Web account creation

We just launched a new website that is integrated with TIMSS using TCMS and web services. I was telling our good friend Sean about how new accounts are created on our site and he thought it was excellent blogging material, so here it is.

When a new user comes to www.cof.org and wishes to create an account, the process is as follows:

1. The new user enters their email address (this will be their username).
   
2. This email address is compared against primary email addresses (and usernames) in TIMSS.
   
3. If the email address already is in use, a password reset is sent to the user either for their existing account, or a new account with the email as the login is created and a password reset is sent.
   
4. If not in use, a message is sent to the address with a link to follow to complete the registration process (this validates the email address):
   
   A message has been sent to your e-mail address containing information about the registration process. You must use the link in this e-mail to complete the registration process.
   
   This message has been sent to you because you requested to sign-up for access to the Council on Foundation website at http://www.cof.org. Please follow the link provided below to complete the registration process. https://www.cof.org/Account/NewAccounts.cfm?emailVerification=%2D3%3C%5EWVBTNG%2D20R7%26%240%20%20%250
   
5. Following the link lets the new user enter their information (name, address, etc).
   
6. If the email domain is recognized as an organization's domain (i.e. cof.org) then the new user is linked to that organization. The Council's members are foundations and their employees and board members need to receive member benefits.
   
7. If the domain is not recognized (as is the case for many board members who have accounts elsewhere), the new user can pick which organization they should be affiliated with. This generates an email to our primary contact at the organization (if there is not an email for that contact, it is sent to a TIMSS administrator) for verification.

Yes, we do have a small issue where email primary addresses are not unique (foundations have one email address, or couples sharing an email address), but this number is small and it is very easy to get your own free email account. Using email addresses this way (as a username/unique identifier) is fairly common across the industry.

To help make email addresses unique, I've "extended" TIMSS to not allow email address with a location of ASSISTANT to be primary.

We did import the usernames (that weren't email addresses) and passwords into our new site (and thus TIMSS because that's where they are now stored) so everyone wouldn't need to create a new account.

Applies to TIMSS5, TIMSS6 & TIMSS7