Users Online Today

[Enchant]

While surfing through GOAYB and rating boards, I came across something interesting. One of the forums that I was looking at, had a huge list of online users in the last 24 hours. Yet, when I looked at the member count and posting count, something was off. Being curious in nature, I decided to have a closer look and realized that many of the users on the "Users Online Today" list were actually bogus accounts. Then I got to thinking how it would make for interesting discussion here on D:YP. Previously it was not a default code but a specialized one. Just recently with the new version has "Users Online Today" has been set as a default.

Do you find that "Users Online Today" benefits your forum? In what ways? Are you one of the people who use a special code to make it appear like your forum is more active then it really is... such as false members? I am not judging, I am curiuos as to how it is actually working for you.

I personally, like the "Users Online Today" in the infocenter. It lets me know at first glance who has logged in and who hasn't within the last 24 hours. Unfortunately, I know for a fact that it doesn't always post everyone. I have a couple of members, for what ever reason do not show up in the "Users Online Today" area...but have been logged in. So there is some flaws. But all in all, it works for me...what about you?

[kelendria]

I don't use it and never have.
I personally find it a nuisance & used to go on a forum that always had hundreds & I had to scroll past all that to log in.
I'm glad there will be a new feature to hide it if you want.
I've never really had a huge amount of people online anyway to warrant it.

[rachellevine]

Agree I felt that it wasn't nessarry for what I use the forum for. I can understand why it's there, but I personally don't use it at all.

[HorrorLegend]

I personally dont like it. I know if someone has logged on cause they post. The memebrs I have on my site are currently active and I hope it stays that way, but i dont need something in the info center to tell me who has logged on.
Also, if i really want to know if someone has loged on I will jsut check their profile.

And about the "bogges accounts". I have never done that, and never plan on it.

[Enchant]

Feb 24, 2008 6:44:56 GMT -8 rachellevine said:

Agree I felt that it wasn't nessarry for what I use the forum for. I can understand why it's there, but I personally don't use it at all.

Please make sure when you join in discussion here, that you post at least 4 sentences. Perhaps clarify your comments or produce some personal experience that makes you feel that way:) It makes for a more productive discussion. Thank you

For me I like it, I have primarily closed boards to the public so any potential members don't have any idea if my forum is active or not...so It allowes them to see that it does have active members that are logging in. Not to mention it lets me know who is logging in without the inconvience of searching all the profiles and threads. I also think that it is good that an option of removing it is available to the members as well...although I personally do not provide that option as I have a customized infocenter.

[Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti]

I like it to a point. But sometimes I wonder really whats the point of seeing whos been on in the last 24 hours.Is it really gonna make a difference? But the part I like is if you have your boards closed to the visitors then they can see that your board is active at least by seeing how many members logged in in the past 24 hours.
I would never use anything to show I have false members.Thats just lame to me. If noone wants to join the fun we're having then oh well its their loss really. The members I have are having fun as is.

[Stinky666]

Feb 23, 2008 13:30:59 GMT -8 Enchant said:

Unfortunately, I know for a fact that it doesn't always post everyone. I have a couple of members, for what ever reason do not show up in the "Users Online Today" area...but have been logged in. So there is some flaws. But all in all, it works for me...what about you?

Maybe those members are set as invisible...?

---

Although server 44 has yet to be upgraded to v4.5, - so I don't have this feature yet - personally I don't like it.
I don't really have any reasons for disliking it other than with it, it's just a popularity contest. Even if a forum has 100 real members that have logged in within the past 24hrs, that isn't to say that they have all at least made 1 post each. And Im the kind of person who would rather have 10 people login and all post a few times, rather than 100 people login, and not post.

For me, the most important thing is just that, people posting. Not how many many members you have overall and how many of those login.

I think I prefer this because that's what I look for in a forum (aswell as design and content) when searching.

[HoudiniDerek]

To me, it is the only code acceptable to add to the Info Center. As most people know, I prefer the Classic Info Center, or the default one. I am not sure how I feel though about it being forced onto every server, but that is not something that will keep me up at nights.

On the couple of forums I am on that do use it, it is nice to see what old faces might have popped in to look around, especially if they don't post. On one site, this guy had not been around for ages and had logged in. I PMed him a welcome and he began posting again. I think they can be beneficial, but it is sad that people use it to try and trick others into joining as Enchant mentioned in her first post.

[Skybird14]

I can see the use on a bigger forum if you want to see who has visited that day but I wouldn't use it on any of my boards. Mainly because I run small communities and I've got a pretty good idea who visits and how often.

I do however moderate a larger community of over 800 members and it has it's uses there as it helps you see at a glance whether you've had any of your regular spammers or 'difficult' people online that day. You'll then know to keep your eyes open for anything that requires your attention.

[Kami]

I don't use it. ^_^ I've two forums that were converted and once that was done I immediately switched it off. I personally don't care who's been online in the past 24 hours; I care who's currently online (it might be someone I'd like to speak with), and who posts. I think it's a bit of a waste, really, if you want to know if someone's been online in the past day, go to their profile and look, it's really not that hard.

I see some benefits to it, but it's not an addition that I care for... but, like HD said, it doesn't keep me up at night.

[kreesta]

Personally, I wouldn't use it, whether bogus or actual. Like Kamiya said, I care more about who's online rather than who HAS been online. When I look at a forum as a guest, I don't even glance at who has been online in the past twenty-four hours, but rather who is online at the time I visit.
As an admin, I don't see it as necessary. I run pretty small forums, ranging from thirty (active) members to two hundred (active) members. I'm close with a lot of the members on both forums, so if there is a spammer or person who enjoys starting trouble, I usually hear from them. They are like my moderators without the privileges/powers.

Unfortunately, I know for a fact that it doesn't always post everyone. I have a couple of members, for what ever reason do not show up in the "Users Online Today" area...but have been logged in. So there is some flaws. But all in all, it works for me...what about you?

Hmm, might it be that they don't actually log in? Ie... they stay logged in for "Forever", therefore they don't have to log in every time they visit the forum? Maybe the "Users Online Today" script only shows people who actually manually log into the forum, rather than never have themselves log out. Does that make sense?

[Enchant]

Mar 2, 2008 6:29:01 GMT -8 kreesta said:

Personally, I wouldn't use it, whether bogus or actual. Like Kamiya said, I care more about who's online rather than who HAS been online. When I look at a forum as a guest, I don't even glance at who has been online in the past twenty-four hours, but rather who is online at the time I visit.
As an admin, I don't see it as necessary. I run pretty small forums, ranging from thirty (active) members to two hundred (active) members. I'm close with a lot of the members on both forums, so if there is a spammer or person who enjoys starting trouble, I usually hear from them. They are like my moderators without the privileges/powers.

Unfortunately, I know for a fact that it doesn't always post everyone. I have a couple of members, for what ever reason do not show up in the "Users Online Today" area...but have been logged in. So there is some flaws. But all in all, it works for me...what about you?

Hmm, might it be that they don't actually log in? Ie... they stay logged in for "Forever", therefore they don't have to log in every time they visit the forum? Maybe the "Users Online Today" script only shows people who actually manually log into the forum, rather than never have themselves log out. Does that make sense?

Thank makes perfect sense, the only issue with that is, I myself use the "logged forever" option...I think it has something to do with the servers thier providers are on....although, its only an theory.

[sharon]

I used to have the feature on my forum but I removed it. This is probably not the case for everyone but from my experience, it seems that ever since I removed it the activity level in the forum increased.

I probably had this feature for several months and I noticed that on average I may have had 6 or 7 logged in within the last 24 hours. I'm not sure if the activity level has anything to do with the Users Online Today feature but even if the same number of people are logging in the activity has definitely picked up since I removed it.

It's cool to be able to see who logged in the last 24 hours but I think it's more important that all of the boards have been posted in recently and that the place isn't dead

[HoudiniDerek]

Mar 3, 2008 12:50:51 GMT -8 sharon said:

I used to have the feature on my forum but I removed it. This is probably not the case for everyone but from my experience, it seems that ever since I removed it the activity level in the forum increased.

I probably had this feature for several months and I noticed that on average I may have had 6 or 7 logged in within the last 24 hours. I'm not sure if the activity level has anything to do with the Users Online Today feature but even if the same number of people are logging in the activity has definitely picked up since I removed it.

It's cool to be able to see who logged in the last 24 hours but I think it's more important that all of the boards have been posted in recently and that the place isn't dead

I agree. Sometimes it seems as though the USERS ONLINE causes people to not log in because they like the privacy of lurking without posting and just checking PMs. That is one reason why I hope it is something easily turned off with the V4.5 upgrades and such.

[Zath]

I have it on my boards primarily so I can see who's been on but also to show others there is life out there.
It tells you that people are willing to look at the board and if they don't post, you know something needs to be done to the board.
The code currently available is flawed and only shows some people some of the time and some never show.
One of my boards has the 4.5 version on it and this is bugged too. It shows yourself more than once and quite annoyingly shows all the google bot visits in the guest count.
I'm not main admin on the board so I can't say if it can be set as "off" but I don't believe it can but merely set by users to be shrunk. This doesn't work right either atm.
Overall I like the function. If this new 4.5 version is sorted, it will be good as it will miss no-one.
It should still have a General Board setting for on/off though (if it hasn't).