Why I deleted my Ecademy account

Technology

Why I deleted my Ecademy account

I've had a (free) membership of Ecademy for years now, and I thought: let's expand my network and import my address book, so that I can make connections to selected (remember that word: selected) people that are already members of Ecademy. So I imported my address book, but what happened? Automatically, and without any confirmation or ability to select, messages were sent out to Ecademy members found in my address book. Fortunately, no mails were automatically sent out to non-members. But still, I had at least expected some possibility to select and confirm before anything was sent out.

Here's the message that was sent out:

No, I was not "sending invitations", I was merely importing my address book, and the Ecademy software decided to send out invitations without my permission.

I find that this practice goes against basic internet netiquette. I feel embarrassed by the blunt and intrusive behavior of the Ecademy software. I have sent a request to Ecademy support to delete my account completely. No mercy.

published on Wednesday 12 March 2008 @ 22:49 CET - Share on Facebook

Comments

joe

Thursday 13 March 2008 @ 08:33 CET - #60863

Had the same problem with a net-based sms service (forgot the name). Wish these people lots of itch and a too short arm to scratch.

Geert CONARD

Sunday 16 March 2008 @ 22:20 CET - #61031

Luc,

Too bad you feel this way. The option to upload your address book is in the invite-section of the website. It should be pretty obvious what it's there for.
The mail you use as an example can be avoided if everyone would add his or her 'other' email addresses to the system.
Ecademy Belgium is not the owner of the website, but we do send ideas and tips for future enhancements of the website.
Too bad you didn't come to us first.

Tweaker(niet ingelogd)

Sunday 16 March 2008 @ 22:41 CET - #61035

"Too bad you didn't come to us first."

Too bad you don't ask your users first... before sending out emails. This is basic functionality and hasn't been thought thru very well.

Blaming Luc for this is cheap since that functionality shouldn't send out emails without any prior selection by the user, in what world you may live!

I can only encourage intentions to improve functionality via user feedback but this is far too basic to not admit your mistake and trying to defend yourself.

"It should be pretty obvious what it's there for."

It should be pretty obvious users should be asked for final approval first!

Geert CONARD

Sunday 16 March 2008 @ 23:55 CET - #61039

Tweaker,
You should read better ... it's not our website, we only organize events for the Belgian members. So I don't have to defend myself at all.
The invite screen has multiple possibilities to enter email details to send invites to. You can enter addresses manually, from web-mail accounts or from Outlook.
I just thought it was strange that Luc didn't contact us because just 2 weeks ago he was our guest-speaker in a regional club.
Warm regards
Geert CONARD (Not hiding behind masks)

Tweaker(niet ingelogd)

Monday 17 March 2008 @ 01:34 CET - #61040

@ Geert

Ok, I've got it... it sounded as if you were defending the website, which you were! Guess you are hiding behind the fact that you're not the owner which sounds like an affiliate blaming the parent company... oh no, you were blaming Luc for not being smart enough to fully understand the functionality of the invitation option.

My comments were towards the website and from the moment you started defending it, you got involved and now you're offended because it's not your website. It could have been anyone defending Ecademy and my reaction would have been the same!

by the way: hiding? didn't you notice that the majority on this blog uses a nickname to post... the fact that you don't is no argument to start nagging about it.

Best regards
a blog member

Geert CONARD

Monday 17 March 2008 @ 08:41 CET - #61042

Just want to add that I'm not saying Luc wasn't right about the fact that the feature should work different.
I was only disappointed that he didn't contact us first.
If anyone has any problem they can always contact me or my team and we will try to solve it. Also the team in the UK is easy to contact and they do their very best to solve any issues. For me this case is closed now.
Everyone is welcome to join and try all features themselves. Recently a lot of functions are added to the free membership to make it worth the effort.
Best regards,
Geert CONARD
Chairman Ecademy Belgium

Tweaker(niet ingelogd)

Monday 17 March 2008 @ 10:16 CET - #61044

"I'm not saying Luc wasn't right about the fact that the feature should work different."

"It should be pretty obvious what it's there for."

typical for socialists... making contradictory statements ;)
and running off when running out of arguments

joe

Monday 17 March 2008 @ 21:39 CET - #61055

@Geert CONARD: I'm flabbergasted by what I perceive as your sheer arrogance, Mr Chairman.

Why should Luc contact you after "the veal is already drawn"? All his contacts already received these bloody emails, they cannot be recalled anymore. And I find it obscene that these mails carry Luc's signature when he didn't sign nor send anything at all. Let him at least press a bloody confirm-button before you start spamming under his name.

I think you should better contact the Ecademy responsibles and asking them to stop these practices. Only then you could say "Case closed". An a little apology wouldn't me misplaced neither.

joe

Monday 17 March 2008 @ 21:40 CET - #61056

drown, not drawn is our veal :-)

Filip

Tuesday 18 March 2008 @ 02:23 CET - #61061

Too late Joe,
the veal has drowned ;-)

joe

Tuesday 18 March 2008 @ 07:23 CET - #61062

I know, Filip. Condoleezzeances are warmly welcomed.

Tweaker(niet ingelogd)

Tuesday 18 March 2008 @ 21:00 CET - #61092

@ Joe

The way people handle complaints says a lot about their personality and business instinct. It's not just arrogance but a total lack of business feeling we saw demonstrated here.

joe

Tuesday 18 March 2008 @ 21:23 CET - #61093

Tweaker: I completely agree. I think he also tortures innocent ducks and kicks his grandma in her stomach.

Demosthenes

Tuesday 18 March 2008 @ 22:19 CET - #61095

Ha, "when the veal is drown". Nice try but the English saying is "When the steed is stolen, the stable door is locked"

Demosthenes

Tuesday 18 March 2008 @ 22:22 CET - #61096

By the way, veal is the meat (impossible to drown because it's already dead). The living thing is a calf.

Tweaker(niet ingelogd)

Wednesday 19 March 2008 @ 01:41 CET - #61099

@ Demosthenes

lol
maybe the veal got drown in the butter :p

joe

Wednesday 19 March 2008 @ 07:40 CET - #61108

But because the stable door was not locked, the calf could escape. And it ran towards the sea. Once it arrived at the beach it saw Demosthenes who was - as usual - practising with his mouth full of superballs and flippos. The calf's blahblahblah overshouted Demosthenes who was so frustrated that he killed the poor calf with his own teeth and hence transformed it into veal. And then, suddenly, a big surf came, and Demosthenes, coward as he is, dropped the veal in order to save his own body. So the veal.... yes, it drowned.

Graham Jones - Intenet Psychologist

Thursday 08 May 2008 @ 00:07 CET - #63374

I really don't understand what you did. The import contacts facility allows you to check your existing contacts against Ecademy's list.

It only then sends out messages if you do the following TWO things:

1. Select the box agreeing to the terms and conditions
2. Click the Send Invitations box

The emails you claim were sent by Ecademy can only have been sent if you did both of these things.

luc

Friday 09 May 2008 @ 20:30 CET - #63437

@Graham Jones: The import contacts facility does not allow you to CHECK your existing contacts against Ecademy's list. "Check" is not the right word here.

You are correct about those two things. All other social networks, however, except Ecademy, have a third step, a necessary step in my opinion: an individual check box next to EACH CONTACT on the list. Ecademy is the only one that does not offer this possibility.

Ecademy is the exception, all others do it diffently, and yes, I'm complaining about that exception. The way the import contacts facility worked in March (I'm not sure if they changed it) is stupid, rude, and respectless towards the user. But sure, let them remain convinced of their own infailibility. And if an internet psychologist does not understand my complaint, the complainer must surely be crazy.

stop ecademy

Monday 27 October 2008 @ 17:29 CET - #70770

I made the same mistake as you did Luc. I also have the impression that an e-mail was sent to everybody in my address book, even when they were not members. I received spam on

Ecademy turned me into a spammer for their service. How can I trust their service any longer.

So I deleted my account, just as you did.

Fabian

Friday 27 March 2009 @ 15:55 CET - #78075

Greeting. I feel like a tiny bird with a big song!
I am from Guinea and also am speaking English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "Record flight delays, tightened luggage restrictions and average round trip fares that top."

Waiting for a reply ;-), Fabian.

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