Many people are under the impression that they either need a hotmail.com or msn.com email address to use MSN Messenger or that once they have picked a name to use with MSN Messenger, it cannot be changed. This is incorrect. Most Microsoft services, such as MSN Messenger, use the .Net Passport account.
The passport was Microsoft’s elegant solution to the problem of having a username and password for every website. Instead of having a separate username and password for signing into Amazon and then another for eBay, Microsoft argued that the web user experience could be enhanced by registering a single username and password with .Net Passport. After signing in to Amazon with my passport username and password, I would not need to enter it again when I visited eBay. My passport would automatically submit my username and password to Amazon. In technical circles, this is called Single Sign-On (SSO).
Despite the need for such a service, Passport never caught on over concerns that it would place too much power in Microsoft’s hands. A few companies such as Citibank, eBay and Monster supported it for a while, but today, outside of Microsoft web properties, Passport is effectively dead.
However, for those of us who use Microsoft’s products (that’s most of us), it has its advantages. I can sign in to MSN Messenger, and then when I log on to read my hotmail.com or msn.com email, Messenger can pass along my credentials so that I do not have to log on again. When I register for the Microsoft webcast, the exact exchange takes place.
All of the information in the Passport account can be modified from the Passport website (http://www.passport.net/). If you do not already have a .NET Passport account, you can create one on the website.
From the .NET Passport website, click the big Signup graphic. You will be taken to a new page to fill in your information. Fill in whatever email address you would like to use, a password, and agree to the .NET Passport agreement.
Modifying an existing account
Click the button and you will be taken to the .Net Passport authentication page.
Enter your passport credentials. Notice I am using a .Net Passport account that has a gmail address. If you would like to automatically authenticate to .NET Passport sites click the check box next to “Sign me in automatically”. For various security reasons I usually leave this unchecked. If you are on a public computer such as an internet café make sure to click the check box next to “Do not remember my e-mail address for future sign-in. (Select this when using a public computer.)”
Once you have been successfully authenticated to the site you will be redirected back to the main page. Note that the , button has changed to . Click the Member Services link and you will be taken to a page where you can customize the information in your .Net Passport account.
To change the email address used in your .Net Passport account click the “I need to change this” link just below your email address. Enter a new email address and your password and click the Change button. Click back to member services to further customize your .NET Passport account.
