United3dArtists Archive

Ok guys! i have a question..

as you may see, there's a ton of new users but sadly the most never say nothing..
So there's a option to purge users that are not active for a long time..

What to you think? Delete them or not??

Maybe they should have a time limit
If not active within 1 month delete

1 month is not enough.. maybe 6 months or more..

those with 0 posts and more than 6 months should be wiped out without doubt, also those with less than 10 posts after 6 months too.

I understand the need for housekeeping, but my concern is that deleting these guys might also kick out some of the old core from the original caligari forums. If you look at the members, you'll notice that some like Norm and Tom G don't have a huge number of postings, and yet I personally wouldn't want to see them get deleted. Of course, I also have a certain level of self preservation to think of too, as I don't post all that often (I do tend to come on at least once a week to browse around and ask the occasional question). I also haven't seen Roman on here often, but I think deleting his membership in a forum dedicated for the most part to a product he created would seem a little odd. Just my 2 cents, don't mean to step on toes.

I agree you need to be careful who you delete

Sorry i forgot about Tom Jack Roman and the others
i agree with Rotcorp

I think they should be deleted since they can always easily re-register.
My feeling is a 6 Month limit. No activity in the last 6 Months---delete.
Wouldn't you rather see actual users here then drifters? I also think the
Moderator list should be updated with people that actually participate.
This site has a very liberal open door policy but dead wood should always
be trimmed.
Just my thoughts.

Tom G. hasn't responded to my emails for the last year and I have tried many different ways.
He probably is putting Caligari behind him and moving on.
Norm....does he even try to come here?
Roman DOES come here to visit.

I think the criterion for deletion should be how long it has been since a member logged in. I'd want at least 6 months before deletion.

Is it possible to automate an email to long-time-no-long-in members asking if they want to continue? I think most who aren't interested would not reply and the default could be to delete them. Maybe there are plug-ins for the forum software for that.

Some things to consider:

• Some are important like Roman. Even if activity is very rare they should not be deleted.
• Some are inactive for long periods but then return. Do we really want Butterpaw, Tahnoak, or Mr.3D to have to re-register?
• Some are readers who don't post but do benefit from reading the posts. Non-members can read but if someone logs in occasionally then he should not be deleted. I log in when I just want to read so I can use View New Posts.
• Deleted people can re-register if they are still interested.
• If a deleted member who has posted re-registers can admin/moderators assign his former posts to his new account? Can they otherwise restore his previous account?
• Do deleted members posts remain in the forum? We don't want to lose valuable info. from those who did, but no longer, post.
• Deleted members should be notified so they can re-register if they are still interested.
• Some formerly active members may be using non-TS software now and aren't aware that U3DA isn't just for TS. Inform them that they are welcome here.

Steinie wrote:I also think the Moderator list should be updated with people that actually participate.

Who are the moderators? Prodigy and Steinie. Anyone else?

Leonregis wrote: "those with 0 posts and more than 6 months should be wiped out without doubt, also those with less than 10 posts after 6 months too."
i am afraid and against all politic of numbers. Is 10 bad post more important than one very good post?

1 - If you want to delete one member, delete all his post: if you want to keep his post then keep this member even if he is not on the forum since a year. May be he have problems and i am sure he could not appreciate to be deleted because he have not the quota of post to have the right to be here.
2- NEVER delete a member who help the forum with a donation even after several years of inactivity.
3- If you want to delete some members, i don't like the idea to keep "important" people if they have not the "quota" and change the name "United3dArtists" to "VIP3dArtists". The rules would be the same for all.
4- I would not to be re-register if i was deleted without a notification and i would like to have the right to erase all my post before. Maybe that point is the most important before to do a rule. Delete a member and keep his work would be a very bad idea!

OK how about the users that joined over a year ago and have never posted or visited since they joined?
What do you do with them?

Example:
BarbarianHamster
Joined May 27 2009 5:06 AM
Last Visited May 27 2009 5:09 AM
Total Post 0

Does this person visit, submit or even come back? NO
We have lots of examples just like this one.
Should we notify this user that they will be deleted? Do you see one ounce
of interest after they joined?

Is it a technical problem to have more than 500 members or just your personal feeling?

You could send a message to these members like "please refresh your account or it will be deleted in 4 weeks" - or something similar. If this is to difficult - in technical way - leave it as it is.

I have an email account which I never use; I got an email from the provider indicating the email account would be deleted
if I do not sign in with ##days. The email pointed out the account had been inactive for 6 months. So I had a chance (14 days, or 30 days) to sign in, to reactivate it.

I think that's a good idea. If someone is not interested in reactivating, then they have had their chance to do it, after that grace period has expired.

@ Steinie:
327 members have 0 post. Do you want to erase them?
Most of the rest have less 10 post. do you want to erase them?
They do nothing, ok but maybe that help new interesting people to try the forum (because the number of members) and become active member. After trying the forum they know how many real active members there are but it is not a problem if they find the forum interesting. If whith 10 new members we have 1 active member, it is a good thing.

Some do have a point that it is no harm to have the inactive members so why delete them?

The Caligari forums had an "active members" thing in the stats so people could easily see the real level of activity vs. the quadrillion members.

I'm for deleting members who haven't logged on for a long time if they are given prior notice so they have a chance to continue. Automating that would be great.

The important people I was referring to would be very few. Roman and Prodigy for example. Otherwise Marcel has a good point. We don't need to be a VIP club or have an elitist attitude. One big happy 3D family, that's us.

I not for deleting any posts do to a member being deleted unless it is at the request of that member. You won't burn all of some writer's books because he dies. Posts should only be deleted by the member, or on his orders, or by a moderator for bad behavior (spam, illegal, etc.)

I have another question - why do they register and then stay silent?
There is no point to register if you don't plan to post anything as this forum is equally readable without any login.

So, in short, why don't these guys post and can we do anything to make them post?
I would love to have more posts - I think this forum is getting a bit slow and loosing momentum...

well another question is, is it worth the effort to delete the inactive users?
I'd rather be modelling and scripting than piddling around with contacting
inactive users (if it were me that is)

The inactive user count doesn't seem to be large enough to worry about right now. The users accounts don't occupy much disk. If they don't visit the site then they don't really consume resources there either.

The only names to delete for sure would be any user account associated with spam.

Many in the califorums were lurkers of the highest degree.

If you really want to set a policy then 0 posts after 1 year might make sense. Keep the posts of those who are deleted unless they are spam.

If I croak I seriously doubt that my wife will send out emails to everyone but I would like my posts to stay somewhere where they might help someone in the future. If nothing else keeping posts of deleted users will keep the continuity of some conversations intact.

my 2 cents ... hth

Not sure it if has been mentioned, but perhaps sending them an e-mail first to ask if they still want the account would be better if you really want to clean up.

I don't post a lot or regularly but I do come back again and again.

If there is not "space issues" though, leave them there and send a notification to remind them they have an account, they might come back and many might be 'active' lurkers just reading and not posting, I did that for years on Califorum before I became active...

I think that if it comes down to needing to clear out old accounts, I agree with the idea of sending out a couple warnings first that the account has been dormant and will be deleted, and if they reply to the email the account will get a reprieve. That seems to be a fair compromise. Just give enough time for them to respond... say, if no reply sent in a month after the warning email, then the account gets removed. Though I'm not thrilled with the idea of removing anyone, I also understand that we're getting this forum for free and, as such, sacrifices may need to be made.

Hi fellows, I want to second marcels opinion.

I thought membership is on a fully voluntary base: help, or being helped in using 3D-Apps. TS-newbies might have questions or not, maybe their questions can be solved solely by reading.

Who is it then to judge members importance? Will the original intend of this community stay alive, or is it already gone?

To be true, I don't want to be forced posting every 6 month. As far as I remember, I learned a lot by reading only (w/o login), but a 100% of my posts were help for others and if deleted, I'm not to peg for the permits for helping others further on, sorry. And as I'm accidentially one handed now and will be still for some time, I've got to end, 'cause it takes terribly long writing only shorties.

-BM.

Delete them if it's make forums web page load faster.

Keep them if it's not make this page load faster.

One good thing from all of this it that the forum
is alive again.
or everyone has woken up from there winter sleep

Finis wrote:I think the criterion for deletion should be how long it has been since a member logged in. I'd want at least 6 months before deletion.

I agree with this. I have yet been able to accomplish much of anything to my liking with Truespace. Since I can do little I haven't much to contribute to ths folks here other than oooh and aaahh and others' accomplishments (Marcel's latest chapter for example). However, I have contributed to the site's maintenance and check this site a couple of times a day to watch and learn.
So I consider myself an active member and would prefer to not be dropped because I do not generate or participate in a lot of threads.
-D

I think many users here are confusing what we are asking. We want to delete the user who joined here but never posted, never submitted, never returned. They haven't even come here to read the post.

Most of you are describing users that join and visit. (some may even post) I don't think Prodigy is talking about those members.

Please look at my example again so you are clear of what is being asked.

I agree with "never posted, never submitted and never returned." only for that. Not for a time limit as some members said.
But how to know if an inactive member don't see the forum? We can see the forum without login.

For what little bit this may matter, I have been deleted from boards before for inactivity. I did not think anything about it when I went on to sign in 6 months or a year later. Some other boards keep you forever it seems, I still have my 3DBuzz account, I bet I visit there 1-2 times per year, if that. Same for Renderosity.

If you feel the need, put a little policy post on the front page, or a link to it so that people can find out what is going on if they choose.

Rich

marcel wrote:I agree with "never posted, never submitted and never returned." only for that.

I agree with marcel. If they've never posted and simply disappeared as soon as they registered, never coming back, then it's reasonable to delete them after 6 months or a year. But given that the forum activity level isn't all that high to begin with, deleting anyone who has posted does not seem reasonable to me.

(For what it's worth, while I haven't had much to say of late, I do still lurk and read here regularly. Hi! )

Unless, its really a pain.... Let them Be...

Close your eyes, then they all disappear.

I'm the one not so active for the moment at the community. I have no time to work with TS as I would to do. It's sad that there are so few of the members who are sending posts to this forum. A handful members.

If there is a member with like 3 posts it's important to encourage the member to continue to post. We have to be openminded and encourage the member to post more. We all have to do this.

My relaxing after work is to go into tscommunity to read all the good things you are posting and read it. Sometimes I comment and most of the time not. Lot's of your knowledege which I can use in the future.

If a listed member not visit the community I think it's OK to delete them if they are not visiting the community reguraly (like 6 or better 12 months(when I think they are out)). We have to be as many as possible to have TS going on.

That's all from me. Now I'm going to my second community: https://www.ravelry.com/account/login" .

nice forum