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New Requirements Regarding Email Adresses

user6417806
Prodigy 210 points

Hi,

I have received an email beginning like this:

"As an active contributor in the E2E support forums, we want you to be aware of upcoming e-mail log-in changes. These updates are being implemented to ensure we provide the quickest resolution to your support issues.

Starting September 29, 2020, you must have a valid company or university email address associated with your myTI account to post within the forums...."

Even though it would be easy for me to provide a company email address, I am quite startled by that move.

I wonder, if this is motivated by greed (thinking only companies or universities deserve support because with amateurs there might not be so  much money to gain), racism (it is more difficult to provide an according email address for electronics enthusiasts in developing countries) or by social exclusion policies (only university-educated engineers are real engineers and we do not want any "lower" beings amongst us").

Either way, "to ensure we provide the quickest resolution to your support issues" does in no way require this change in the requirements to be able to post within the forums.

I find it kind of an anal move to exclude all amateur radio operators, hobbyists, pupils. Both of my adolescent children, who I try to encourage in following my footsteps, wouldn't be able to post here. I wouldn't have been in my most formative years as an electronics enthusiast.

Either way, in light of that new requirement, you might just delete your "Citizenship" page, because otherwise that page would just be an example of hypocrisy.

If there are real problems underlying this decision (like loads of spam posts, which I haven't noticed recenty), there should be other ways to deal with it. If your IT specialists aren't able to figure out something less drastic, then it might be the time for them to reflect on their own abilities.

Sorry for the rant, but not sorry.

For someone who is an electronics engineer with his whole heart, this is unbelievable.

Regards,

Gerd

  • 0
    TI__Genius 9148 points

    Hi Gerd,

    Please see the private message I just sent you - 

    Thanks,

    Jim Carrillo

    Manager, Online Support

    Texas Instruments

  • 0 in reply to Jim Carrillo
    Prodigy 210 points

    Hi Jim,

    Thanks for the PN and for being interested in my situation.

    But this issue is not about my situation. As I wrote above, I could easily provide a company email address. I haven't decided yet if I will or if I just won't post here anymore, though.

    What this is about is that people are denied access to knowledge for no apparently valid reason.

    We as community have a duty to further our society. To increase knowledge in the world and help each others to contribute to a better future.

    We engineers are driven by the wish to optimize everything we encounter and help each others solving any kinds of problems. If I become aware of anyone being an engineer I immediately think of them as a friend, because we have common interests.
    Of couse, they are also competitors, no matter if their company competes with the one I am employed by or if they are colleagues which whom I compete within the department. But that's not like a war but like competing in a sports game.

    And so, everything that is meant or capable of excluding some of those friends from participating in the community deeply upsets me. And I believe that many others might see it similarly (at least I hope so).

    I have administrated a quite big forum for a few years. I know of spammers and the like. I know that it can take quite some effort to keep a forum working. But I also know that just generally banning non-company or non-university emails excludes too many people who are just electronics enthusiasts who do not deserve to be banned.

    If you feel your time is wasted by amateurs or the like, you can just refuse to answer their posts. There might be others wh chime in (apologies for me not contributing very much since I have registered, I am very busy finishing an important layout and I hope I can make up for that later). And don't forget: Amateurs can be professionals in future and generate a lot of revenue and pupils may become engineers one day and then they might decide on which companiy's ICs are to be used in case there is a choice.

    Regards,
    Gerd
    P.S.:
    Once, I was an amateur, too. Now I am designing circuits and boards that are used by hunderds of thousands of people and I am looking forward to having my 10th patent granted.

  • 0 in reply to user6417806
    TI__Genius 9148 points

    Thank you again Gerd - 

    For others interested in more background on this, please see this FAQ here.

    Have a good day,

    Jim