Where have they gone?

[WarpEnterprises]

If you poulate the forum some time, you notice many members who simply vanish.
Some leave a farewell letter, some not.
Some come back all of a sudden.
I am quite snoopy, so maybe one of you can give me answers or add some more members which are simply gone (my examples are from the AviSynth group).

silent members:

dividee
-h
steady

[int 21h]

I sort of remember something making -h angry... ingrateful people always asking for things frustrating him ? I forget, perhaps he just took a break. :confused:

And, although they may not be posting, perhaps they are still lurking ;)

[Acaila]

Dividee left for personal reasons if I'm not mistaken.
-h suddenly stopped coming, although I believe some people have had some contact with him since.
Steady, before he released Dust hadn't posted on this forum for over a year, so I wasn't really surprised to see him gone again shortly after the release. And I'll bet he won't be back for quite some time either.

As to why members with such inactivity remain moderators is only something Doom9 can clarify. In my opinion a moderator should be active (which is why I quit, because I couldn't anymore).

[Kedirekin]

As someone who dropped into lurk mode for an extended period, I feel qualified to add my 2¢ worth.

Personally I just got fed up with the antics and had to restrain myself from going off on people. It took a long time for me to feel like helping answer questions again.

Also, I disagree that mods need to be active. Mods are often also expert users, so they are active, but they're really in two roles (expert and mod) and the two roles are not the same.

Experts answer questions and explore advanced topics with other experts. As said, they are usually very active participants in the forums.

Moderators are literally that - they moderate disputes and monitor for misbehavior and out-of-control threads. Ideally, in a mature forum you'd never even know there was a moderator, because they'd never need to intervene.

[manono]

Hi-

Mods are often also expert users

Yes, I agree, and around here they are expected to play both roles; to moderate any problems that might arise, as well as to dispense expert (or in my case, not so expert) advice.

...so they are active

I don't understand how that follows. That was Acaila's point; that some are not active in either role. They simply don't come around any more. So I think I disagree with your disagreement. :)

[Swede]

(I just had to post this)

I'm not really making any statement here but for those of us that has been around for a long time and wondered where Nando went, here's a picture from my trip to Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. :)

http://leffe.dnsalias.com/nando.jpg

[stickboy]

What about poptones?

[int 21h]

Originally posted by Swede
(I just had to post this)

I'm not really making any statement here but for those of us that has been around for a long time and wondered where Nando went, here's a picture from my trip to Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. :)

http://leffe.dnsalias.com/nando.jpg

LOL, I love that. I'm sure he'd find that very funny. I haven't talked to him for close to 1 or 2 years now, last I heard from him, he was very detached from the video scene, living somewhere in France with a new woman friend... Maybe I will see if I can contact him via some old communication channels.

[Doom9]

As to why members with such inactivity remain moderators is only something Doom9 can clarify.I've always felt that it would be nice to inform people before they get the boot, but if it's impossible to reach them that's a real problem.

Moderators are supposed to inform the rest of the team if they're away for 2 weeks and to resign if they're not active for a 3 month period. For all the names mentioned, this does apply. Effectively now, since I have previously tried (in vain) to contact dividee and steady I have now removed them from moderator duty. I don't like doing that without letting them know in advance, on the other hand it's not very nice towards your peers if you just disappear without notice. As for -h, I've never tried to contact him so I'll try that first before doing anything else.

[WarpEnterprises]

I want to stress out that my motivation was not to kick someone out.
All of those members where VERY active at one time, otherwise we would not talk about them now.
But I agree that it looks strange if there are mods without activity for so long.

[dani82]

ultradna

he's been gone since summer vacation started; that's probably it, summer vacation.

[Doom9]

@WarpEnterprises: Well.. I didn't think you wanted to boot somebody out, but if I have to react, that's what I have to do.

Moderators are literally that - they moderate disputes and monitor for misbehavior and out-of-control threads. Ideally, in a mature forum you'd never even know there was a moderator, because they'd never need to intervene.That is true, but a moderator that doesn't visit the forum cannot react if there's something to react to. And we're not talking about posts here, but I also know when a person has last visited the board.. that's the value that is important when it comes to deciding if somebody is tending to his/her moderator duties or not.

[mic]

"you notice many members who simply vanish"

Sometimes life intrudes... often folks find that they're devoting more and more time, and some of that time occassionally really needs to be spent elsewhere. Like quite a few other pleasurable activities, it's sometimes easier to walk away then cut back.
Can't make light of the amount of time the moderators put in.

[Kedirekin]

@manono

You're right - it doesn't follow that expert users are active users. I put that badly. Hopefully you can excuse the bad wording and see that I was trying to say active mods are most likely active because they're experts, not because they're moderators.

If they were active because they were moderators, this would be a much nastier board (active moderators implies lots of things that needed moderating - flame wars and general unpleasantness).

However, you are certainly welcome to disagree with me. It is after all a matter of semantics.

@Doom9

I agree. There is a difference between being inactive and simply not being. I wasn't aware that you could monitored last visit dates.

[manono]

Hi K-

No, I agree now. And some forums need more moderating than others. The ones where newcomers wind up (Noobs, General Discussion, SVCD Basics, maybe some of the DVD Forums) require the most hands-on attention.

I wasn't aware that you could monitor last visit dates.

Yeah, me neither. Big Brother is watching you. :)

[Doom9]

a moderator's job is defined in the moderator rules. They start like this:A) Help out the people in the forum(s) that have been assigned and keep the discussion going.

B) Uphold the forum rules.
So you see, both is required. A lot of expertise isn't the killer factor.. a general know how in the area is enough. Either way, I think that a moderator should also enjoy helping people out.. it would be really boring to just be a forum policeman.

And as for the big brother angle.. it's no fun keeping track of 37'000 members, so all the data that is being collected goes unused.

[mf]

Originally posted by manono
I wasn't aware that you could monitor last visit dates.

Yeah, me neither. Big Brother is watching you. :)
Oh, if only you knew, if only you knew.. *looks at vB big-brother switchpanel* :D

[tiki4]

Regarding -h, please check here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55087).

Actually it always feels like the forum is changing a little when such active members disappear without a trace and even if they leave officially I never feel too comfortable with it. (I didn't even know neuron2 has left.)

tiki4

[hakko504]

Originally posted by tiki4
(I didn't even know neuron2 has left.) He's Back. (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=367879#post367879) :)

[tiki4]

Good news!

[mikeson]

Please is anybody in touch with Steady? It would be great if he would come back. But maybe he doesn't have enough free time to spare.

[bilu]

Originally posted by hakko504
He's Back. (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=367879#post367879) :)

We was back :)

Time for another sabbattical
http://neuron2.net/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=246


Bilu

[N_F]

I never was nor will I ever be as important a member as -h, steady och dividee. They wrote code, I put in words here and there on the forum. :) Nevertheless I'd like to say a few words.

I kinda stopped visiting this board during summer sometime. I got a very demanding job and I didn't really have the energy to stop by everyday like I used to. And somewhere on that road I also discovered my interest had cooled off and I put my encoding tools on the shelf. :/ Then I went off for university/college (whatever the difference is for you english speaking people) and definitely didn't have the time or energy to visit this board reguarly.

All in all I'm a bit sad when thinking about it, but life goes on.

[vhelp]

From: http://neuron2.net/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=246
I wondered if anyone noticed.

I know exactly how you feel. I'm burned out too, but for me, it's
thanks in part w/ my new boss, who has worned me out to the
point that I feel my personal life is boring at the this time. I
do still do what I do, but I wanted to share that w/ ya becuase I
do know what you mean/feel.
.
.
It's funny, becuase lately, I've ben wrestling w/ the thoughts about
my hobby and my work mixed in w/ my personal life (be it, my video
hobbies or my music hobbies (playing the guitar and keyboard)) and
when you (or one) is suffering to some degree (everyone has a level
or point they reach) from a given situation or carrier or whatever,
it's just a matter of time when it begins to permutate across other
areas. Anyways.. Yeah, w/ my new boss, we are fighting all the
time (at a disagreement) and this is every day, day in day out.. to
the point that I am now looking for another job. Shame, because I
really like what I'm doing, but this new boss has taken even that
away from me.
.
.
Sometimes, a new perspective (creature in one) is developed from this,
and that's just how life is. People change based on life's reflection
or ware/tare and you have to either mold around it, or morf into a
form capable of baring such nonsense that life forces upon us :)
This doesn't really effect the younger group though, usually those
wiser :wink: with respect, ..Anyways.. me RaNtInG.

-vhelp