1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Membership Numbers

Discussion in 'Notices & Announcements' started by Ken N Louis, Nov 29, 2015.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    25,450
    Likes Received:
    45,577
    Okay, done. We're down to 584 members now.
     
    #61
    Don Alaska and John Brunner like this.
  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    May 29, 2020
    Messages:
    25,147
    Likes Received:
    36,879
    So if I read this thread correctly:

    Purge #1
    Nov 2019 Start: 945
    Nov 2019 End: 648
    Culled: 297

    Purge #2
    Feb 2021 Start: 1,081 (added 433 new accounts in just over a year)
    Apr 2021 End: 548
    Culled: 533
     
    #62
  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    25,450
    Likes Received:
    45,577
    That's probably right. This was a harder cull than the last one. In late 2019, I only culled those who 1) had never participated in forum discussions; 2) had not logged into their accounts during the past year; and 3) did not have an Avatar. This time, I culled those with avatars too and culled those without avatars who hadn't logged in during the past two months.
     
    #63
    Don Alaska likes this.
  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    May 29, 2020
    Messages:
    25,147
    Likes Received:
    36,879
    I see.

    So some of the 533 that you culled in Purge #2 would have been culled in Purge #1 had the same stringent rules been applied.

    So the culled# of the two purges might have been pretty darned close to each other.
     
    #64
  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    25,450
    Likes Received:
    45,577
    Yes. I assumed, wrongly, that if someone took the time to upload an avatar, they were probably interested in being a part of the forum so, to save time, I didn't even look at any accounts with an avatar. However, plenty of people register for an account, upload an avatar, and then never come back.

    I don't want to prohibit someone from lurking if that's what they want to do, and I don't want to delete someone's account just because they've been busy and haven't logged into the forum for a while, and I haven't, thus far, removed accounts from anyone who has posted in the forum because that would leave a post attributed to someone who no longer has an account, and I think that looks tacky. However, in some of the forums with huge membership numbers, that number simply reflects the total number of people who have ever registered for an account.
     
    #65
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2021
  6. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    25,450
    Likes Received:
    45,577
    The annual January purge didn't happen last (this) year because I was afraid of getting Covid if I got too close to member profiles. Actually, I was busy with a lot of other stuff and didn't get to it.

    However, I will be doing it this year, and I might start before January. What this means is that any registered member who has never posted, and h hasn't logged into the forum within the last year will be removed from the database. Before anyone asks, the reason that I don't remove those who haven't posted in the past seven years is that this would replace the member name on their post with GUEST and that will both look crappy and confuse people. There have been several members who have contributed some good stuff to forum discussions but have not been active here in years, but this doesn't change the fact that their posts are part of this forum.

    Anyhow, if you've posted even once, your member account will remain, so the member count will not indicate the number of active members, but this is true of every forum I have ever visited. Removing those who haven't posted will add a degree of realism to the numbers.

    I am mentioning this only because, otherwise, someone will wonder why the membership numbers are decreasing.
     
    #66
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2022
  7. Thomas Windom

    Thomas Windom Very Well-Known Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2022
    Messages:
    1,810
    Likes Received:
    3,065
    Are avatars mandatory?
     
    #67
  8. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    May 29, 2020
    Messages:
    25,147
    Likes Received:
    36,879
    No.
     
    #68
    Thomas Windom likes this.
  9. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    15,714
    Likes Received:
    30,250
    While they are not mandatory, it is preferred that you have an avatar. It can be whatever you like, and does not have to be a picture of yourself, or even of a person.
    If you click on your name at the top right corner of the forum page, it will open a little box with options for adding an avatar, signature, and setting your preferences for alerts.
    If you need help with an avatar, you can either post a picture and Ken (Admin) will set it up for you, or you can just tell us what kind of picture you want if you are unable to post a picture here for some reason, and we will find one for you.
     
    #69
    Ken Anderson likes this.
  10. Kate Ellery

    Kate Ellery Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2015
    Messages:
    37,931
    Likes Received:
    9,024
    I’ve noticed….. AT TIMES … that a member who chooses not to have an avatar is usually …..a non stayer….and I’ve been here 7 years ….

    I’ve even my my real face showing on this Christmas avatar ..yep…….it’s a few years old….. well 35 years
    but my hair has never been that long so that’s not real
     
    #70
    Ken Anderson and John Brunner like this.
  11. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    May 29, 2020
    Messages:
    25,147
    Likes Received:
    36,879
    That's interesting. I just figured that some folks are not that tech savvy.

    Joy Martin has been here for 3 1/2 years and she is sans avatar.
     
    #71
    Joanna Newton and Yvonne Smith like this.
  12. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    25,450
    Likes Received:
    45,577
    Removing the avatar is something that a lot of people do to demonstrate their discontent. For others, new members, in particular, it might be that they're simply unsure of how to upload an avatar, or don't consider it to be worth their while. In reality, the avatar is a significant point in establishing an identity and a place in the forum community. Some people don't (or no longer) want to have a place in the community, so that's why they tend not to stay long.
     
    #72
    John Brunner and Yvonne Smith like this.
  13. Admin

    Admin Forum Administrator
    Staff Member Greeter Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2015
    Messages:
    80
    Likes Received:
    405
    In the following days or weeks, you will see our membership numbers going down. This won't mean that people are leaving in droves. Rather, I will be starting the annual purge of people who have created accounts but never made a post. Member accounts of those who has never posted and haven't logged in within the past year will be deleted. Those without an avatar will be removed if they haven't posted and haven't logged in during the last six months.

    At the start of the annual purge, we have a listed membership of 922.
     
    #73
    Hedi Mitchell and Thomas Windom like this.
  14. Admin

    Admin Forum Administrator
    Staff Member Greeter Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2015
    Messages:
    80
    Likes Received:
    405
    Okay, enough for today. I've gone through the D's and we're down to 881.
     
    #74
  15. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2017
    Messages:
    9,417
    Likes Received:
    16,553
    So does that mean members like um Patsy Faye, and others will will be purged? There are quite a few who have never returned.
     
    #75

Share This Page