Unused Accounts

Riamfada

Is it possible for you mods or what have you to delete the unused accounts. Just wondering?

ecksor

It is possible.

DeVore

how do we define an "unused account"?

What if it has 200 posts attributed to it, yet hasnt been used for a year?

What if it has no posts attributed to it but is only a few days old...

Its a tricky one...

DeV.

Lenny

I say delete all members and let us sign up again, and then you'll know who active

Gordon

Maybe a test phase is needed, I propose all nicks beginning with L be on a trial period.

BuffyBot

Originally posted by DeVore
how do we define an "unused account"?

What if it has 200 posts attributed to it, yet hasnt been used for a year?

What if it has no posts attributed to it but is only a few days old...

Its a tricky one...

DeV.

When I joined I naturally wanted to get the nick Buffy..but couldn't for obvious reasons.

However, the Buffy account was set up on the 4/12/99 and last used on the 7/12/99 - for a total of 4 posts.

Perhaps there could be a script run that clears accounts over two/three years old? I think if someone hasn't been around on boards for that long, they are unlikely to come back. It means more people are likely to get the nicks they want, and be happier.

I think if you set a long time window on what is an unused account, very few active members - if any - would be affected, and it would free up the nicks for newbies.

irishgeo

why have a system where by if account is not used say after 3 years an email is sent to that person saying your account is inactive for 3 years and if they dont reply maybe their account can be deleted.

davej

This has been pointed out before but...

What about the posts that were attributed to them ?
Won't this screw up things like statistics and searches?

although looking at ecksor's post count it seems that it's not that important to maintain consistency...

davej

ecksor

Am I screwing up your statistics or searches?

Hobart

Originally posted by davej
This has been pointed out before but...

What about the posts that were attributed to them ?
Won't this screw up things like statistics and searches?

although looking at ecksor's post count it seems that it's not that important to maintain consistency...

davej

Don't know about MySQL but just because you delete a users login does not necessarily mean that his/her post count should go. I would imagine it would be quite easy to update a deleted users (login)account with a flag that would inform you that the uses login has been deleted. No need for effed up stats etc.....

ozpass

Could you not rename them to formerly_buffy or something similar to indicate their earlier incarnation (for archiving) and maintain their posts?

leeroybrown

Well considering that there are ~5000 users who have not posted yet perhaps a large portion of those would be suitable cannon fodder should the notion strike the admins.

[That said freeing up usernames could be very counterproductive leading to a load of people who want a username change.]

davej

Don't know about MySQL but just because you delete a users login does not necessarily mean that his/her post count should go. I would imagine it would be quite easy to update a deleted users (login)account with a flag that would inform you that the uses login has been deleted. No need for effed up stats etc.....

There shouldn't be a problem with deleting a user in terms of db integrity. However you end up creating a lot of posts attributed to "guest" or "not yet registered", so in fact the user's post count would disappear (someone correct me if i'm wrong). So issues of db normalisation aside, some valuable information may be lost.

Am I screwing up your statistics or searches?

If I were a newbie i would be puzzled by your post statistics, so yes you are screwing it up! It reduces my overall confidence in the system...how am I to know how many other people have tweaked their a/c stats to their liking ?

davej

Hobart

Originally posted by davej
There shouldn't be a problem with deleting a user in terms of db integrity. However you end up creating a lot of posts attributed to "guest" or "not yet registered", so in fact the user's post count would disappear (someone correct me if i'm wrong). So issues of db normalisation aside, some valuable information may be lost.



If I were a newbie i would be puzzled by your post statistics, so yes you are screwing it up! It reduces my overall confidence in the system...how am I to know how many other people have tweaked their a/c stats to their liking ?

davej

How? Lets do this simply.

1) Create copy of DB
2) Select User_Name from DB where last_post_date > 18_months_ago >(redirect) c:\list.txt
3) Edit c:\list.txt

list.txt looks somethinjg like

buffy
whoever
whoever2
etc.......




5000 records


4) Use excel or sprint or whatever to truncate list of name with (Login_Deleted) and also insert the lines Update DB set User_Name = (e.g.) Buffy(Login_Deleted) where User_Name = Buffy. Repeat this for every User_Name (Easy to do in Sprint or Excel)
5) Save as a new text file and simply run it into SQL from command line i.e. ISQL -Usa -PPASSWORD -ic:\newlist.txt - oc:\result.txt

6) Go back to Original c:\list.txt and amend to delete all Login names and hey presto you have New Login names available with old records attributed to the original user with the old user name amended to include the fact that the acount is inactive.

Remember in most SQL DB's the Login is seperate from the actual User_Name. i.e. You need a Login Name and a User_Name they are not the same thing.

Victor

Total Members: 13,385 (6/5/2003)

It appears there are 8346 people^H^H^H accounts that have posted.

So 5,039 people have not posted. About 3,000 accounts are older than 1 year and have had no posts. Of these about 1,000 accounts are older than 2 years and have had no posts. Quite a few of these appear to be account set-up errors or spam / troll accounts (7 different Ali-G accounts - Alee Jee, Ali G2, Ali G29, Ali G666, ALi G667, Ali Ghee, Ali-G).

Perhaps a clear out of these (over 1 year and no posts) might be in order, but if the account had posts it should stay.

ecksor

Originally posted by davej
If I were a newbie i would be puzzled by your post statistics, so yes you are screwing it up! It reduces my overall confidence in the system...how am I to know how many other people have tweaked their a/c stats to their liking ?

You're not.

Thorbar

Unless the mySQL db is dieing under the weight of all these accounts I don't really see the point in clearing out all the old accounts. Does having buffy instead of buffybot really make that much of a difference to you? I'd perfer if the admins spent their time doing stuff like the supporters pack or the front page redesign then messing around with the old accounts whch will probably just cause them more problems.

DeVore

nggggggh stop it.


1. I'm not deleting anyones account because I'm not having any more posts wandering around atributed to guest. You may think that 2-3 years history is sufficent, I percieve that in 50 years time we will still have the full Boards database. You're kids can come and look up you're old posts.

Go read the The long now website for a good idea of where we're going with that.

2. I dont want to get into name shuffling and I dont want to get into people ditching nicks because they dont want to be associated with prior actions of theirs. I cant really stop them resigning up but I dont have to help them...

3. Victor, where DO you find those stats

4. We'll probably clean up the year old accounts with no posts but I question why ANYONE feels this is a pressing issue.


DeV.

Gordon

My bet is p45's helpers are out to dwindle the opposition!

Victor

Originally posted by DeVore
3. Victor, where DO you find those stats

You mean the lads didn't tell you they gave me über-admin status

boards.ie/vbulletin
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/index.php?s=

Members: 13,388, Threads: 87,245, Posts: 836,698
Welcome to our newest member, orchid

boards.ie/vbulletin > Members List > Advanced Search
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/memberlist.php?s=&action=search
Look for people with <1 post and registered before a certain date.

boards.ie/vbulletin > Members List
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/memberlist.php?s=&what=topposters&perpage=25
And just flick throught the pages (change the address line is easier) until you find the page where those with 1 post meet those with no posts.

Previous post corrected.

DeVore

you know, after all the years I've been doing this, you start to think you know everything there is to know about an App.
I never knew that advanced search existed... I always used the one in the Admin panel (almost the same)

Thats the second time this week I've found something new on Boards

DeV.

Victor

Originally posted by DeVore
you know, after all the years I've been doing this, you start to think you know everything there is to know about an App.
I never knew that advanced search existed... I always used the one in the Admin panel (almost the same) Thats the second time this week I've found something new on Boards

Noob

Hobart

Originally posted by DeVore
nggggggh stop it.


1. I'm not deleting anyones account because I'm not having any more posts wandering around atributed to guest. You may think that 2-3 years history is sufficent, I percieve that in 50 years time we will still have the full Boards database. You're kids can come and look up you're old posts.

Go read the The long now website for a good idea of where we're going with that.

2. I dont want to get into name shuffling and I dont want to get into people ditching nicks because they dont want to be associated with prior actions of theirs. I cant really stop them resigning up but I dont have to help them...

3. Victor, where DO you find those stats

4. We'll probably clean up the year old accounts with no posts but I question why ANYONE feels this is a pressing issue.


DeV.

It's not about deleting anybodys account. It's about freeing up usernames that are being held up from non-activation or lack of use. Everybody has concentrated on the issue that 'we will have anon accounts' and 'we will have un-reg accounts'. It does not have to be that. As Buffybot pointed out it could be a way of freeing up Usernames for ppl that have been previously used up. A bit like the URL frenzy we had in 99 and 2000. Nobody is talking about using Devore01 or ecksor01. It's about getting rid of the Usernames that are dormant and allowing ppl to get the nic's they want (like subs). It's called database management and it should not affect the "longnow" philosophy(ws) because it does not take away the words from the original poster.

ecksor

Tell us more about this "database management".

DeVore answered that in his second point, see 'nick reshuffling'

Repli

What would poor koopa do if you took away all his Feb 1998 troll accounts?? :P

Hobart

Originally posted by ecksor
Tell us more about this "database management".

DeVore answered that in his second point, see 'nick reshuffling'

It is about managing a database and keeping it efficient. (And I will not give my sense's here but) 'nick reshuffling' in DeVore's second point has to do about name/login re-shuffling, not about account management or DB management. He is worried about ppl ditching old accounts because they do not want to be responsible for what they said in thier old accounts.

If you want a pointer/help on database management, give me a PM and I will point you in the right direction(FOC)btw.

ecksor

That too, but the name shuffling is the point that leeroybrown raised earlier in the thread.

Thanks for the offer.

Hobart

Changing Usernames(as per Leeroybrown i.e. " a load of people who want a username change") and ditching/deleting login/user names (as per Devore "I'm not deleting anyones account because I'm not having any more posts wandering around atributed to guest") are totally different things when you consider a client/server SQL system.

I think the whole idea behind the thread was to 'free up' old logins that are no longer in use. In fact I totally agree that

I percieve that in 50 years time we will still have the full Boards database. You're kids can come and look up you're old posts.

BTW no worries on the offer. It still stands.

ecksor

That said freeing up usernames could be very counterproductive leading to a load of people who want a username change.

2. I dont want to get into name shuffling and ...

Hobart

Originally posted by Hobart

I think the whole idea behind the thread was to 'free up' old logins that are no longer in use.

.

BTW no worries on the offer. It's expired.

ecksor

This is getting tedious.

We know what the point is behind the thread. We're offering reasons we won't do it. (which isn't the same as can't do it, we all work with databases here, and DeVore is probably old enough to make one of those comments like "I was managing databases when you were in nappies" because he's very old).