VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management
How to Register a Geek University Account
Learn how to create a Geek University account, complete account and profile fields, choose visibility settings, pass CAPTCHA verification, and fix common registration errors.
Registering creates a Geek University member account. An account lets you sign in and use community or platform features. The registration form usually contains both login credentials and profile information.
Login credentials identify and protect your account: your username, email address, password, and password confirmation. Profile information is member-facing information associated with the account, such as your name, location, and personal description.
Before You Register
- Have access to a valid email inbox that can receive account-related messages.
- Choose a username that is unique and appropriate for a member account.
- Prepare a strong password and be ready to type it twice.
- Decide which optional profile information you want to share.
- Understand that some profile fields may be visible to everyone or to all registered members.
Account Details
Username
Username is the required account identifier you choose during registration. It may be used when you sign in or when other members identify your account. If the username is already in use, choose another unique username.
Email Address
The email address is required and becomes a contact address associated with your account. Use an address you can access and check. Enter it carefully, without accidental spaces, because account-related messages may be sent there.
Password and Confirm Password
A password is a secret credential that protects account access. Choose a password that is difficult for others to guess and do not share it.
Confirm password is a second entry of the same password. It helps detect typing mistakes before the account is created. The two entries must match exactly, including capitalization, numbers, and symbols.
Profile Details
Your profile contains member-facing information associated with your account. Profile fields are different from login credentials: they describe you, while credentials authenticate you.
Name
The name field is required. Enter the name you want associated with your member profile, then review its visibility before submitting the form.
Location
Location is optional. Add it only if you are comfortable sharing it with the audience selected for that field. Avoid entering a precise address or other sensitive location information.
About You
The optional about you field is a biography or personal description. Keep the description suitable for the selected audience and avoid including private information that you would not want other members or visitors to see.
Registration Fields and Requirements
| Field | Purpose | Required or Optional | Visibility Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Username | Identifies the account. | Required | May be associated with your public member identity. |
| Email address | Provides a contact address and may support account access. | Required | Check the platform's displayed privacy treatment before submitting. |
| Password | Protects account access. | Required | Keep it secret; it is not profile information. |
| Confirm password | Checks that the password was typed correctly. | Required | Keep it secret; it is not profile information. |
| Name | Provides the required profile name. | Required | May be set to visible to Everyone. |
| Location | Describes an optional location. | Optional | May be visible to All Members or another displayed audience. |
| About you | Provides an optional personal description. | Optional | May be visible to All Members or another displayed audience. |
| CAPTCHA code | Verifies that the registration attempt is being made by a human. | Required for verification | Not a profile field. |
Profile Visibility Controls
Visibility is the setting that determines which people can view a particular profile field. Each field can have its own audience, so do not assume that all profile information has the same visibility.
- Everyone means any visitor or user covered by the platform's access rules may be able to view the field. A name marked visible to everyone should be treated as public.
- All Members limits visibility to registered members. This is narrower than Everyone, but it still includes people you may not know.
Review the audience shown beside each profile field. A name can be visible to everyone, while location and the about-you description can be limited to all members. Avoid sensitive details in either audience, and use member-only visibility where available for information intended only for registered members.
CAPTCHA Verification
A CAPTCHA is a human-verification challenge intended to reduce automated registrations. Enter the displayed verification code accurately in the CAPTCHA field.
Read each character carefully, including capitalization if the challenge requires it. If the code is difficult to read, use the challenge's refresh option to request a new code, if available, and enter the replacement. If the code is rejected, recheck the characters and submit again.
How to Complete Registration
- Enter a unique username.
- Enter an accessible, valid email address.
- Choose a strong password and enter it in the password field.
- Type the same password in the confirm-password field.
- Enter the required name.
- Optionally enter a location and a short about-you description.
- Review the visibility audience beside every profile field, especially the name field marked visible to everyone.
- Enter the displayed CAPTCHA code.
- Review the form for missing or inaccurate information.
- Submit the form.
All required fields must be complete and valid before registration can succeed. After submitting, review any confirmation or validation message and verify that the submitted information is accurate.
Common Registration Problems
| Problem | Likely Cause | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Username cannot be used | The username is already taken or does not meet the form's requirements. | Choose a different unique username and submit again. |
| Email address is rejected | The address has invalid formatting, accidental spaces, or is not a valid address. | Check the format, remove spaces, and enter an accessible valid email address. |
| Passwords do not match | The password and confirmation differ in capitalization, symbols, or other characters. | Retype both entries carefully so they are exactly identical. |
| Required profile information is missing | A required field, such as name, was left empty. | Check username, email, password, password confirmation, and name, then complete the empty required field. |
| CAPTCHA verification fails | The displayed code was entered incorrectly or is difficult to read. | Enter the code again carefully or refresh the challenge and retry. |
Correcting Form-Validation Errors
Form validation checks whether the submitted values meet the registration requirements. An error message normally identifies the affected field. Correct that field rather than changing unrelated information, then resubmit the form.
Missing Required Field
Check the username, email address, password, confirm-password, and name fields. Complete any empty required field. Optional location and about-you fields can remain blank.
Password Mismatch
Compare both password entries, then re-enter them exactly. Check capitalization, symbols, keyboard layout, and accidental spaces. If necessary, retype both fields instead of editing only one.
Invalid Email
Check that the address has the expected format, remove leading or trailing spaces, and use an email inbox you can access. Do not substitute a placeholder address if account messages must be received.
Unavailable Username
Select a different username. Adding a meaningful number or combining words can help create a unique identifier, provided the result follows the form's rules.
Rejected CAPTCHA
Compare your entry with the displayed code and try again. If the challenge is hard to read, refresh it when that option is available and enter the new code.
Example: A Complete Account
A prospective member chooses a unique username, enters an email address that can receive messages, and types the same strong password in both password fields. They provide the required name, leave location blank, and add a short personal description. Before submitting, they check that the name's audience is acceptable, choose member-only visibility for profile details where available, enter the CAPTCHA code, and review the form.
Example: Protecting Personal Privacy
Do not place sensitive information in the location or about-you fields. Check whether the name is visible to everyone before submitting it. If a field is intended only for registered members, select All Members where that option is available, while remembering that member-only information can still be seen by many people.
Key Terms
- Username: A required account identifier selected during registration.
- Email address: A required contact address associated with the account.
- Password: A secret credential used to protect account access.
- Confirm password: A second password entry used to verify that the chosen password was typed correctly.
- Profile: Member-facing information associated with an account, such as name, location, and a personal description.
- Visibility: A setting that determines which people can view a profile field.
- Everyone: A visibility audience that includes any visitor or user, depending on platform access rules.
- All Members: A visibility audience limited to registered members.
- CAPTCHA: A human-verification challenge intended to reduce automated registrations.