Your Bot Works Login Account

Copyright © 2003 The Bot Works, Inc.

This page explains some of the basics of your Bot Works Login account.

How to Get a Bot Works Account and Log in

You can get a Bot Works account in two ways:

a. By signing up as a new user on the Bot Works web site or on an affiliated web site that uses a "BotKey™" login. If you haven't done so already, the on-line form may be found at: http://www.botworks.com/local/NewUser.pl?LAF=BWI

b. Your account may be created for you by your employer or a group that you belong to.

You will be able to login using your unique username and password which will be e-mailed to you when your account is created. Your username will usually be the username you suggested when you signed up as a new user or, if the username was taken or you left that space blank, it will be the same as the first part of your e-mail address. If that's already taken, the system will find a combination of your first and last names, initials and maybe even a number that is available for you. Your password will be a random string of characters to start with. We recommend that you change it to something easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess and save it in a secure place.

To log in, you may click on the link in the e-mail sent to you-- this link automatically fills in your user name and password for you in the Login Form (see figure 1 below). Alternately, you may browse to http://www.botworks.com/local/LoginForm.pl and enter your user name and password by hand. Then, click on the "Go" button to get started.

The first time you login, you'll be asked to agree to Bot Works' user agreement and privacy policy. The agreement and policies are essentially a formal way of asking people not to abuse the system or the data on the system as well as to take responsibility for their own actions. It's a good thing to know that every other person on the system has agreed to these policies even if it sometimes seems like a hassle when we have to agree to the terms ourselves.

Not Sure if You Already Have an Account? Forgot your Password?

If you've lost the e-mail that contained your password or if you're not sure if you have a Bot Works account, you can request a new password from the login screen by clicking on the word "here" in the line that applies to you (see Figure 1). After clicking on the word "here", the Forgot Password screen will be displayed (see Figure 2). In the Forgot Password screen, you can ask the system for your password by entering either your username (if you remember it) or your e-mail address.

Figure 1: A close-up of the Bot Works login screen

Figure 2: The Password Request Screen

If there is no account for the e-mail address or username you provided, the system will tell you that. If there is a valid account, a new password will be e-mailed to you. After you've logged in, you can easily change your password to whatever you want, but it is not possible for the system to tell you what your old password was because, for added security, your password is only stored in a one-way encrypted form in the Bot Works database.

Although we call the new passwords "temporary", they'll remain in force until you change them. Nonetheless, because the Bot Works is very concerned about the security of your information, we urge you to change your password after receiving a new password by e-mail because e-mail is not the most secure way to send messages to one another and it is theoretically possible that someone could intercept your e-mail (any e-mail, not just e-mail going to and from Bot Works), read your password and log in as you.

When you change your password on the Bot Works' Password Change screen (see Figure 3), you'll be using an encrypted connection (the padlock in the corner of your browser display will be closed). Though this happens automatically, you can be assured that your password is as secure, or more secure, that most credit card and banking web transactions. (or will be soon! Not implemented yet 10/15/03).