Has anyone wondered ?

[rhino 2]

Has anyone else ever wondered when an old Thread is re-vised and you go back to the first post and see the names of people that haven't posted in years ' And then like me wonder what ever happened to them.. i.e.; Stoped riding ' Age caught up to them?? ETC-ETC...??
I was just looking at one today.
''Trikes in a MC club'' That was Re-vised by Burnerboy...

[ol' school]

Rhino, I was looking at the same thread wondering what was up with some of the contributors to the thread also.

It just caught my eye that there was a new reply to such an old thread that got me looking at it to start with.

[MarkFL]

I don't wonder much about users who had a relatively small number of posts under their belts, as their "root system" in the site likely wasn't very deep, but it does give you pause when you see users who made hundreds or even thousands of posts who just disappeared with no explanation found anywhere. Normally when you spend a good deal of time at a site, making posts, you develop friendships over the course of your time there, and to leave those folks wondering isn't the kind of thing most people would do in "real life" associations. I suppose when the collaboration is through some form of electronic medium, it's easier to just walk away for whatever reason, without feeling compelled to offer some kind of explanation or to say goodbye.

I sometimes wonder why, on most sites with which I have been associated, the majority of users who register never even post. Why make the effort to go through the registration process, and then never take part in any discussions? On some sites, this is somewhat understandable, as there may be things you can only access when you register, but I have found the same thing happens on sites where the only additional benefit you get by registering is the ability to post. It seems the days when people registered and contributed are fading away in general...most people online now seem to merely want to read a sentence, look at a pic, and then click on to the next site, never making any kind of contribution anywhere themselves.

I think one of the reasons this site is more active than most I have seen, is the users here are more mature and have something to offer in the way of life experience and know what it means to be a part of a community, unlike those who grew up with smart phones in their hands who never learned how to actually relate to other human beings, a skill we take for granted.

[consitter]

I don't wonder much about users who had a relatively small number of posts under their belts, as their "root system" in the site likely wasn't very deep, but it does give you pause when you see users who made hundreds or even thousands of posts who just disappeared with no explanation found anywhere. Normally when you spend a good deal of time at a site, making posts, you develop friendships over the course of your time there, and to leave those folks wondering isn't the kind of thing most people would do in "real life" associations. I suppose when the collaboration is through some form of electronic medium, it's easier to just walk away for whatever reason, without feeling compelled to offer some kind of explanation or to say goodbye.

I sometimes wonder why, on most sites with which I have been associated, the majority of users who register never even post. Why make the effort to go through the registration process, and then never take part in any discussions? On some sites, this is somewhat understandable, as there may be things you can only access when you register, but I have found the same thing happens on sites where the only additional benefit you get by registering is the ability to post. It seems the days when people registered and contributed are fading away in general...most people online now seem to merely want to read a sentence, look at a pic, and then click on to the next site, never making any kind of contribution anywhere themselves.

I think one of the reasons this site is more active than most I have seen, is the users here are more mature and have something to offer in the way of life experience and know what it means to be a part of a community, unlike those who grew up with smart phones in their hands who never learned how to actually relate to other human beings, a skill we take for granted.

...and then there's me...

[Catfish]

...and then there's me...

There is always the exception.

The absence of someone you are familiar or been consistently responding back and forth for some time in the forum or on a more personal level is much easier to notice their absence. Unless there has been a serious disagreement among posters the reason is probably not a good sign. I try and followup if at all possible out of concern for their well being. If I manage a contact and they are still alive and kicking I keep it to myself out of respect for them if they are still physically able, but chooses not to post about their difficulties. If the individual wanted to let everyone know his/her situation, I imagine, they'd be doing themselves if at all possible.

Attachment 41571

I am wondering if it is possible, without major difficultly, or exceeding the boundary of privacy, to code an alert for Randy when a long time or active poster all of a sudden without warning stops posting? Maybe that is something Randy doesn't want to become involved in and I can understand, if so, it could consume time he can't afford with everything he has going. If contact can be made and the poster agreed an update could be placed into a designated thread that would be great instead of wondering what happened to members. There are certainly times when life ends abruptly and very unfortunate or maybe fortunate depending on perspective. Not sure what standards for the alert would be most appropriate, but that should be decided by Administrators anyway if the decision was made to initiate. It might not be feasible with such a large and diverse community, but I'm suggesting the idea being considered anyway.

[MarkFL]

...I am wondering if it is possible, without major difficultly, or exceeding the boundary of privacy, to code an alert for Randy when a long time or active poster all of a sudden without warning stops posting?

While that wouldn't be difficult to code, vBulletin's AdminCP already has the intrinsic ability to search for users who have a certain minimum post count and who have not logged on since a certain time. For example, I was able to quickly find the 17 users here who have a post count of 1,000 posts or more and who haven't logged on since the beginning of this month.

[Sidecarbill]

Priorities change life gets in the way of havin fun. Some pass away its life death.More impersonal on the internet. Usually on some of the forums I'm on someone just asks. Some have had it and just leave, some are just lurkin, some die. I'm a little more involved than normal for me. But in my opinion personal messages shouldn't be allowed it doesn't help the group at all.

[peteg59]

All very good points above.
This year, politics has become a very divisive topic in the country.
It filters down into everyday life between family, co~workers, friends, and even "electronic" friends.

Death is another real scenario. While some on here are in touch with each other, there are those who have no contacts with any other members/posters. Therefore no way of knowing what happened to someone who was once active, but is now silent...

[frostbite51]

My son has a list of sites I frequent. I told him when I'm gone to log into my accounts, tell them he's my son, and that I've gone to ride on better roads. If he does it or not is another question...

[Marc H]

I agree with the reasons above.Another I wonder about is if they have said or done something in a section of the forum I don't usually frequent and gotten themselves banned.Obviously the would be no announcement in the general discussion are say hey we banned this person.I have seen announcements off folks passing when its known by someone on this forum.I have also looked at a few profiles to see past posts but it seems that alot aren't viewable for some reason.

[Marc H]

As for myself much as I hate to admit it I go through times when I just get down and dont post but I pretty much log in everyday and see whats up.Helps out a bit.That and after dealing with folks all day sometimes I have no intelligence left to share cause its been drained from me by others.