Login and status issue

[Account Closed]

To all,

The following is a bit long as the details may impact the situation. Please read to the end so we can compare details.

I know that you need to login more than once depending on what you want to do. While slightly annoying I am fine with it. I cannot quite figure out what the right order is so I just go along with the prompts.

Today I had a different but related issue.

I was reading some new messages in my inbox. I then when to the forum by following an ID for a user to their posts so I could see what they were writing. They had a specific question so I needed to get up to speed on prior discussions.

A bit later (never having logged out) I clicked on the forum button. I get the first page with the list of all the forums.

The display groups 4 or so forums at the top and then the other forums start. I opened a new tab for each of the forums in the first group that shows as having new activity since I last logged in.

I went to each tab, read the threads with new discussions, commented on a few, etc. At some point I wanted to view an individual's profile. I was prompted to login again. Remember that I had already read my inbox and created a note so I was pretty sure I was logged in. I know that I was logged into the forum as I had posted a reply.

I continued after the login.

When I was done reading all the threads that were new in the 3-4 forums I went back to the main page. I refreshed so I could see what forums has new activities. When the refresh was finished all the forums showed as having no new activity. I know there were a few with new activity that I never visited so what happened?

In the old system there was a problem with how state was captured. This meant that a person is assumed to have seen everything based on login time and not based on actually reading new threads. It appears the new system uses the same model. Maybe because the forum side of the house has not changed. What is going on with the login process? The behavior is inconsistent. Yesterday there was no problem while today there is. Likely I am taking a slightly different path but I can not put my finger on exactly what was different.

Can we get a technical description for what is going on and how best to avoid it?

Anyone else having a similar issue? As a work around what works consistently for you as a user?