"timeout" For Unused Accounts?

[+radioscout]

Some days ago a fellow cacher changed his login name. But the new name I intended to use was given to another user. Of course the person who registered first has the right to use the login name but: he has never been using this account. Searching for alternative login names we found that many "good" login names are blocked by people who created an account and never used it.

How about a function that deletes unused accounts after 6 months if they are not used?

[+flask]

oh, goodness, yes! names that go unused should be made available again! otherwise, all the new people at some point will be forced into some gobbledy-gook names that nobody likes.

[+Ox]

I'm just happy nobody had Ox yet.........

[Keystone]

I had ox once. It tastes like chicken.

[+Ox]

Indeed it does, we have a Jamaican restaurant here in town and its always a treat to dine there. Their ox tails are fantastic!

[+Team GPSaxophone]

oh, goodness, yes! names that go unused should be made available again! otherwise, all the new people at some point will be forced into some gobbledy-gook names that nobody likes.

They may even resort to using names of containers

[+Mopar]

Define "unused"?

 

Many stale and unused accounts have a hide or find associated with them. What would happen to those caches and logs?

 

Many people take a break, or sign up, but hold off buying a GPS. Ringbone is a recent example of someone who probably didn't even log into the website for a year, but is now active again. There are many other examples of people who have taken breaks for 6 months or more for various reasons, and then returned. How long do you let an account go without logging in before you recycle the name?

 

What about people who don't log online? We've all seen them. You don't need to log in to search for caches. An account that hasn't logged in for a year could still be actively signing logbooks with that name.

 

What about people who move to other websites? They may be still actively caching, but getting cache data from another site.

[CoyoteRed]

How about a function that deletes unused accounts after 6 months if they are not used?

Bad idea in the extreme.

 

OTH, if after 6 months an account remains "unconfirmed", I think they call it--IOW, they signed up but the email was bad or never responded to the confirmation email, whatever--then release the name. Just make it so people understand that is what happens if they don't confirm the sign up.

 

What would be best is to not worry about the username and use the Display Name function (which is broken in this forum software).

 

Of course, I don't know exactly how and where the Display Name works because I got the username I wanted.

[+Mopar]

OTH, if after 6 months an account remains "unconfirmed", I think they call it--IOW, they signed up but the email was bad or never responded to the confirmation email, whatever--then release the name. Just make it so people understand that is what happens if they don't confirm the sign up.

This makes sense. If someone signs up and never validated, those could get deleted after X amount of time, as long as it was made clear that non-validated accounts will be deleted.

[+radioscout]

@Mopar: I'm talking of people who created an account and never logged a find nor listed a cache. They only registered a user name months ago.

And if you don't log online you don't need an account. You can view the caches without logging in.

[Radman Forever]

I origionally wanted to go for the name of Mr. Michigan, but since someone already goes by that name, I had to go for a bottom-of-the-barrel name like Radman. I HAVE BECOME INSANE BECAUSE OF IT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[+Ed Rad]

I had this happen also... I wanted plain old Geogeek. But the name was taken. I found out that that person had 1 find , never to log in again. Still hasn't as far as I know. So I added 65 (the year I as born) so I could get it. The good thing is, people around the area call me plain old Geogeek.

 

I was really kinda getting tired of that name, since it had meaning once but no longer carries the same meaning. I think it's kind of late in the game to change names. I have the domain geogeek65.com registered thru 2005, I have a tone of signature items out in caches, and I have almost 800 finds logged as Geogeek65.

Do you guys think it's too late to change the name?

Edited March 9, 2004 by Geogeek65

[+Renegade Knight]

If the account is never used and they owner can't be contacted then by all means re-use the name. Part of why I have my moniker is that every name I could come up with on eBay had been taken and I refused to have 9087987987 attached to the end of my name.

 

In the long run names will have to be archived like caches so that the current and living generation can have real names instead of serial numbers. I'm perfectly happy being the RK from this era. Someone else can make the name into a legend, or prove that I did it better by being rather lame down the road. Either way I'm happy as long as my name and logs are preserved somehow for whatever of my progeny are interested in looking.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Too much work archiving old handles. It's fine to leave things as they are in my book.

 

You can always add * or something like that can't you?

[+Stunod]

I was able to get "STUNOD" when I signed up, but about 6 months later, I found out there was a "STUNOD7" on the site also. They signed up, log a few caches and retired before I even joined. Guess I'm not as unique as I thought I was

Edited March 9, 2004 by Stunod

[+Renegade Knight]

Too much work archiving old handles. It's fine to leave things as they are in my book.

 

You can always add * or something like that can't you?

Sure:

 

Lazyboy & Mitey Mite Lords of Geocaching and Master of the Trails*

 

Member Number 9879879298374198734198347

 

An alternate system assigns account numbers but lets you pick your handle. Then you can have 700 RK's but only one 19837871018374103897143.

[+Mopar]

@Mopar: I'm talking of people who created an account and never logged a find nor listed a cache. They only registered a user name months ago.

And if you don't log online you don't need an account. You can view the caches without logging in.

No, you don't NEED an account if you don't log online, but you might create one under the name you sign under to "hold" the name you sign under.

Example:

Say there was someone else in your caching area signing logs as "RadioScout". I personally know of one person who is an occasional cacher. He has had his account since 2001, and never hid a cache or logged a find online. He has logged into the site maybe once since then, yet he's still caching, and still signing them under that name. He validated his email, and still gets the weekly notifications.

Heck, if you bookmark the forums, you can participate HERE every single day, and STILL show as inactive in your geocaching.com profile if you don't also log in there.

 

I also remember seeing someone fairly recently in the forums who signed up years ago, but only recently was able to start caching and log his first find.

I think if you are going to recycle user names, you need to be darn sure the user is gone.

 

Food for thought:

Yahoo is 1000s of times bigger then geocaching.com, and they never reassign a dead user name. I should know, I registered one with them back when they 1st started, back in '96-'96, and haven't used it since then. I forgot the password, and the email address I signed up with changed at least 7yrs ago, and thats the one they want to verify with. It's still me if you look at the profile, but my last login shows as like 8yrs ago.

Yahoo still hasn't run out of user names.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Too much work archiving old handles.  It's fine to leave things as they are in my book.

 

You can always add  * or something like that can't you?

Sure:

 

Lazyboy & Mitey Mite Lords of Geocaching and Master of the Trails*

 

Member Number 9879879298374198734198347

 

An alternate system assigns account numbers but lets you pick your handle. Then you can have 700 RK's but only one 19837871018374103897143.

Sort of has a ring to it doesn't it

[Ned Ludd]

This is the best name for someone who geocaches ever.

 

I can't believe I got it.

 

It's just a sock puppet account but what the hell. I may use it for real some day.

 

 

Ned.

[+Doc-Dean]

Yea, I wanted to use Ju66l3r but it was taken! Imagine that!

[+sbell111]

I wanted to be 'Jeremy', but somebody already scarfed it up.

[WH]

My name is only 2 letters becasue I have poor short term memory.

 

Did I mention I have poor short term memory?

[+programmer64]

What about banned users? I wanted to use the name Zaphod Beeblebrox but it was taken, and the user is banned.

[+GOT GPS?]

I don't think id want criminal's name, but how about if JEREMY ADMIN goes unused Can i have that?

[+Snoogans]

I almost chose Zaphod Beeblebrox. If I had, I would have found out that there already was a user under that name. The rest is history........

 

Sn gans

[+Klondike Mike]

If someone is recieving emails from GC then I think you could say they are utilizing this free service.If the email becomes undeliveralbe then the system will know it.

If they can't be bothered to log in once every X months then do they really care? If they care so little about thier user name/account should GC care enough to hold it for them?

 

I say let it slide and release the name

 

Besides once they do that the wet cat and the other guy

will be so busy updating thier sock puppets they would have time to troll every thread

[umc]

This is the best name for someone who geocaches ever.

 

I can't believe I got it.

 

It's just a sock puppet account but what the hell. I may use it for real some day.

 

 

Ned.

Oh goodie, Ned Ludd should be up for grabs after its banned or deleted since its a "known" sock puppet account.

[+Ltljon]

I locked in the username I chose for my 3 year old. I would sure hope it'll still be there in 2-3 years when she actually needs it.

[+Corp Of Discovery]

I don't see the problem.....

 

Corps Of Discovery, Corp Of Discovery, and Corp Of Discovery!

 

The last one is us.

[+Gizmo & Brazin]

I had this happen also... I wanted plain old Geogeek. But the name was taken. I found out that that person had 1 find , never to log in again. Still hasn't as far as I know. So I added 65 (the year I as born) so I could get it. The good thing is, people around the area call me plain old Geogeek.

 

I was really kinda getting tired of that name, since it had meaning once but no longer carries the same meaning. I think it's kind of late in the game to change names. I have the domain geogeek65.com registered thru 2005, I have a tone of signature items out in caches, and I have almost 800 finds logged as Geogeek65.

Do you guys think it's too late to change the name?

Oh MY!!!!!

 

I saw your name and thought you were either 65 years old when you joined, or graduated in '65!

 

*Sigh* Guess I'm showing MY age! I don't even think about the year you were born!

 

Sorry........

[+pokyjoe48]

Truly weird, both "Corp of Discovery" are both spelled the same and different owners??? Wow, my head hurts.

[+Mopar]

Just found the perfect example. This guy joined the site almost a year ago, but then didn't have time to actually start (and once you start, we all know you can't stop!) caching until 2 weeks ago. Almost a year with zero finds, forum posts, etc, and now he's averaging almost a cache a day.

The only accounts that should be recycled are ones that were never validated.

[+woodsters]

I think with as big of a users database that this site generates, that they should "prune" every so often. There should be a pruning of usernames for those who are not active within a period of time, say a year. When I say active, I mean they have no finds or cache placements at all and have not logged in for a year. If there is a find or placement associated with the name, then by all means leave it. At least for the time being.

 

Usernames should be validated upon registration. I think that after a period of time, that an email should be sent to the inactive user requesting that they respond to the email to maintain their username. A revalidation basically. If they don't after a certain time period, then the username is removed. This will also make sure or at least encourage people to maintain a correct email address here. Some will make an email account for the sake of making up an account and never use or access the email account again. Also didn't I read that a cache owner must log in every so often or that their cache(s) could be disabled or archived?

[Ned Ludd]

This is the best name for someone who geocaches ever.

 

I can't believe I got it.

 

It's just a sock puppet account but what the hell. I may use it for real some day.

 

 

Ned.

Oh goodie, Ned Ludd should be up for grabs after its banned or deleted since its a "known" sock puppet account.

Hey. Everyone has sock puppet accounts and I am not abusing this one.

 

I think the name is terrif. I am not that active under my other name and may just start using this one instead.

 

Where's the harm.

 

It's not like I creating arguements with myself right UMC!

[+woodsters]

Hey. Everyone has sock puppet accounts ...

No...NOT EVERYONE has sock puppet accounts. People with sock puppet accounts are hiding from something.

[+radioscout]

Just found the perfect example. This guy joined the site almost a year ago, but then didn't have time to actually start ...

The only accounts that should be recycled are ones that were never validated.

You're right. And before an unused or unvalidated account will be erased the owner should be asked by email if he would still keep this account. Like yahoo, where the owner of an inactive group is asked to confirm that the group should remain or could be removed. Of ccourse no accounts with at least one log or listed cache should be deleted.

Edited March 10, 2004 by radioscout

[+woodsters]

That's usually how an account would be validated Radio Scout, by email. Simply clicking on a link or replying to an email like some listserves do. On my message board, I get people that never successfully complete the validation process. I just usually let them die off or sometimes, if they put in an erroneous email address, then I will get an email bounce back at a certain address. At that time, I will normally just delete those that are waiting in the authorization mode that do that. An account does not normally take a whole lot of space, but if you prune out the bad ones, then it will free up some. Not to include the emails sent out every week with the updates.

[crr003]

Yea, I wanted to use Ju66l3r but it was taken!  Imagine that! 

 

Not everyone wants a catchy name that rolls off the tongue!