Can we have a list of missing members?

April 21, 2003 1:24 AM

When members disappear, I look for them on milk cartons. [more inside]
posted by Opus Dark to Feature Requests at 1:24 AM (30 comments total)

I'd rather look for them on a list.

So how about a few simple algorithms to sort and display a couple of lists?

The 'I'm Gone' list would display those names belonging to members who have posted an average of 10 comments/FPPs per month, but who have not posted anything at all for 21 consecutive days. Each name on the list would simply link to the missing member's bio page, wherein an itinerant ego might have dropped a few bread-crumbs. (Names would auto-fade from this list when the member's posting average drops below 10 per, but the names themselves would remain flagged as 'missing'.)

When a missing member posts a new comment/FPP, his/her name would magically bounce to a separate 'I'm Back' list - from which we could, again, link to his/her bio page, wherein the prodigal might grudge explanation. (Names would auto-fade from this list after 21 days.)

Bio page explanations would be voluntary, of course. (With a little extra work, a scripted bio page entry for such explanations could serve as a data marker which could be used to enable/disable a listed name's bio page link.)

No muss, little fuss.

Not highly useful, perhaps (and now that I've written this down I can think of a few reasons to crap the idea), but my self-edits usually involve 'delete all', so I'll stop thinking about it and just wait for reaction.
posted by Opus Dark at 1:25 AM on April 21, 2003

Well, I'm not going to storm the gates in favor of such a proposal, and with all due respect, I believe Matt has enough on his plate.
posted by scottymac at 1:46 AM on April 21, 2003

I like the idea, Opus, but what about members who post that they're not posting anymore? Or post stuff like: "This is the reason I don't come to Metafilter anymore." Do they get a special category? Like "Meta-here"? Or "Here -- but really, really unhappy about it"?
posted by Ljubljana at 2:59 AM on April 21, 2003

missing anyone in particular?
posted by johnny novak at 5:29 AM on April 21, 2003

poopy shows signs of having gone MIA. This is a shame.
posted by Shane at 5:38 AM on April 21, 2003

Why not just look at a particular person's posts to see if they are posting or not? Funny to think that a vacation could put a person on an MIA list.
posted by adampsyche at 5:46 AM on April 21, 2003

Mildly Inebriated, Alas?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:34 AM on April 21, 2003

or Magnificently Intoxicated, Again?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:35 AM on April 21, 2003

opus, why don't you just e-mail the names on your list.
posted by clavdivs at 8:06 AM on April 21, 2003

the user profile needs a boolean field for 'convicted sex offender'. as a community, i think we have a right to know when convicted sex offenders are amongst us. man, until that shit becomes public knowledge, i'm staying clenched around you all.
posted by quonsar at 10:01 AM on April 21, 2003

Oh quonsar... haven't you realized, I like it BETTER when you clench!
posted by jonson at 10:28 AM on April 21, 2003

It's true quonsar; when you clench, your buttocks go from merely superior to absolutely sublime, and I say that with a nearly unbroken record of staunch heterosexuality.
posted by UncleFes at 10:44 AM on April 21, 2003

I like this idea, I think just because it appeals to my list-making nature. E-mailing people I don't know to ask why they aren't posting isn't something I'd do, and even doing searches on individuals seems a little obsessive or something, but just checking a list of who hasn't been by in a while - well, it just seems like it'd be a nice thing to be able to do.

But if it's complicated to put together it isn't worth it, and as always I'm sure Matt's got better things etc etc.
posted by mdn at 11:23 AM on April 21, 2003

with a nearly unbroken record of staunch heterosexuality

tell us about the 'nearly', oh verbose yet poetic assessor of gluteal allure!
posted by quonsar at 11:27 AM on April 21, 2003

A simple solution would be a script that counted the number of a user's posts per n and categorized them as active, lurking or MIA... or what have you. I don't know how many cycles required, but it seems pretty simple, and perhaps useful for giving readers a sense of how big MetaFilter really is. 17,000 registered users doesn't say much.

verbose yet poetic assessor of gluteal allure!

You got a purdy mouth, quonsar.
posted by squirrel at 11:47 AM on April 21, 2003

Not a peep, Unc, or I'll have to bring out my false repressed memories!
posted by WolfDaddy at 11:48 AM on April 21, 2003

You got a purdy mouth, quonsar.

yeah, but you never know where it's been. :-)
posted by quonsar at 12:39 PM on April 21, 2003

Ljubljana: what about members who post that they're not posting anymore?

Well, maybe by structuring an automated, democratic pathway to hello/goodbye announcements, we could officially and finally immunize MetaTalk against those ghastly, self-obsessed Nixonian soliloquies which are, even as we speak, furtively stalking...

johnny novak:missing anyone in particular?

Possibly...there often seem to be some empty barstools scattered about the place...a list could help me to assign my anxieties...simple Weltschmerz or actual apostasy...

adampsyche:Funny to think that a vacation could put a person on an MIA list.

Yeah but, just think - a list structure would provide linkage to community-sanctioned inane tidbittery like vacation announcements - a season pass to the MeFi terrific soporific vacation slide show!

clavdivs:opus, why don't you just e-mail the names on your list.

But I don't have a list! And I'm not going to allocate neurons toward building or maintaining such a list. Most of us are just not as unforgettable as we think we are. And as for e-mailing - I think you (don't)know me better than that, clav.

mdn:I like this idea, I think just because it appeals to my list-making nature. E-mailing people I don't know to ask why they aren't posting isn't something I'd do, and even doing searches on individuals seems a little obsessive or something, but just checking a list of who hasn't been by in a while - well, it just seems like it'd be a nice thing to be able to do.

Good Lord - a soulmate.

*Runs away*
posted by Opus Dark at 1:58 PM on April 21, 2003

Drats...foiled again.

opus, you sir, are a stalwart.
posted by clavdivs at 2:20 PM on April 21, 2003

quonsar....no walmart jokes mkay...
posted by clavdivs at 2:21 PM on April 21, 2003

poopy shows signs of having gone MIA. This is a shame

look shane, a very current poopy sighting!
posted by t r a c y at 7:46 PM on April 21, 2003

I'm usually gone, so nobody misses me. But I'm back now.

Until I leave after this entry.

It's nice to know that people are concerned about the members who leave, although I might add that some would probably rather not have it noticed when they were coming and going. Two sides to every coin, I guess.
posted by readymade at 9:06 PM on April 21, 2003

I think we should actually have a little flag you could click on the Customization page that says "I'm leaving in a: (1) huff (2) noble protestation on grounds of principle (3) gradual descent into booze/pills/girlfriend" then it would just show that on your user page.
posted by Hildago at 10:36 PM on April 21, 2003

How about automatic logout of unused accounts after 30 days, reflected in a "current user" tally in addition to the total member number on the front page?

Dormant (logged out) accounts could always be reactivated and used as members return. Just a thought.
posted by hama7 at 11:56 PM on April 21, 2003

Here's an easier suggestion. I threw this together. Just toss it in your profiles and point the arrow.
posted by Shane at 8:18 AM on April 22, 2003

look shane, a very current poopy sighting!
Thanks t r a c y ! Don't you go anywhere either!
posted by Shane at 8:37 AM on April 22, 2003

How about automatic logout of unused accounts after 30 days, reflected in a "current user" tally in addition to the total member number on the front page?

I like that idea, although it might be a bit defalting to see the membership dip to double digits.
posted by timeistight at 8:38 AM on April 22, 2003

deflating, not defalting
posted by timeistight at 8:39 AM on April 22, 2003

MetaAPI?
posted by VulcanMike at 9:02 AM on April 22, 2003

Speaking as someone who HAS left MeFi on more than one occasion, only to come back and realize no one noticed, I'm an authority on the topic. When a person leaves, they should be ignored, not fretted over. Don't encourage the behavior of whiny crybabies who don't git their way.

This list idea sounds like fun on the surface, but it would only encourage the mentality of people leaving in a huff. Granted, they'd have to shut up for a month to actually get recognition. So instead of just one thread where the person leaves in a huff, there's the initial wave then the second wave 21 days later when the person actually shows up on the list and someone writes a new post saying "Wow they actually stopped posting what do we all think of that?" And then there'd be all these snarky comments every time. Then the person may or may not come back after getting all that attention.

I would think Matt, or anyone interested in making apps for MeFi, would better utilize their time creating lists that somehow encouraged more positive behavior, like lists of people who make the most thought provoking posts, or get tarred & feathered in MeTa the least. Something like that. Direct attention where it deserves it.
posted by ZachsMind at 3:59 PM on April 23, 2003