and for the answer I use one of my older passwords from many years ago, backwards and with the first four digits and the last four digits reversed with two numbers added after the first and before the last word.

Sounds complicated, but in a nutshell it looks like gibberish to anyone else so they'd just assume it was some bizarre form of code if they ever saw it, and by using the same password for all secret questions I never have to remember any of the stupid possible-changing ones like "what is your favorite TV show" - because I sure as hell know I've been burned by those in the past. I think it was "what is your favorite car" and I mean shit, thats changed 20 times in 10 years!

 

[darkxshade]

That's why I always use the same answer regardless of the security questions, that way I don't forget.