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Password fatigue for YahooMail/Xtra customers?

Yet *again*, Yahoomail and Xtra customers are being asked/told to change their passwords, in the wake of yet another security breach.

This must be about the fourth or fifth time in the last year -- so when do users say "enough!"?

It is understandable that even the most diligent internet-based service might make a stuff-up that allows their security to be compromised but this has now become so routine over at Yahoo that it must almost be time for them to hang up any claims to delivering a system that is in any way safe to use.

Given that Xtra is the nation's largest ISP, the embarrassment for them must be even greater and the potential effect on NZers, many of who are probably unaware of exactly how this might affect them, may be enormous.

I've already called on Xtra to dump YahooMail in the past -- do you think they'll listen this time, in the wake of the massive hack reported late last week?

If Xtra decides to stick with Yahoo, you've really got to ask "who's sleeping with who?" in respect to the relationship between NZ's biggest ISP and possibly the most insecure "big name" webmail service in the world.

There are plenty of very smart people in NZ who Xtra could hire to set up its own email service (as they have done in the past) or they could simply bite the bullet and switch to GMail.

In fact, if I were in charge over at Xtra, I'd be looking hard at how I could come up with some messaging-based service that would be a real value-add for customers and thus an actual draw-card for new clients.

Email is "so last century" and even Twitter is starting to fade a little -- so how about investing a few dollars in brainstorming to see if you can come up with something that handles email but also contains a really cool, really useful extra element of functionality?

Yeah... it might seem like a big-ask, but if nothing ventured means nothing gained and obviously, hitching your wagon to Yahoo's petticoat is doing you no good at all.

Just look at how apps such as Viber are making huge inroads into the market and effectively blurring the line between voice, email, tweets and SMS. This is surely the way of the future so instead of following trends, maybe Xtra ought to be trying to set a few.

Until Xtra mans-up and decides to bite the bullet, I guess its email users will continue to be lumbered with a service that is rapidly becoming as secure as writing your messages on a toilet wall.

Come on guys -- lift your game!

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