Removing dead accounts

[mr x]

Roaming through the 0 posters and when they last logged in. I think it's time for some housecleaning:

http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=160" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=242" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=109" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=131" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=114" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=171" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KMcK]

I'm all for coming up with a rationale for getting rid of delinquent accounts.

[Graham.C]

tomijack was around for a month, I wonder what happened.

[mr x]

I was looking at 9 months since singing in, with no posts.

[mr x]

Well, what do we think about this?

[chalmers]

My vote is to leave them be. What is the rationale behind deleting them? A user account does not take up much space on the server. And I'm sure some people's interest in hobbies such as home brewing waxes and wanes over time, why punish them by deleting their accounts? And I see no problem with people who don't post up often (or at all) lurking and reading the forums, and not contributing until they feel comfortable, or have something to say. Posting for posting's sake does not advance the forum at all.

[mr x]

The rationale is to get a better idea of the number of active members at a glance. They can still lurk all they want. But if they haven't logged in for nine months, they aren't lurking under their account name, so why keep it around?

[LiverDance]

I'm with Chalmers on this one, a hand full of guys isn't really gonna make a different on an active member count. Some of these people could be military so I would expect them to be away for 9 months and more. I vote leave them, there not hurting anything.

[mr x]

You two are virtual hoarders.

[derek]

You two are virtual hoarders.

Add me to the list, then I'm pretty much obsessive-compulisive myself, but even to me deleting accounts that aren't being used only makes sense if they're a potential entry for hackers (which they aren't).

[mr x]

It makes more clutter as far as I am concerned. Not to mention that if you made an account @ 1:14pm on Jan 5 2011, and the last time you logged in was 1:20pm on Jan 5 2011, and you have no posts, then what is the point of having that account on record? What was the purpose of it's creation? Use it or lose it, AFAIAC. Many forums do this on a regular basis. And I think it's a good idea, but if others do not, that's fine.

[Jimmy]

I don't care what we do.. I've often thought about deleting non-active users, but haven't because of the slight chance that they may return... So I'm still on the fence and open to either option.

[mr x]

They can always re-register. If it's a 'real' account, then they have been getting my spam messages, so I think if they were interested, they would sign back in. But if they are not getting them because they are using dummy e-mail addresses, I'd prefer them gone. I would like to discourage people doing that.

[derek]

They can always re-register. If it's a 'real' account, then they have been getting my spam messages, so I think if they were interested, they would sign back in. But if they are not getting them because they are using dummy e-mail addresses, I'd prefer them gone. I would like to discourage people doing that.

Actually, that's a pretty good argument for removing them.

I've used dozens of email addresses over the years, and I hate when I go to a site and find my preferred username's been taken - when I know it's almost certainly for an account I set up years ago with an email address I can no longer use to get a password reset.

[Jimmy]

So what's the final decision on this..I'm fine with either option

[mr x]

Lots of sites do this, and I think there is a good reason(s) for it. How about we pick a couple abandoned accounts, delete them, and if somebody who hasn't logged in for over a year freaks out about us being overbearing web Nazis, we'll stop.

[Jimmy]

I've got no problem with deleting all of them, but what will our guideline be?

[Relic]

O posts in last six months....... I'd delete. just a registered lurker.

[mr x]

I'd say 0 posts and haven't logged in for 6 months.

[Jimmy]

Deal. I'll start pruning now

[Jimmy]

Ok, so I set the criteria as 0 posts, and last active September 5, 2011..It removed 28 users in total.

Oh, and I didn't have to "delete" them. They are now just "inactive". They still receive the mass messages that get sent out to everyone

[Graham.C]

Does that mean their title is changed?

[Jimmy]

Does that mean their title is changed?

It removes them from the forums so they aren't listed anymore. Essentially it is deleting them, but it leaves their account in the database should they come back.

[mr x]

There's another category of individual that I think should be tossed. People who create an account just to get the brewnoser discount:

http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=286" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's a few of them in there. Look at the joined/last visited and post count.

[KMcK]

The lack of ability to self delete may be one of then reasons for some of the deadbeats. Jimmy, have you figured out how to give people that power?

What happens to one's postings if an active account is deleted? Do they get deleted too or remain?