Invisible members?

Discussion in 'Forum Announcements and Feedback' started by Sundrop, Sep 13, 2016.

  1. Sundrop

    Sundrop Well-Known Member

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    Sorry for taking this shortcut by asking a question instead of trying to find out myself.

    I just got intrigued by the statistics shown below my avatar. I see one member listed (myself) but the statistics says there are two (2) currently on line. Are there any invisible members on this forum, and if so why they would care to be invisible?

    invisible_members.jpg
     
  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Under Preferences (when you click your name in the upper right), under Privacy, you can opt to show your online status or not. I assume that "show" is the default. When your status shows and you are online, you get a green dog-ear on the upper left corner of your avatar. I don't know if the hidden people get a red dog-ear to mean not displayed, or no dog-ear. [Edited] Maybe only moderators see the red dog-ear, if there is one. In the old system, some symbol was red for people whose status did not display to the public.

    Someone who does not want his or her status known would have to answer why the preference for invisibility. I'm sure some people think it's just none of your business whether they're home and on their computer.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2016
  3. thanrose

    thanrose Active Member 10 Years

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    I haven't explored this on this forum, but I've used it elsewhere. Most people will not care, but some just don't want to be identified as being online. Lots of reasons. Maybe one doesn't want others to wait for a response, or to attempt a back and forth, or second guess what forum presence may mean. I might get distracted and remain online in this forum when I'm actually tending to other matters, but since this isn't a social forum I don't think anyone cares. I do sometimes note who or how many are online in very general terms. I might think that one of you BC people are up very late, or be somewhat surprised that a large number of bots are checking out stuff. It's mostly irrelevant. Even though I'm responding within an hour of your post, I don't recall what those stats were when I checked in.

    Sometimes you may notice that there's an invisible person, and then a named contributor posts a new message or response. That's about the only way people who are not moderators would be able to determine who the invisible people are.

    When I did make use of that feature elsewhere it was because there was a chat function I would not use, and there were people who wanted to note or comment on nearly everything I wrote. I use a pseudonym and no avatar for a reason. I don't want people searching for me. Privacy is often a reason people are 'invisible'.
     
  4. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I've always wondered whether when I shut down my browser, the system knows that I'm offline, or if I don't log out, does it think I'm always online.
     
  5. thanrose

    thanrose Active Member 10 Years

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    I doubt it's a matter of simply being logged in. We would see lots more members online now who do not have a screen but just forgot to log out. I don't notice you being online all the time, but only in hours that make sense for BC or PNW. I tend to notice if you or a few others are online when I am. Just because I'm thinking, "Oh, did tipularia see this?" or "Wendy's cherry blossoms!"
     
  6. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    I'm guessing this is how it works: There's a timer on the server side to keep track of user inactivity. Once a set time has expired the client is automatically logged off and removed from the active user list and count. The next time the user initiates activity on the site, he/she is automatically logged in if 'Stay logged in' was selected when first logging onto the site. Otherwise the user has to log in again.
     
  7. Sundrop

    Sundrop Well-Known Member

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    Thanks Wendy.
     

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