Abandoned Usernames

December 18, 2003 8:43 AM

How many of the 17,173 MeFi users actually use the site? Assuming the answer is not 100%, is it possible to determine if/when a user profile has been abandoned? And then offer those abandoned profiles to new users?
posted by o2b to Feature Requests at 8:43 AM (23 comments total)

With the advent (and apparent success) of Ask MetaFilter, I feel like it is increasingly important to keep fresh voices coming.

Perhaps this is a way to do that without crossing the line Matt has set for himself to keep his costs/efforts manageable.
posted by o2b at 8:48 AM on December 18, 2003

This suggestion comes up quite regularly. Have a look here (and below) for a discussion along the same lines. I am sure there are more concise summaries available elsewhere in the archives, but this was the first that I found.

Also, you may be interested in this thread where mathowie announced his plan for managing a controlled flow of new blood.
posted by urban greeting at 9:14 AM on December 18, 2003

Yeah, whatever happened to that plan? Is it happening? Was it scrapped? Altered? Delayed? I mean, I remember him saying it was gonna be delayed a few days, but then what? Anybody?
posted by soyjoy at 9:32 AM on December 18, 2003

With the advent (and apparent success) of Ask MetaFilter, I feel like it is increasingly important to keep fresh voices coming.

Ask.Mefi has had me go the opposite way. It seems to have encouraged many people who have been members for a while but infrequent contributors to delurk and start making more contributions.
I'd be interested to see how Ask has impacted on posts to the Blue though, and if these drop off then maybe more members are needed.
posted by biffa at 9:49 AM on December 18, 2003

Did you not see the last 10 MeTa posts on this topic?
posted by me3dia at 9:54 AM on December 18, 2003

From a cost and resources viewpoint, there's no benefit in freeing up inactive old accounts to new members compared to simply re-opening the site for new users. The burden on hardware, software and mathowie's time is the same.
posted by normy at 10:04 AM on December 18, 2003

I haven't finished the new user stuff, but will by the end of the year (hopefully). I have to say that the only reason I like most of ask metafilter is because there is a lack of new voices -- I'm not getting advice or feedback from complete strangers, they are people with a history and a past I can quickly look up to see if their advice is trustworthy.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:11 AM on December 18, 2003

Do you really check posting history to determine credibility? That seems like an awful lot of work to me. I look at a post or answer. If it seems reasonable, then I assume it's reasonable. I guess I could get caught out in that way by a blowhard who sounds confident when they don't know jack all about the topic, but don't you just get a sense for what's real and what's not?

But then, I'm constantly amazed (A. M. A. Z. E. D.) that people (lots of people it would seem) think the problem with new users is that user numbers are finite. So, what do I know about judging people?
posted by willnot at 10:22 AM on December 18, 2003

Well, the panic over running out of user numbers is one of the more amusing in-jokes in which we're drowning here, not to mention unused accounts themselves.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:30 AM on December 18, 2003

Wait, so there are numbers after 18,000?

I have so much to learn.

Let's not forget that there are other benefits to being a member here besides being able to post. I'm willing to bet that there are members who don't post, but instead use their accounts to be able to see the # of new comments on the front page. I know that when I'm in a non posting mood (which has happened on occasion) I still read the site and check for new comments in interesting threads.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:31 AM on December 18, 2003

Right, I signed up and lurked like that for over a year. The new posts/ new comments feature is handy for addicts.
posted by furiousthought at 11:06 AM on December 18, 2003

Geez, I forgot I created this account. Those were the days, when you could create a new user account at whim, only to make a half-assed joke...
posted by Drowning In In-Jokes at 11:27 AM on December 18, 2003

That's a terrible thing to do.
posted by goosestepping poxi! at 11:35 AM on December 18, 2003

Do you really check posting history to determine credibility?

Probably a good idea. You might think you "just get a sense for what's real and what's not," but you really can't tell. I saw a post on AskMeFi asking about a cartoon, which turned out to be in Arabic, and somebody announced authoritatively "It's Farsi." I don't know why somebody who obviously had no idea what they were talking about would make a statement like that, but since people do, it behooves the Seeker After Truth to be wary.
posted by languagehat at 11:56 AM on December 18, 2003

Noticed new posters in the blue lately yet there account are not "new". Has askfilter brought them out, or have these accounts been e-bay'd.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:05 PM on December 18, 2003

Free up inactive accounts? And pollute my beloved pre-10k-ness with some newbie? The horror!
posted by mkultra at 12:17 PM on December 18, 2003

Matt, your desire to have a known population of respondants is very well taken. My desire to keep fresh voices coming is simply to provide more content: questions and answers.

Ask MeFi has the potential to become an indespensable repository of information, and my view is the more the merrier.
posted by o2b at 12:24 PM on December 18, 2003

Actually, I came across (what was until just now) Drowning In In-Jokes' only comment just this morning, as I was poking around some of the old cult threads. I made a note of the user number, thinking "I'll probably be able to use this nicely for a snide comment someday," having no idea that "someday" would end up being "this afternoon".
posted by DrJohnEvans at 1:16 PM on December 18, 2003

they are people with a history and a past I can quickly look up to see if their advice is trustworthy.

Trust nothing I say!

Also, consistency of identity is a keystone here, as has been discussed before. But if the abandoned username was one that had never posted, I could see o2b's proposal being a reasonable one, actually.

I'd auction 'em off on ebay, and use the proceeds to buy some stonkin' hardware to keep the site(s) percolating for a good long time. Or for college scholarships, as we did once before, kinda. Or for a worthy charity. Or to buy me some beer. Or....
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:22 PM on December 18, 2003

That should be nothing I say. Heh.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:28 PM on December 18, 2003

i can't beleive this has been asked AGAIN.
posted by quonsar at 9:48 AM on December 19, 2003

and again and again and again ...
posted by dg at 3:25 AM on December 20, 2003

I see no compelling reason to chuck users just because they rather read than respond. I know there have been times where I have not commented here in months and it would have sucked to lose the account and the ability to see new posted items. Plus, if it was during a time new memberships were disabled...ugh.
posted by john at 1:59 PM on December 21, 2003