.info IS valid people!

by Ed Rozmiarek

I don’t rant that often, but I have just got to complain about something that hit me again today.

To the corporate webmasters out there, .info is a valid top level domain. It has been for over three years. Open your eyes and change your e-mail validation routines and allow .info as a valid domain.

At least five times this year, three of which have been in the last month or so, I have tried to use my completely valid e-mail address on a web registration form and have had it rejected. Their brain dead verification routines are saying that the e-mail address I have been using for over three years is invalid. Boy, I sure do get a whole lot of e-mail via my “invalid” address. And what’s bad, I usually get rejected when I’m placing an order or signing up for e-mail delivery of their pseudo-spam. So they are losing business from their stupidity.

Now, each time I hit this I write the webmaster a note stating the problem. A couple times they have fixed it. Most of the time I never hear back and I try it again several days or weeks later and have the same problem. In one case I actually found the Java Script code on the page the was editing the e-mail address. I sent the webmaster the exact line that needed to be changed. Two months later and the page still has the same problem.

Now for all those webmasters out there who feel they have to have verification routines on your forms for the e-mail addresses, here is a nice site with a list of the top level domains. They even have a complete alphabetical list of top level domains. Go check it out right now and make sure you accept all of the valid domains. Either that or have your quality certification department update their testcases to include all valid domains. (You do have independent testing of your webpage now, don’t you?)

Posted by Ed Rozmiarek at May 18, 2005 3:41 PM