# Membership expiration message from http://boardstest.straightdope.com **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 28, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920 "2017-08-28T09:08:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/1 "2017-08-28T09:08:57Z")
I recently renewed my membership. Today, I got the following email from [webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com): > [@](#): > > Dear iiandyiiii, > > Your access to the paid subscription “Straight Dope Board Membership” is about to expire. > > To renew this subscription you must visit [http://boardstest.straightdope.com/sdmb/payments.php](http://boardstest.straightdope.com/sdmb/payments.php) > > If you do not extend your subscription you will revert to Guest status. As a Guest you’ll be shown banner advertising and will lose some of the privileges of your current membership status. > > All the best, > Straight Dope Message Board It appears that “[http://boardstest.straightdope.com](http://boardstest.straightdope.com)” looks like an exact copy of the SDMB, including all my private messages up to last May, but not including my recent membership renewal. What’s going on? Is this a phishing email? Do I need to change my password? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/2 "2017-08-28T10:05:21Z")
That looks like one of our test sites. The software folks are supposed to set those up so that they don’t send out renewal e-mails and other notifications. I’ll let the admins know they goofed. It’s nothing to worry about. You don’t need to change your password. Do not renew your membership using that link. If the renewal manages to go through, you’ll end up renewing your membership on a temporary test site which doesn’t do your real membership any good. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/3 "2017-08-28T10:20:38Z")
I would anyway. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/4 "2017-08-28T11:20:58Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Do not renew your membership using that link. If the renewal manages to go through, you’ll end up renewing your membership on a temporary test site which doesn’t do your real membership any good. Sound like you’re trying to stir up a board war. It just so happens that a few of us _like_ the temporary test site and would like to see it flourish. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/5 "2017-08-28T11:45:43Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > I would anyway. Even after a moderator said it isn’t necessary? :dubious: The issue even came up earlier in the year with another test site. [QUOTE=engineer\_comp\_geek] Please be aware that a site that we have been using to test SDMB software changes has been sending out renewal notices. If you receive a renewal notice that contains a link to [avolatech.com](http://avolatech.com) instead of [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com), please just ignore it. DO NOT CLICK ON THE AVOLATECH LINK TO RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. That link goes to the test site and will not renew your real SDMB subscription. Also, please note that since we are using an old and stale copy of the SDMB for testing, the renewal notices that the test site is sending out may not reflect the actual current expiration date for your subscription. This is not a phishing attempt and the board has not been hacked. We apologize for the confusion that this has caused. ETA: If you renewed lately by clicking on the link from an e-mail, please check your subscription expiration date to make sure you renewed from the [board.straightdope.com](http://board.straightdope.com) site and not the avolatech site. If your subscription expiration date on the SDMB is incorrect, please either leave a message in this thread, or contact me via PM or e-mail so that we can get your subscription fixed. [/QUOTE] [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826350](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826350) So, to reiterate, don’t go to a test site to renew your membership. They’re not supposed to be sending renewal notices. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/6 "2017-08-28T11:57:54Z")
It takes 39 seconds… [http://passwordsgenerator.net/](http://passwordsgenerator.net/) and does no harm. It’s best practice to churn your passwords every few months anyway. I settle with the 28 length with no special characters: but that goes up to generating 2048 length. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/7 "2017-08-28T12:01:45Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > It takes 39 seconds… [http://passwordsgenerator.net/](http://passwordsgenerator.net/) and does no harm. It’s best practice to churn your passwords every few months anyway. > I settle with the 28 length with no special characters: but that goes up to generating 2048 length. What does that have to do with these test messages? ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/8 "2017-08-28T12:04:17Z")
Ah, you missed a beat, that regards the moderator advice not to change passwords. Skipping every 2nd post must be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/9 "2017-08-28T12:57:02Z")
I read the whole thread, but still misinterpreted your message. You said “I would anyway”, but didn’t specify _what_ you would. It sounded like you were saying that you’d renew your subscription on the test board, not that you would change your password. Changing your password is at worst harmless, so eh, whatever, go ahead if you feel like it, but renewing your membership on the test board is something that people really ought to think thrice about doing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/10 "2017-08-28T13:40:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I read the whole thread, but still misinterpreted your message. You said “I would anyway”, but didn’t specify _what_ you would. It sounded like you were saying that you’d renew your subscription on the test board, not that you would change your password. Changing your password is at worst harmless, so eh, whatever, go ahead if you feel like it, but renewing your membership on the test board is something that people really ought to think thrice about doing. That’s what I thought **Evan Drake** meant, that he would renew his membership on the test site. Changing passwords is different, and does no harm at all. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/11 "2017-08-28T14:11:55Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > That’s what I thought **Evan Drake** meant, that he would renew his membership on the test site. Changing passwords is different, and does no harm at all. Yes, I think most people would agree. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/12 "2017-08-28T16:08:36Z")
I think the OP is right to be suspicious. If the renew link doesn’t go where you expect, phishing is a possibility. As Dr. Johnny Fever says, “When people are out to get you, being paranoid is just good thinking.” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/13 "2017-08-28T16:20:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I think the OP is right to be suspicious. If the renew link doesn’t go where you expect, phishing is a possibility. As Dr. Johnny Fever says, “When people are out to get you, being paranoid is just good thinking.” Shhh! The phone company sees everything, man. They got their own police force! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/14 "2017-08-28T17:00:50Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Shhh! The phone company sees everything, man. They got their own police force! TPC? They even have Kropotkin, Dr. Sidney Schaefer, and Don Masters. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/membership-expiration-message-from-http-boardstest-straightdope-com/794920/15 "2017-08-28T17:46:22Z")
What’s a “phone”?