topic Re: Why 2 Log-ins? in Community Site Feedback

Why 2 Log-ins?

craggyducks — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:11:57 GMT

Why do we have two log-ins? One for our general account and one for the Community? Couldn't they be made one?

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

jab1 — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:18:59 GMT

@craggyducks No. The forum is entirely separate from your Plusnet account.

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

craggyducks — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:27:33 GMT

Thanks John.

I know they are separate, my questions was why. Anyway I googled it:

Plusnet uses separate accounts for its Community forum and your main broadband account primarily for security, technical separation, and privacy. Your main account holds sensitive personal and billing details, while the community operates on a public forum platform.

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

jab1 — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:37:18 GMT

So there you have it.

By the way, the Community Account has always had a separate login, even before it was made a public forum, back in around 2018, @craggyducks

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

Marksfish — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 18:22:20 GMT

I have my same forum username from many years back, my account username however has been different on each occasion I have come back to +Net, as you cannot re- activate an old account. Having to have the same forum login as my broadband, would mean all my threads are separate.

Mark

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

Ian06 — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 08:02:56 GMT

@Marksfish wrote:

my account username however has been different on each occasion I have come back to +Net, as you cannot re- activate an old account.

If anything needs changing that does - I now have two broadband account because of a two year absence from PlusNet broadband... seems crazy to me and confused me completely when I logged into my old account by mistake and it told me my connection was being terminated..!! Took me a few minutes to work out what was going on.

I guess none of these systems are going to get much (if any) development now that PlusNet is the "cheap" product from the BT group.

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

7up — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 21:25:02 GMT

@craggyducks wrote:

Why do we have two log-ins? One for our general account and one for the Community? Couldn't they be made one?

Years ago that was actually how it operated here - your username was your forum account too.

The snag? - Only one person in each house could use the forum.

You could always register on the forum with the same username and password I guess..

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

Mav — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:35:45 GMT

Moderator's note(s):

Thread moved from General Chat to Community Site Feedback.

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

Mav — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 02:41:57 GMT

@7up wrote:

@craggyducks wrote:

Why do we have two log-ins? One for our general account and one for the Community? Couldn't they be made one?

Years ago that was actually how it operated here - your username was your forum account too.

@7up

I've been a member of these fora since 2002 and don't remember that being the case. My forum name has always been Mav but that has never been my General Account. Perhaps you go back further than me?

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

RobPN — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:48:19 GMT

@Mav wrote:

I've been a member of these fora since 2002 and don't remember that being the case. My forum name has always been Mav but that has never been my General Account. Perhaps you go back further than me?

Casual observation @Mav , under your username to the left it says you registered 06-04-2007 ...

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

Mav — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:15:10 GMT

@RobPN

That was the date that the forum software was switched to SMF?.

Come to think of it, perhaps @7up is correct in that before the 2007 change the forum name was the same as your broadband ID?

Further reflections on the 2007 change I now recall that there was a big issue made over the fact that you could finally choose your own forum name but I think a lot of data regarding number of posts, etc. were lost?

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

RobPN — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:16:49 GMT

@Mav

ICBW, but when I joined PN for ADSL in 2002 I don't think the forum existed. ISTR it only started several years later, so perhaps that's when you joined?

I recall continuing to use Usenet for several years after (I believe) the forum started, and only joined the forum in 2013 when FTTP came to my street as the forum was the route to getting on the PN FTTP trial.

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

7up — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:43:51 GMT

@Mav wrote:

@7up wrote:

@craggyducks wrote:

Why do we have two log-ins? One for our general account and one for the Community? Couldn't they be made one?

Years ago that was actually how it operated here - your username was your forum account too.

@7up

I've been a member of these fora since 2002 and don't remember that being the case. My forum name has always been Mav but that has never been my General Account. Perhaps you go back further than me?

Ahem..

Re: Why 2 Log-ins?

7up — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:47:31 GMT

@Mav wrote:

Come to think of it, perhaps @7up is correct in that before the 2007 change the forum name was the same as your broadband ID?

Can't say conclusively one way or the other but at the time we signed up to Plusnet the account automatically linked directly to the forum with the username of the plusnet account.

The SMF forum did have the ability to change your display name but you still had to login with your actual username - and the displayname didn't really hide the account username anyway.

I did bring this up years ago when OldJim was about.. that we could only have one account on here per household and I did protest about it but it fell on deaf ears.. only for that to change years later anyway 🙄

Nobody likes to admit it, but I'm light years ahead..