I use Bigpond web based email and can't subscribe to the SSO Alert Service

If you have a Bigpond email account and use Bigpond web-based email to read your email you may have encountered problems with completing the SSO Alert registration process.  You can tell if you use a web based email program if you use a web browser to read your email such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

A Bigpond email account is in the form of something like xxxxxxxxx@bigpond.com

If you download and read your Bigpond email via an email software program installed on your computer such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Live Mail (not to be confused with the web based version), Mozilla Thunderbird, etc you will not experience this problem.

The problem is that the URL (web) link within the SSO Alert Service email is rendered poorly by the Bigpond web-based system.  The result is that if you click on the slightly modified link it will take you to the SSO login page, instead of logging you in to complete the registration process on an encrypted page that uses HTTPS.

The problem can be easily fixed.  To correct the problem and complete the registration process you need to copy the URL link within the email you receive and paste it into your web browser address field.  Then insert an "s" after "http" so the address is in the form of :

https://www.ssoalertservice.net.au/some_unique_random_string_of_text_for_specific_user’s_registration

not:

http://www.ssoalertservice.net.au/some_unique_random_string_of_text_for_specific_user’s_registration

Press enter or go.

Another way to avoid the problem is to download your Bigpond email to your computer via a software email program such as MS Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird and click on the web link in the email from Stay Smart Online Alert Service and complete the registration process in the usual way.