[FastJack]

I saw a post over on Dumpshock how someone came over to check it out the new forums, but didn't register since their handle had already been taken over here by a 'squatter'. Sure enough, I looked it up on the user list and it looks like someone simply grabbed the name and hasn't used the account at all.

Will there be a periodic culling of zero-post accounts? And/or will there be a way for people to request an account with no activity to be purged so they can claim the handle as their own?

[Doc Chaos]

Some people I know register just to have better overview over what they already read, but never post. So deleting all 0 post accounts might be problematic.

[FastJack]

True, but there are a number of accounts that signed up and haven't been on since (the last logged in time is less than 10 minutes from their registered time).

[Doc Chaos]

Well, if there's a filter for that, KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!

[Irian]

Whatever you took, I hope you brought enough for the whole class...

[Doc Chaos]

I did, but accidentally swallowed it all 

[Critias]

Some people I know register just to have better overview over what they already read, but never post. So deleting all 0 post accounts might be problematic.

I don't think it's so much an issue of all 0-post accounts, so much as folks that seem to be purposefully squatting on someone else's name and then never logging back in.

[FastJack]

Some people I know register just to have better overview over what they already read, but never post. So deleting all 0 post accounts might be problematic.

I don't think it's so much an issue of all 0-post accounts, so much as folks that seem to be purposefully squatting on someone else's name and then never logging back in.

One of the reasons I'm REALLY glad I got FastJack before someone squatted on it...

[Usda Beph]

Some people I know register just to have better overview over what they already read, but never post. So deleting all 0 post accounts might be problematic.

I don't think it's so much an issue of all 0-post accounts, so much as folks that seem to be purposefully squatting on someone else's name and then never logging back in.

Why on God's Scorcher Earth would someone be that childish? Assuming you mean they take the name so someone else cannot?

[FastJack]

It happens. When I read the post on DumpShock yesterday, LurkerOutThere couldn't get his name here (although looking at the members list, it may have changed since LurkerOutThere is now registered and logged in today).

And names like "The Laughing Man", "NetCat" and "NeonSamurai" have all been claimed and not logged in to since shortly after they were registered.

[Doc Chaos]

Why on God's Scorcher Earth would someone be that childish? Assuming you mean they take the name so someone else cannot?

Its the internet. Jerks never had an easier time...

[Usda Beph]

Why on God's Scorcher Earth would someone be that childish? Assuming you mean they take the name so someone else cannot?

Its the internet. Jerks never had an easier time...

And they say the only stupid question is the one you don't ask!

[Doc Chaos]

In my opinion, there are no stupid questions, only stupid people (which would be people who don't learn from the answers they are given our find out themselves).

[toturi]

You could make them prove that they are not a spambot or a squatter before they are given posting full posting privileges like over at DSF.

Well, for the last 499 members, no one impersonated me. Probably too notorious.

[Critias]

And names like "The Laughing Man", "NetCat" and "NeonSamurai" have all been claimed and not logged in to since shortly after they were registered.

Some of those may -- or may not -- have been intentional, on the part of the mods.  It's not at all uncommon for RPG or wargame forums to have admins snatch up "in universe" names like that to use them, down the road someday, for cool official stuff.  That may or may not be the case here (I genuinely don't know)...but to me it's a non-issue.

What DOES suck is swiping someone's known forum handle, like happened to Lurker.  It's BS, plain and simple, and (just my opinion, here) if the mods PM that handle and no one answers in X amount of time with a good reason to keep the name, the account should be wiped to Lurker can have his friggin' name back.

With any internet handle, there's always the chance it's some pop culture reference and, as far as I know, "LurkerOutThere" is from a tv show I'm not familiar with, or something.  I know it's not impossible for someone else to like Thieves World or Classical history, so there's a chance someone could be "Critias" on here without meaning to poach my name.

A slim chance, but a chance.