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Missing in Action!

Started by dedgren, March 07, 2007, 12:29:01 PM

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sebes

 ()what() What does AWOL mean?  ()what()
Check my MD:               
Rhenen,NN

Serkanner

Absent Without Official Leave  ... its a military expression.

LordTarren

thundercrack83 - I am most certainly aware that this was meant as a good-will gesture, and by no means intend to say otherwise.  I simply believe that it could very easily be percieved as a form of tracking members as well, which could put some people off.  The question again arises, how far do we take it?  How would it honestly be possible to keep such a thing going when this board eventually has upwards of five thousand people or more?

While I believe friendship, comradery and close-knit communities are important things on the internet, it is still the internet, something of which is secondary to real life and always should be.  If someone becomes awol, for whatever reason, it is not up to any of us to send out a search party to find out why by adding their names to a list.  If someone truly wants to get in touch with another person, they may easily do it by PM's, any form of IM's, or email, privately.  And then, as stated before, it should always be up to the very person who is going "missing" to tell everyone in the first place, IF and when they choose to.

As said before, I believe a "tell us you're leaving/returning" thread where members post for themselveswould be a far better alternative, but that is simply my opinion.
An evil person may have the strengh of one hundred warriors, but possess the spirit of none.  And this is why he will fail.

callagrafx

#23
Methinks you are reading too much into it and need to put down the book on conspiracy theories.  :D :D :D :D  ...think of it more as a "memoriam" than a member tracking poll.  If you wish to start a leaving/returning thread, please feel free to do so.  I think this  is more like a SC4D FriendsReunited [ Linkie ] type thing... 
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it

LordTarren

#24
I'm afraid I must disagree with you there, callagrafx.  This is in no way a "conspiracy theory".  A list is made of people's names, if they haven't posted within two weeks.  That is a very short period of time. 

A list is made

This is exactly how people are tracked.  I am in no way trying to make this into something it is not, I'm simply trying to point out this particular flaw in the design of things, if you will.  I am not angry, offended, paranoid or out to make anyone look bad and I do what I can to avoid making people think as such.  If dedgren wants to keep doing this, that is his perogative.  All I seek to do is shed light on any possible problems that can arise because of it, and nothing more.  I intend it to stay as a debate, not an argument.   :sunny:   :blahblah:
An evil person may have the strengh of one hundred warriors, but possess the spirit of none.  And this is why he will fail.

jeronij

#25
So far, the only problem arising in this thread is you, LordTarren. You are pissing off topic.

What are you exactly looking for? I will not ask it twice.

Btw, i totally agree with this idea. If any member does not want to see its nickname here, he/she has simply to let us know.

I am currently not active - Please, contact Tarkus for any site related matter. Thanks for enjoying SC4D :D


Autism Awareness;  A Father Shares
Mallorca My Mayor Diary


LordTarren

I have no idea how I have said anything even remotely off topic so far.  This thread is about making a list of missing members, I have stated my disagreements of such and my reasons why.

I have also stated "exactly what I'm looking for", to use your words, twice already.  A thread where members add their names if and when they see fit, this of which is the opposite.

You said:  "...he/she has simply to let us know."  This should not be an "opt-out" situation to begin with, rather opt-in as stated above. 

I have already stated these things in previous posts, so I really don't understand why you have asked me again, and with the additional statement "I will not ask twice".  I believe that it was unncessesary, and you have come off sounding very angry towards me.  I am not out to "cause a problem", and have repeatedly stated this fact.

Since this is obviously getting me nowhere, I will politely bow out of this thread and speak no more.  Good luck with your endevour, dedgren, wherever it may lead you.
An evil person may have the strengh of one hundred warriors, but possess the spirit of none.  And this is why he will fail.

vab423

Ok, consider this my official request -- if I go missing, please do not look for me as I will likely resurface later under a pseudonym as I will a) likely have gone underground to escape from the law or b) have won the lottery and are hiding from my long-lost relatives looking for a handout.

We'll have to work out some sort of secret signal, so you'll know it's me, though. I know, I'll use this guy --> %BUd%


"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."     - Harry S. Truman

dedgren

#28
OK, OK, before we get in a ruckus here...

Lord_T, last night I said I thought you had some good points- I still do, although your posts today really didn't seem to add a great deal.  I don't want to see folks get crosswise here, so let me give everyone some information to start with.

SC4D, as we stand today, is just north of 1,200 member IDs issued.  Truth be told, and as everyone probably realizes anyway, if you gathered all the actual members with active IDs together in a room, it would be something less than 1,200.  We've, uhhh... lost a few here or there.  Other IDs were issued but then were made redundant by registration problems, that sort of thing.  I feel pretty comfortable in saying we'd have around 1,175 warm bodies, more or less.

Now, the dirty little secret of most fansite communities like this is that only a tiny percentage, usual two or three percent at the most, of the members who register are really active on the site.  Often, if the community is really large, that percentage is less than one percent.  Let's look at ST as an example.  To the extent that there are 150,000 members, if three percent were active (I would define active as making one forum post a week- that probably really conservative), that would be 4,500 members defined as active.  I'd guess (I am only speculating here- let me be really, really clear about that) the actual number is much smaller.  ST probably has, if you would apply my definition, fewer that 1,000 active members, and perhaps far fewer.  That's still quite a few. and it's a hard task to attract that many people on an ongoing basis to what is, at bottom, a purely volitional recreational activity.

I think a hallmark of this site is that we're open about who and what we are.  I doubt many other fansites would tell you what I'm about to.  But it's the truth, and that's the way it is, whether some would obscure it or not.  Of the about 1,200 members that we have, about two-thirds, or slightly more than 800, have never posted even once.  For whatever reason, theyve been content to register and lurk.  Am I surprised?  Not a bit.  I'd bet the corresponding number at a site like ST is astronomical, probably over 125,000, and again maybe far more.  For some, that is the furthest extent their willingness to participate goes- and that is fine.  Nobody here is demanding participation.  We certainly hope that folks would.  We certainly believe that it enhances the experience.  But participation is, at the end of the day, completely voluntary.

Now, out of the third that remain (those who have posted at SC4D), almost 225 have posted less that 25 times, and most far less: say, one to five times.  Some folks have just registered recently and are just getting started.  Others made a flurry of posts around the time they registered and then have gone silent.  A very, very few post every two or three weeks.  This group I would not term, because of the variety of circumstances, inactive, but they, for whatever reason, have not yet reached the (completely) arbitrary level of "activeness" I have set

That leaves about 125 members who I would consider active- some combination of longevity and number of of posts on average that puts them over a post per week.  Because our membership is relatively small, this number seems small- about 125 folks.  When you think about it a minute, though, in light of what I just said, that's absolutely incredible.  SC4D has a contingent of active members that is just a bit more than ten percent of its membership.  This is a phenomenal percentage.  Applied to ST, it would be like having 15,000 members who would be active enough to post in the forums on a weekly basis.

So, let's get back to this thread.  SC4D, in wondering about those "Missing in Action," is really looking out after that 10% or so of members who are active.  If they suddenly miss a few weeks of posting, SC4D, as a community, wonders what's up.  We have no police force to track them down, no interrogators to make them confess what they were (or are) doing while they've been gone.  We're just thinking about them, and wishing they were still around.  We certainly would never hound anyone to return if they're simply done here.  There should be no guilt involved, either.  If someone who's active wants to hang it up- hey, that's up to him or her.  SC4D will continue on, but again, SC4D is really nothing more than the sum of the community that makes it up.

So, we do it because we care.  We're not Big Brother, and are not trying to be.  I hope that explains what we're doing, Lord_T.  Feel free to PM me if you would want to discuss things further.


David


D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

jeronij

#29
Well, unfortunately LordTarren is no longer member from our site, due to his own request, mentioning words like rubbish and dictator in his farewell's PM.

I please to all the members to keep the forms in this site, and dont turn the things wrong where it is not necessry. Thanks for your understanding.

Now, back to topic pls  ;)
I am currently not active - Please, contact Tarkus for any site related matter. Thanks for enjoying SC4D :D


Autism Awareness;  A Father Shares
Mallorca My Mayor Diary


EDGE4194

This is one of the reasons this site is so special. As one of the members with a small number of posts, i still check in about once a day. I would be touched if someone wondered where i had been. I would feel as if I was among friends. As the membership grows this will probably become too cumbersome, but for now- what a great idea :thumbsup:

jplumbley

I have to say even after the outburst that happened yesturday and today by one "unmentionable" name... I have to say I still totally agree with this topic.  I like the intentions and it brings a not so small community closer together.  I would hope that someone would wonder about me if I was AWOL for a little while.
"You learn something new everyday."

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Bringing the new horizons closer to reality.

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dedgren

Hey- regret all the dustup.  I wish this all could have been sorted out differently, but I also know that we are all, in a sense, guests in this wonderful corner of cyberspace that jeronij has created for the community and, regardless of all the rules, written or not, common sense dictates that we would show respect for our host.

So, no changes from the last list:

March 11, 2007

Bluebeard
Grneyes
your_adress_here
KooriSim123


Have a great week, folks.


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

Colyn

Quote from: EDGE4194 on March 11, 2007, 07:20:33 PM
This is one of the reasons this site is so special. As one of the members with a small number of posts, i still check in about once a day. I would be touched if someone wondered where i had been. I would feel as if I was among friends. As the membership grows this will probably become too cumbersome, but for now- what a great idea :thumbsup:

My opinion exactly ...
Work, the annoying period between bike trips.
Come see CSX Play

Pat

me personal opinion is this simply well put.

QuoteI like the idea of say hey wheres Pat havent seen him in awhile.
what happend to him?  drop that man a line and ask if hes good?
tell him we here at SC4D miss him and hope all is well.

to me to see something like that is wonderful cause what david said its true
we may have millions of members but who is hard core who is active what maybe only 125
and im proud to say that im one of the few 125 who post at least once or more a day.
i know i shouldnt mention the unmentionable name but man Lt had it soo ummm sadly split
cause he just didnt understand and the arogance shows just as i learned last nite at Oneida County
firemans Association Banquet that arogance is just that arogance that shouldnt be hated but loved because the
person or group just doesnt know.  How it is so is that facts where crossed and not checked and a horse was beaten and thus far a mistake had happend and well we need to sit and talk it out and find out what crossed and fix it so every one is happy.
I know most of you reading are wondering where im going with this it simple I LOVE THE IDEA AND I WILL DEFEND IT.
too bad i didnt get the chance for that person to see what im saying maybe he might have understood a little better,
but arogance has gotten in the way and we should forgive it and forget about it and hope that it doesnt happen again.
just from whats it worth - pat


Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

Tarkus

I have to agree with the general consensus here.  One of the things I really like about this site is that it is very close knit.  It's not so much that "these people are missing, we have to hunt them down", but rather, "hey, what happened to so-and-so".  I rather like it, and think it was a very thoughtful thing for David to do.

If I reach a point at which I won't be around for awhile, I will, however, let everyone know, since it has gotten to the point now for me that I'd consider you guys friends. 

-Alex (Tarkus)

BarbyW

Quote from: Tarkus on March 11, 2007, 10:00:14 PM
I have to agree with the general consensus here.  One of the things I really like about this site is that it is very close knit.  It's not so much that "these people are missing, we have to hunt them down", but rather, "hey, what happened to so-and-so".  I rather like it, and think it was a very thoughtful thing for David to do.

If I reach a point at which I won't be around for awhile, I will, however, let everyone know, since it has gotten to the point now for me that I'd consider you guys friends. 

-Alex (Tarkus)

My point of view, too. Jeroni has been kind enough to invite to his home and I hoep we continue to respect him and treat each other like friends. I see this as a part of being a friend - to wonder where someone is when you haven't seen them for a while. It isn't being oppressive but caring about our small community.
Let's keep it that way.
Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened. TP



Barbypedia: More alive than the original

rw0381c

Thanks for the PM David!

Still alive and kicking, just been a little too busy these days! Rest assured though that I have lurked some in my posting absence!

Rheal

Doc

I really like this site and, even more, I really like the attitudes and the sense of cameradere that I find here. When I first read this post, I was touched by the sense of concern for absent members and I didn't even think that there may be something sinister behind it. I dunno...one person's care is another person's stalking, I guess. Still, I think it's a decent gesture and it gives me a good feeling knowing that some members actually care about other members. Whenever I notice that a familiar member has not posted for some time, I wonder if everything is ok and hope that RL hasn't dealt them a hard blow. Maybe the recent ex-member would have preferred if Dedgren had started a thread saying "These people haven't posted in over two weeks, but I don't give a s***!" If that's the case, maybe he'll find a site where that is the common attitude among the members and he'll be happy there. That's not the kind of site I'm looking for and I doubt very much if any of the frequent contributors to this site are looking for a place like that.
As some have noted, the members that seem to be posting here on a daily basis are a small group. By seeing them here just about every day, there gets to be a sense of closeness and intimacy within this small group. I also note that of this small group of "regulars", NO ONE has posted in this thread objecting to the idea or worrying about being tracked and turned over to Interpol or stated that the idea freaked them out. So for those of us that see beyond the avatar of our fellow members and have a sense of those members who share with our community, let's keep the spirit of cameraderie and concern alive. That's one of the many things that make this such a special place. From the number of members I have seen here that I recognize from other sites, I've noticed a common denominator among them. They are people who have been serious and active at other sites and who have always made positive contributions. I also believe that most of them , like myself, knew Jeronij from elsewhere and when they saw he was opening a site, came here because they respect him. They knew he was serious about the game and had made many positive contributions and knew he has a positive attitude toward fellow players and BATters. I think most of us here came to be an extension of that positive attitude and respect and to have a place where we could contribute in whatever way we could. The fact that someone cares enough to be concerned when a fellow member drops off of the map speaks volumes about the calibre and class of this site. I, for one, am honoured to be a part of a community where the members actually care about one another.
  Keep on rockin' Dedgren! Don't allow anyone to undermine what you're doing and try to turn a positive action into something negative. There's a place for those who try to do that, and fortunately, this isn't that place! Thank you, David, for caring.
...Doc  aka Doxxp29

Swamper77

I just want to say that despite the few vocal oppositions to having such a list, I support what Dedgren has started here. Keeping a list of the M.I.A's gives a sense that the community cares about all of its members, regardless of how much or how little they post. I may not post much, but I only post when I have something revelant or important to discuss. I spend most of my time here lurking, like I do on most of the forums that I am a member of and visit. While I lurk, I read posts to learn. I'm more interested in learning and applying the knowledge I gain than just trying to raise my post count. Just my thoughts on the matter.

-Jan *heads back to his garage to finish some projects*
You can call me Jan, if you want to.
Pagan and Proud!