First, I appreciate everyone's efforts and realize it's the spirit of volunteerism that drives Toastmasters and I assume FreeToastHost.
Second, I am not inexperienced in the intricacies of the Internet, having designed WordPress websites for well over a decade and straight html sites before that. The first “computer” I worked with was a Trash 1000 (TRS 1000) with its 300 baud modems in the mid-80s. The first Mac I worked with was a Mac Plus in 1986. I'm not adverse to diving in and writing php or html when needed. Monaslegacy.org and Cumbieandtrull.com are two examples of sites I've built and host through the Hostgator.com reseller account I've had for years and years and years.
I spent considerable effort convincing our club's executive committee to switch to FreeToastHost from the static html site they were using. I would have preferred to design a site myself, but simply did not have the time. Despite limitations, FreeToastHost seemed a good solution, although there was considerable pushback from committee members resistant to change of any kind.
My term as president was to have ended July 1, but the president-elect decided less than a week before that she would be unable to serve. At the same time I'm putting our house on the market for sale and have been under incredible stress over the past week or so to get things repaired, cleaned, etc. I won't even mention my son's legal troubles stemming from poor choices he's made in trying to deal with his mother's death two years ago.
Now, after setting up a decent FreeToastHost site, logging in time and time again, and expending a deal of effort to work through a clunky and often non-intuitive interface (no disrespect intended to its architects), using the same email address I have used for 25 years in my business never experiencing similar issues, using the same webhost, Hostgator, from which I have and still host numerous sites, using the same address with which I’m registered with Toastmasters International, the explanation of why has been a series of less than clear messages, finally ending with “now he can look into making sure he does not get blocked again in the future” and the topic being locked, prohibiting response.
Given all of this, rather than applaud the enhanced email address checks, might I suggest you scrutinize them more carefully instead. If trying to enter my email address was driving you nuts, please know that trying to resolve this issue has taken me far beyond nuts. Had I been able to respond to the original thread, I would have suggested you simply whitelist david@wordshoppe.com and if that wasn’t possible to set the administrator email as landofskytoastmasters@gmail.com. Surely Gmail address will get past the enhanced email “checks.”
Respectfully, but very frustratedly,
David Cornwell
President, Land of Sky Toastmasters, Club 6528
Club 6528
The topic has been locked.
