Instructions for Becoming a Member

HyperNews: Instructions: Membership

HyperNews Membership

Becoming a "member" of a HyperNews site provides you with a UserID that you use to identify yourself to the site later. HyperNews also remembers other information that you provide, such as your name and email address. Membership may also allow you to perform actions restricted to members only; these restrictions vary from site to site depending on how the administrator has configured HyperNews. You may be required to become a member in order to write messages, for example. To find out what the restrictions are, visit the membership form at that site. But sometimes, even membership is restricted; in that case, there might be a way to contact an administrator to request membership.

Note that "registering" or "joining" as a member is very different from "subscribing". You might be able to subscribe (and get email) without being a member, and you are not subscribed to anything just because you are a member. See the instructions on subscribing for details. Nevertheless, recent versions of HyperNews now have an 'all-member' forum option that automatically subscribes all members to particular forums.

Also note that each site has it own members. So registering at hypernews.org does not mean you are a member at any other HyperNews site.

Becoming a Member

To become a member of a HyperNews site, first click on the

button on any page at that site. With HyperNews version 1.9.7, this results in a list of current members; you can select members to view information about them. Also on this page is a button that says: "Register (Become a Member)". Click on it.

The membership information includes the following:

User ID (e.g. joe)
Email Address (e.g. joe@home.net).
Email and subscription options.
Password (8 character maximum)
Name (e.g. Joe User)
Personal URL - your home page.
Other optional Biographical Data, which may be different for each HyperNews site.

User ID

When you are first registering, you must select a User ID. This is an identifier that will be associated with all the personal information that you provide. Your User ID can be the same as your Email address, or you can use a shorter nickname if it is available. A nickname must have no spaces in it. You can choose a nickname for your User ID at a later time if you wish; see special instructions below.

Case is significant, although we plan to make it insignificant in the future.

Some sites may be configured to hide all User IDs. Your email address may be used instead, if you provide one. Other sites may be configured to hide all email addresses, in which case you should probably have a User ID that is different from your email address.

Email

Your Email address is essential for getting email notifications of new messages. Email is also sent when your membership information is changed, whether or not you have made the changes.

You can change your email address when you need to. See instructions below on changing membership info.

Just as for the User IDs, case is significant for Email addresses.

Your email address will be used in a "mailto" URL in messages that you post. But to fight spammers, you can hide your email address from public view by selecting that option (in version 1.9.7). Email addresses are no longer displayed in the outline display of messages.

Below the Email Address field, there are some options for controlling subscriptions to forums at a global level. The default (which may be changed by configuration option) is to subscribe you to only what you specify in each forum. But that includes automatic subscription when you post a message. Or you can suppress your subscriptions to all forums by selecting the "Nothing" option. Unselecting that option will reenable your subscriptions. Another option that may apply to some sites is automatic subscription to a global list that is used for all forums designated as All-Member forums.

Password

To set up your password when you first register, or to change it later on, enter the new password where it says "New Password" and "New Password Again". You are encouraged to create a password that cannot be easily guessed. Never use the password of your login.

There is no way for HyperNews or administrators to tell you your password since it is immediately encrypted, so please try to remember it. If you forget your password, an adminstrator can reset it to a new random password that will be emailed to you. Then you should change the password to one you can remember.

Note to Administrators about blank passwords:

It is possible, but not recommended, to have a blank password if HyperNews is doing the authentication, but if you are set up to have the server do the authentication (i.e. $manualSecurity == 0), my experience is that it doesn't work. The edit-member.pl form doesn't support entering a new blank password, or blank anything for that matter - it assumes you aren't setting a blank field. This is a design bug but it hasn't been much of a problem. Instead, to set a blank password, you have to edit a member info file directly. Since the Password field is actually encrypted, and an encrypted blank is not blank, the HyperNews authentication code (in member-lib.pl) does a special case check for a blank password field.

Name

HyperNews will use your Name to identify you in your messages. You should enter a name, even if it is not your true name.

In previous versions of HyperNews (before 1.9.7) your Name was made into a link to your personal home page, but now it is a link to a page that shows your HyperNews Member info.

How to Use your Membership

Membership applies to all forums on the site, so use the same User ID and password each time it is requested. However, membership at one site does not automatically give you membership at any other site. You may set up a different User ID and/or password on every HyperNews site that you participate in.

HyperNews can be configured to request your UserID and password, when it is needed, in several different ways. If membership is required to do some action (such as adding a message), and the browser requests your UserID and password, you should only have to enter them once per browser session. If you enter your UserID and password in a form for some action, you will probably have to enter them every time for that kind of action. Also, HyperNews may be configured to use "cookies" so you won't have to enter your UserID and password more than once per browser session.

Changing your Membership Information

You can change your membership information at any time later by following the same instructions given above for registering, but this time click on "Edit YOUR Member Info". You only need to enter the data that you want to change - if you leave a field blank or unchanged, that field will remain unchanged. Here are a few special instructions.

If you are currently using your Email address as your UserID and wish to use a nickname instead, go to the Membership form and enter the new nickname in the UserID field, and your Email address in the Email Address field. Don't try to change your password at the same time as you change your UserID; if you do, someone is likely to get confused.
If the HyperNews site only allows members to post messages, and it also supports incoming email, you must provide an email address which is the same one that you will be mailing from.
There is no way (yet) to delete a member via the web. An administrator can delete a member simply by removing the membership info files for that member. But also see the global unsubscribe feature, described above if you really mean to just stop getting email.

After clicking on the "Do It" button at the bottom, you should get a page telling you which information has been changed. You should also receive email telling you the same thing, if you provide a correct email address.

Other Issues related to Membership

Subscribing and Unsubscribing - not the same thing as "joining" or "registering".
HyperNews Security - more detail about how HyperNews does authentication and access control.

Next-in-Thread

Next Message

Inline:

All

Outline:

All

1 "Joining" for a different email account? by Bernard HP Gilroy, 1995, Nov 03

1 No problem by liberte@hypernews.org, 1995, Nov 07

2 Removing members? by Abhijeet Chavan, 1996, Jan 26

1 No Removing, yet by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Jan 26
Here's a perl script to remove members by mao@ngdc.noaa.gov, 1998, Jun 30
Thanks for the remove-members script by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Jun 30

3 Adding members to multiple groups by Martin Huntley, 1996, Feb 11

1 Everyone is in group All by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Feb 12

4 How can I remove my membership? by Chip Browne, 1996, Feb 20

1 Removing not available via HyperNews by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Feb 20

5 Can't add response by Terry, 1996, Apr 11

1 Depends on configuration and whether you are a member by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Apr 11

2 same problem by re99dr99@acs.wooster.edu, 1997, Apr 07

6 Disappearing members - 1.9B5.5 by Jon Tara, 1996, Apr 18

1 Could be old bug by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Apr 18

I think it's just the confusing form... by jtara@stockclub.com, 1996, Apr 18

8 Membership Problems by Robert Jory, 1996, Jul 10

1 Maybe they need an upgrade by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Jul 10

Maybe by rjory@worldnet.att.net, 1996, Jul 11

10 Can I change my e-mail address? by Mark Hewitt, 1996, Jul 25

11 How do I delete users? by Bjarte Huseboe, 1996, Apr 03

1 Delete them manually by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, Apr 08

1 Thanks! by bjarte@bbb.no, 1996, Apr 08: ...
2 Don't forget the group files! by htchapma@oakland.edu, 1997, Aug 25
4 Don't forget the group files! by htchapma@oakland.edu, 1997, Aug 25

12 Members-list by webmaster@itk.mh.se, 1996, May 22

1 It's called 'ls' by liberte@hypernews.org, 1996, May 22

2 Got a HN1.9B4.1 user browser by ulrich@eiba.com, 1996, Jun 10

14 HOW DO YOU GET BACK TO THE FORUM? by Westlee Harrington, 1997, Jan 28

1 Currently, use the back button by liberte@hypernews.org, 1997, Jan 29

17 Hypernews kicks off members by Alicia Coolidge, 1997, Feb 18

1 Something must be overwriting membership info by liberte@hypernews.org, 1997, Feb 19

2 Passwords identical by alicia@sfasu.edu, 1997, Feb 20

20 Cration of user problem with my Hyper News Servfer by Denis Garon, 1997, Mar 21

21 What's the password? by Tremor Rad, 1997, Mar 29

1 RE: Password? by canniff@ncsa.uiuc.edu, 1997, Apr 02

23 8-bit HyperNews userids? by Jeremy Anderson, 1997, May 19

1 User data generalizations by liberte@hypernews.org, 1997, May 19
Re: User data generalizations by jeremy@sparc01.ylasia.com.tw, 1997, May 19

24 Deleting messages by Katherine Allen, 1997, May 23

29 Re,Becoming a member...E.P.R/SusanClare by riverae@ix.netcom.com, 1997, Jul 07

30 How many messages are you allowed to keep on your website before Hypernews makes you delete the old messages!!!!!! by sid 2, 1997, Aug 05

31 Is it possible to see all members of a forum? by Sasa, 1997, Aug 15

32 Do you have to have and email address by Ivy, 1997, Aug 21

34 what's wrong with my userid and password by pascal le rudulier, 1998, Jan 20

35 UNAUTHORIZED by NoSergei@aol.com, 1998, Jan 20

1 Lots of passwords possible - only one applies by liberte@hypernews.org, 1998, Jan 20

37 Managing members -- How many? by Victor Caston, 1997, Sep 12

38 User Id by psylocke, 1997, Oct 08

39 Is there a simple way to delete members? by Chris 'Floyd' Kreutzer, 1998, Feb 16

40 Simple way to batch add users by Chris 'Floyd' Kreutzer, 1998, Feb 16

42 Has anyone added a provision to delete members to their installation? by Mark Thompson, 1998, Apr 01

1 Deleting members in next version by liberte@hypernews.org, 1998, Apr 03

43 How do I log in as a superuser? by Glenn Johnson, 1998, Apr 06

1 Re: Question: How do I log in as a superuser? by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Apr 06

44 Unknown by Sharon Gudger, 1998, Apr 10

51 Becoming A Memeber by thughes@usa.net, 1998, Jun 03

1 How you join depends on the site by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Jun 03

52 .hngroupmembers by Jim Gallagher, 1998, Jun 03

1 userids and email addresses are sorted by length by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Jun 03

2 Thanks! How about.... by jmgallag, 1998, Jun 04

1 Grouips and versions by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Jun 04: ... 1 Message(s)

53 Joining New Members: members only acts like admin only by Mark A. Ohrenschall, 1998, Jun 17

55 difficulty becoming a member by Barry, 1998, Mar 02

1 Difficulty becoming a member by jcornette@skipjack.bluecrab.org, 1998, Jun 30
2 Answer by ogilles@jetmultimedia.fr, 1998, Sep 21

56 How to join, post message to gamesages by byron16@juno.com, 1998, Jul 29

58 duplicate user name by Mike Nocera, 1998, Oct 02

59 Problem with adding new mambers by Behzad Barzideh, 1998, Oct 05

60 Unable to become a member by Padmanab, 1998, Oct 07

61 Administrator joining members by Jim Ashton, 1998, Oct 19

1 Sounds like bugs recently fixed in 1.9.8.1 by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Oct 19

62 Adding message to DF problem by pebbles3@foto.infi.net, 1998, Sep 15

63 How do I "reset" someone's password? by Pam, 1998, Dec 23

1 More problems with registering by Pam, 1998, Dec 23

2 Use ...HyperNews/SECURED/reset-password.pl by Daniel LaLiberte, 1998, Dec 24

1 Thank you! by pam@ilovejesus.com, 1998, Dec 26: ... 5 Message(s)

65 Still having registration trouble by Pam, 1998, Dec 29

1 Watch out for case-sensitivity by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1998, Dec 29

I upgraded...still having problems? by pam@lowcarbcafe.com, 1999, Jan 18

1 problems, problems, problems by bonsteel@pol.net, 1999, Jan 18: ... 1 Message(s)
2 Sounds like configuration problems by liberte@emancholl.pair.com, 1999, Jan 18

68 How to create a new Title by Hoang The Anh, 1999, Feb 03

71 What's the deal with my password???????? by Yzerwoman, 1998, Jun 19

72 Remove Membership by Alfred, 1998, Jul 28

73 deleting members by Dan Suson, 1999, Feb 04

1 Deletion of members is not yet supported by Daniel LaLiberte, 1999, Feb 07

1 Deleting members by Robert Cole, 2000, Dec 01

2 re deleting satellite dish network tv direct directv , 2003, Dec 07

74 Problem: autefication with Internet Explorer 4.0 is forever! by Dmitry, 1999, Feb 08

80 quite silly question by helloben, 1999, Jun 19

83 changing userid by ashtonjr@wju.edu, 1999, Jul 02

1 Changing of user ID and email address is possible by liberte@hypernews.org, 1999, Jul 02

87 Help me, I get: lock: Permission denied , 1999, Sep 09

91 Problem editing member infos by Egbert Schroeer, 1999, Nov 08

1 Known problem and new problem by liberte@hypernews.org, 1999, Nov 08
Solution: known problem new problem by egbert.schroer@degussa-huels.de, 1999, Nov 08

92 Error changing membership info by Dhruv, 1999, Nov 22

1 Problem Fixed, pls delete the messages by dhruv@edge.com.sg, 1999, Nov 22

94 Changing User ID Seems Too Difficult by Mark MacGregor, 2000, Jan 15

1 Maybe changing User IDs ought to be difficult by liberte@hypernews.org, 2000, Jan 17

95 I forgat my password, whot do I do? by Karina, 2000, Jan 26

96 Funny, I dont remember my password too! ( tocalla) by aamador@rectoria.rzp.itesm.mx, 2000, Jan 26

98 my password won't work.... by Ritchie, 2000, Feb 10

99 batch-add-members by head_shok@yahoo.com, 2000, Feb 07

1 How to run batch-add-members by Daniel LaLiberte, 2000, Mar 01

1 Problems with new batch-add-members.pl by Marty Gilbert, 2002, Nov 13: ... 1 Message(s)

2 re batch add satellite dish tv network directv , 2003, Dec 07

110 I would like to become a member and would like to get the ID as manish@hypernews.org by Manish, 2001, Apr 05

120 adding members in batch: passwords? by Adam Para, 2002, Jun 20

This forum is closed.

Members Subscribe Admin Mode

Show Frames Help

HyperNews Instructions for:
|| Reading Messages || Administration of Messages || Subscribing and Unsubscribing ||
|| Adding Messages || Posting by Email || Becoming a Member ||