A problem I've noticed is that there are over 180 thousand ghost accounts. Like, I've seen accounts with 0 yes, 0 points that are innactive and it says they are 60,000 out of 250,000 or something like that. Thats a lot of accounts with 0 points.
It is annoying because users use the accounts to get points, and the accounts are a waste of space and good usernames.
Solution: Maybe automatic deletion after inactivity of a certain time, such as 2 months. and also an email to tell u that ur account is about to be deleted. So, you can stop it.
If someone signs on, then the inactivity process will restart.
This has been suggested numerous times. The reason we can't delete ghost accounts is because, well like this. La-de-dah, I'm gonna check my rank! Wait, 307 out of 100,000 users? What? I need to make a glitch thread! Imagine this. 600 times. Web-wide panic. We would love to, but it would hurt us more than help us.
Also, all members have the right to keeping accounts around. I for one would really dislike this. One of my better friends on here has been tied up with school, thus he hasn't been able to get on since November. Also Estel has been inactive for months now, I'm unaware as to whether he has been on or not in the past two months, but that would be a mod account deleted. Oh, also Strop went somewhere earlier in the year which kept him away for an entire month. What if that had been a two month trip with this rule implemented? His account would be gone.
Another thing is some members quit AG, and I know from experience you cannot stay away from AG forever. What if someone is gone for two months, then decides to come back? Their account is gone. That's why members who have quit, or who have been inactive can keep their accounts unless they do something so despicable that it gets deleted. Even if you are talking about ghost accounts, how will the program tell whether or not the account is a ghost account or not? It cant. I don't like all the ghost accounts either, it would just be a waste of time, and be very chaotic to create a program to do that.
Unless the ghost accounts slow down AG, there is really no need to deleate them. I for one, made this account on April 29th 2008, just because I stumbled apon AG, and I wanted to post on a thingthing 4 thread. I stopped using in early may, because the thingthing thread died, and I had no idea how anything on AG worked. Then, just for kickes, I logged on sometime in early August to actually use an account. I would have made a new one, but I didn't feel like making a new email adress. So basically, if that rule had been implanted, I wouldn't even be here. And we all know that would be a disaster. *shudders at the thought of AG without thingthingfreak*
Random note, as people have been saying it all: If you delete an account (which happens during perma bans), the username does not get free. It is how they made it to be sure that people does not use names of flamers, which would confuse us all.
Solution: Maybe automatic deletion after inactivity of a certain time, such as 2 months. and also an email to tell u that ur account is about to be deleted. So, you can stop it.
Seems like people never read the OP fully...As suggested in the OP, you will be informed so that you can do something before the account is deleted.
Unless you use an email address that you hardly utilise.
6 months is a good idea, but frequent users can send email to notify AG not to delete his account if he going somewhere more than 6 months (such as going to Tibet to climb Himalaya and stuff).
I found AG forum is very interesting (awesome), i always invite new members to join forum. I play many online games and found their forums are sux, some of them is like i'm talking to myself lol.
...and also an email to tell u that ur account is about to be deleted.
Emails that come from AG end up in junk folder(in my case). User that is about to get deleted may not notice it on time and prevent his/her obliteration from the AG. Are ghost accounts really that much of a problem? They don't do anything, just exist.
I can never tell if mods are inactive, but I think you're right. He hasn't done anything for ages. A mod has left!
i also feel kinda good when i see that i am 95 out of all the people
Doesn't everybody in the top 100?
Another thing is some members quit AG, and I know from experience you cannot stay away from AG forever.
True, some users come back. Which is great when you see an old face or two here. Of course, if their user was deleted, they'd feel insulted and definitely not come back.
6 months automatically is better.
Long, but I think not long enough. How about... never.
Guys, we cannot foresee if a user will come back or not. Therefore, we shouldn't delete their account. Also, many 0 AP users where people coming to test out the functions. If they come back because they like what is on Armorgames, then we should have their account for them.
Here's another excuse: Those ghost users make it seem like Armorgames is very, very popular. It's a bit popular, but this is a great way to exaggerate it.
Well, I have returned for those in limbo on this knowledge.
To this matter, ghost accounts to absolutely no harm to this site except for intense spamming. Now it is very easy to detect a member that does this, so that is not a huge problem. The ghost accounts do not slow down the site as some may think.
Unlimited power is correct in saying that we can't just forsee a member quitting. Look at me! I could have been deleted and I would be sad ):
So all in all, this topic will be locked since the question has been answered and this thread has been done many times before.
