Help with GREeCOM.org, EcomRISK.org, and eJETA.org

Shortcuts: classroom use, technical problems, registration problems, never got a confirmation e-mail

Q: What do I need to use this site?

A: You need a relatively modern web browser (Netscape 4.7 and up, Internet Explorer 5 and up, or comparable) that is able to make secure connections (SSL) and allows our site to set Cookies on your machine. (The latter is usually the default, but some users prefer to turn it off.)

Q: Why does the site require Cookies?

A: We use Cookies to remember who you are and which page you last visited. Not all of our content is freely available; we require that users of the restricted parts register with us. When you log in, a Cookie is set on your machine as a token; when you request a page, this token identifies you to our server. Cookies are given a default life span of 30 minutes; if you do not access the server for this amount of time, your Cookie will expire and you will have to log in again. You can change this life span in the Preferences; we suggest that you make it dependent on how public a computer you are using. If you are the only person with access to this computer, you can set the cookie to never expire, unless you follow the “Log Out” link.

The Cookie that stores the last page you visited is used for when you log in: instead of taking you to the home page, you are returned to where you left off in order to log in, or register, or update your preferences.

Q: Why does the site require that I log in?

A: For some pages, we would like to limit and track usage (e.g. for copyright reasons). On other pages, registered users are able to contribute information, and we would like to connect the information with the source. Thus, registration becomes an issue of authority: by making sure that our users are who they claim to be, contributions receive a stamp of approval when they come from a respected source.

Q: What personal information does the site require from me?

A: We ask that you give us your name, physical address, and e-mail address. We do not share any personal information with third parties, but may make demographic information about our users available. Most of our surveys are anonymous (we only store that you have taken a survey, but not your identification with your survey answers); those surveys that are not anonymous will require you to approve publication of your answers.

Q: Do I have to take the surveys?

A: While we would very much like you to take all of our surveys (and remind you whenever you log in of the ones you haven't taken yet), you do not need to submit answers to any survey (aside from the registration process). At some point, we may start a barter system -- you answer a survey, and in return get access to more content. For the time being, however, we are hoping for your contributions.

Q: I want my class to use the site on (desktop or shared) computers in the classroom. How do I set this up, and what do I need to keep in mind?

A: Using the site on computers in a classroom falls under permissable use, as long as materials downloaded from the site are not published elsewhere. For instance, using materials as part of homework or research is fine; using a picture from the site on your own webpage is not.

To set up your classroom computers, you will need to register each one as a separate user (using a unique username). You can use the same information for first/last name and contact information, only the username has to be different for each computer (and we would prefer if you kept the “real” name the same so we can identify classroom or lab use).

To avoid logging in, you can set the session length to “forever” (under Preferences) and tell your students to never log out. (You may have log in again after a crash if it erases the browser cookie.) To avoid having the browser cookie overwritten on the server by another browser, please keep the passwords confidential. If students would like to use the site outside the classroom or on their own (laptop) computers, they should register under their own name and not use the classroom login.

Q: When I try to register or log in, I get an error about a “certificate” not being valid.

A: Make sure that your computer's clock is set to the correct time. Our certificate became valid in January 2002, so if your clock is set to a date before then, your browser will not recognize it as a valid certificate.

Also, make sure you are running a recent version of your preferred browser. Older versions may not be able to handle certificates.

Q: Whenever I try to log in, I first get a page with my name at the top, but the next page I go to says “guest access” again!

A: There seems to be a problem with storing cookies on your computer. It's possible that an older cookie never was erased and is being used instead of your new cookie. Either delete the file with your browser's cookies (after you quit the browser), or edit the file to remove all cookies set on this webserver (the machine name appears at the bottom of this web page; again, you have to quit the browser first).

Q: I sent off my registration but never got an e-mail with my confirmation key.

Please note that this appears to be the most common problem with registration.

A: Double-check the e-mail address that you specified. What usually happens is that the confirmation e-mail bounces due to an error in the e-mail address (e.g. wrong hostname, misspelled username, inactive mailbox).

The registration process stores your information only if you successfully registered, so you can begin your registration process again without creating duplicate entries.

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