Mutiple accounts per email address...

[Thales]

I have a user who is still using YaBBse... unfortunately it doesn't allow multiple accounts per email address, or sub-forums... Simply put, I want to upgrade to SMF... but I need the multiple accounts and subforums... any help out there?


-fin
Thales

[Daniel D.]

I don't understand what you want!

1. It's right, that you can't use more than one account per address.
2. Why is this related to a sub-forum?
3. You can upgrade to SMF from YaBB SE, but you must upgrade the whole board. It's not possible that only one user can use a different software.
4. You didn't have the possibility of multiple accounts with YaBB SE - strange.

Please explain clearly, what you want. I don't understand a word...

[Oldiesmann]

SMF doesn't allow multiple accounts with the same email address either, and I never really have understood why this is useful. It wouldn't be too difficult to modify SMF to allow this, but this could be a security risk (anyone with access to that email address can change the password for any account that uses that address) and the "forgot password" feature would only work when searching by username.

SMF does have sub-boards, and they're extremely easy to set up.

[Louis (CSpotkill)]

Hmm ... it doesn't allow multiple accounts per email address? (Goes and checks) Odd. I guess it doesn't. But when I started using SMF after the public beta 5, I could have sworn I saw that option under Edit Features and Options. Then again, maybe that was before the Forgot Password option let you enter email addresses, or something.

[Daniel D.]

It wasn't there since YaBB Gold.

[Amacythe]

Free accounts are so easy to get, I don't see why anyone would need to use one email address to register multiple names.  Not even for a RP board.

[Thales]

YaBBse, as far as I've ever seen, does not allow sub-forums... it also doesn't allow multiple accounts per email addy... not sure what was so difficult about my post.  Perhaps, in my haste, I neglected proper grammar and spelling?  I know of the Mod that allows SMF to have sub-boards.

As for "need for multiple accounts per address", picture this, if you will:

I register at hxxp:alleria.com [nonactive], under Thales, using the email address thales[at]comidgard.com.  Well, Thales becomes embroiled in some Imperial intrigue, but I would still like to adventure around the lands... so... I register under Elminster, using the email address elminster[at]comidgard.com.  El ventures to the furthest reaches of the realms and sets up a shop, a lucrative little trade.  Well, I'm running Thales and El, but a new happenstance explodes in the realms, Ancient Allerians invade... a call to battle!  Once again, I need a new character to get involved, so I create Azazel, azazel[at]comidgard.com... now I've got three email forwarders... damn.  Easy for me, having PoP3 with my hosting, not an easy task for the members of my board who are stuck using Hotmail and Yahoo.

There's a scenario.

-fin
Thales

[Gray]

I'm another one who would be interested if someone was to enable this somehow. Would make things much simpler on a couple of the boards I'm on, and would allow at least one to convert over to SMF from vBB.

but this could be a security risk (anyone with access to that email address can change the password for any account that uses that address)

I don't see how this is any more of a security risk with multiple accounts on the address, than it is with a single account on the address. If they have access to the email account, they can change the password to the single account as well. Either way you're still reliant on the user keeping their email account secure.

Free accounts are so easy to get, I don't see why anyone would need to use one email address to register multiple names.  Not even for a RP board.

Hassle factor, to put it simply. It simplifies things greatly if a single email address can be used for multiple accounts.

[Daniel D.]

Hassle factor, to put it simply. It simplifies things greatly if a single email address can be used for multiple accounts.

Can you explain this for me? It makes no sense for me...

[Oldiesmann]

I'm another one who would be interested if someone was to enable this somehow. Would make things much simpler on a couple of the boards I'm on, and would allow at least one to convert over to SMF from vBB.

but this could be a security risk (anyone with access to that email address can change the password for any account that uses that address)

I don't see how this is any more of a security risk with multiple accounts on the address, than it is with a single account on the address. If they have access to the email account, they can change the password to the single account as well. Either way you're still reliant on the user keeping their email account secure.

It's a security risk because it lets them change the password for other peoples' accounts without that other person having any knowledge of it. I still don't understand why they can't get an account at one of the many free email sites out there (hotmail.com, yahoo.com, mail.com, hotpop.com, etc.).

[Louis (CSpotkill)]

It's a security risk because it lets them change the password for other peoples' accounts without that other person having any knowledge of it. I still don't understand why they can't get an account at one of the many free email sites out there (hotmail.com, yahoo.com, mail.com, hotpop.com, etc.).

So the answer's obvious - when you enable this feature, require people to enter a secret question/answer before they can change the account password.

[Thales]

It is a hassle to have to handle 14 hotmail inboxes, you could spend your day checking everyone of them just so you could have multiple accounts on a forum...


-fin
Thales

[Louis (CSpotkill)]

And people might be tempted to use something like www.mailinator.com to get past any activation, with some long, random email address alias that they keep private, maybe with a secret question/answer for extra protection. (Actually, that sounds like a great workaround, lol. Maybe I should try that sometime.)

[[Unknown]]

Jack was writing a mod like this, if I remember right... I think it's not really something for a default feature, personally.

-[Unknown]

[TXSherry]

Hassle factor, to put it simply. It simplifies things greatly if a single email address can be used for multiple accounts.

Can you explain this for me? It makes no sense for me...

I know many married couples who have one shared email address (and don't care to get a free account).   In those cases, if they were to both have "accounts" on an smf, they actually couldn't... they would share ONE account.  And both post on that one account. etc. 

Does that explain it?

I already had a situation where I made a forwarder for one of my members so she could have a sep. forum account.  But it is going to be a huge hassle to do this over and over for the other shared.

It's also unreasonable to require people to change their email habits (and jump into the middle of their marriages as it were) to suit the forum's requirements.

sabes?   

--Sherry

[rotinhellorg]

I guess this never happened?

[WolfMan_TC]

There was someone working on a Mod that allowed the association of multiple personas to a single user which is similar to what is being mentioned here.

Last I saw that mod was in Beta testing, but I'd be interested either in that mod or in something along the lines mentioned here.

Either way, whether I have mutiple personas to a single user, or multiple accounts to a single email, either would work (although the latter would be more irritating having to logout and log in as the alternate user...)...

I second the last question, has anything happened with this thought?

WolfMan_TC

[ribman]

SMF doesn't allow multiple accounts with the same email address either, and I never really have understood why this is useful. It wouldn't be too difficult to modify SMF to allow this, but this could be a security risk (anyone with access to that email address can change the password for any account that uses that address) and the "forgot password" feature would only work when searching by username.

SMF does have sub-boards, and they're extremely easy to set up.

In the real world I would not see a reason for it either. But I am tring to test this forum software and I need to set up multiple test users to see if the SMF permissioning is going to do the job that I need it to do.
Is there a way to register a set of test users for this purpose? Or is there a work around?

[[Unknown]]

If you create members from the admin center, you can use a fake email address (as long as it looks valid.)

-[Unknown]

[ribman]

Thanks for the advise.