G'day Chris, You're quite right, there was no reason whatever to require a social security number. I quoted it because it's the worst case I have ever seen. I should also say that HP fixed it soon afterwards. But it happened because whoever was working on that part of the site had not given any thought to what life is like outside the USA. Perhaps because they just picked up something out of their intranet and pasted it in or perhaps because they were so insular cosseted in their thinking they were totally ignorant about life outside.
I communicate a lot with Americans in my work and my hobbies, and I'm never short of amusement at Yanks who will be surprised at how good my English is, or ask do we have Christmas here, or are amazed that it's summer here when it's winter there. I think it's because the USA is so vast, and everything else so huge that there's no need to go outside the USA for anything. (That's not a criticism. It's just an observation.) But if a company wants to spread its wings and tap into the gigantic market outside the USA (for all the huge size of the USA, the rest of the world is ten times the size or more) it has to spread its thinking too, and learn that the world is not just like a lot of smaller USAs. Cheers, Mike Kear Windsor, NSW, Australia AFP WebWorks -----Original Message----- From: Chris Montgomery [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2002 10:38 AM To: CF-Talk Subject: RE: Internationalization Mike, Ahoy, mate! You make some valid points for U.S. companies to internationalize their sites. I would submit that the use of U.S. social security numbers on the HP site was a moronic decision by someone in management and not just a bad implementation by some site designer. I really can't think of *any* web site that would need to ask for a social security number. It isn't supposed to be used as a means of identification. The only entities that should require it are the employer (if it's a U.S. company) and the Internal Revenue Service...and I can't envision where supplying it would need to be done through a web site (ok, maybe a tax site that let's someone input their tax info online and file it electronically would be the exception). If any web site asks me for a social security number, I'm outta there. That was a really stupid decision on someone's part at HP, especially for something as benign as downloading a printer driver. Ludicrous. Cheers, Chris Montgomery [EMAIL PROTECTED] Airtight Web Services Web Development, Web Project Management, Software Sales Macromedia Sales & Consulting Partner 210-490-3249/888-745-7603 Fax 210-490-3249 > -----Original Message----- > From: Mike Kear [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 9:54 AM > To: CF-Talk > Subject: RE: Internationalization > > > I know you're thinking about technical things, but there are some common > errors you can easily make, and a huge number of American companies make > them .... <snip> > (8) I once tried to download some software from a major international > company (who will remain nameless but recently announced a merger with > Compaq) where the registration form had a compulsory field that required a > social security number for pete's sake. The product was a > printer driver - > not a US specific piece of software, but for general release around the > world. The moron who designed that page hadn't thought for a moment that > there might just be people in the world who didn't have US social security > numbers. (Like for example ALL of the non-US residents!!) I had to make > up a social security number, and tinker around with numbers until > I invented > one the form liked. I also had to invent an address because it had a 5 > character compulsory zip code so I just took an address from a > company's ad > in a magazine. <snip> ______________________________________________________________________ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cf-talk@houseoffusion.com/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
