# Can we get a "Who's Online" function? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234 "2006-03-21T02:20:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/1 "2006-03-21T02:20:34Z")
Maybe even with instant messaging capabilities? What if I promise to be good this year? Adam ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/2 "2006-03-21T02:22:12Z")
The little dot next to your user name let’s you know who is logged in. If it is green, they are logged in. If it is greyed out they are not. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/3 "2006-03-21T02:23:09Z")
Understood. I meant a list of names at the bottom of each page showing who’s online, or at least a link to a list. Adam ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/4 "2006-03-21T02:24:32Z")
You can add people to your Buddy list and then under Quick links is the Open Buddy list. This shows who is online. As far as AIM, that is up to the users who choose to list an IM account. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/5 "2006-03-21T02:52:53Z")
> [@Agent Foxtrot](#): > > Understood. I meant a list of names at the bottom of each page showing who’s online, or at least a link to a list. Ain’t gonna happen, I’m sure. vBulletin does have that feature, but it’s turned off on this board because it slooooooooows down the poor hamsters. Besides, with 3,000-4,000 active members it would make for a long list that could easily eat up half the index page. **Amp** : Correction, if the little light is grey it might mean they are offline, but it could also mean they have opted to hide their online status. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/6 "2006-03-21T03:33:12Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > **Amp** : Correction, if the little light is grey it might mean they are offline, but it could also mean they have opted to hide their online status. We do not currently have the privacy option. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/7 "2006-03-21T03:38:58Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > We do not currently have the privacy option. Huh, you’re right. I know it USED to be available in the User CP, though I never bothered to enable it myself. When did they disable that, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/8 "2006-03-21T03:44:28Z")
Been disabled since we went pay2post, or the nearest upgrade to that revered time of yore. There’s been several ATMB threads asking for it back (including one by me), but no real answer has ever come. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/9 "2006-03-21T04:23:13Z")
Go to the list of options at the top of the page. Click the one that says logout. Voila! Instant hidden mode. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/10 "2006-03-21T13:21:15Z")
> [@Inner Stickler](#): > > Go to the list of options at the top of the page. Click the one that says logout. Voila! Instant hidden mode. 😃 Ok let me try that. Hey it wor ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/11 "2006-03-21T15:26:00Z")
Right now I can give you roughly 317 reasons why we don’t list who’s online. 547 Users Online (317 members and 230 guests) Some don’t care if their names are listed; some care very much indeed. It’s also another task for the server to handle that can be reduced. TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/12 "2006-03-23T03:26:31Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Been disabled since we went pay2post, or the nearest upgrade to that revered time of yore. There’s been several ATMB threads asking for it back (including one by me), but no real answer has ever come. It never occurred to me to care. Why would one? Just askin’. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/13 "2006-03-23T10:14:28Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > We do not currently have the privacy option. Only **Lynn Bodoni** has the magical powers of Invisible: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7223750#post7223750](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7223750#post7223750) She doesn’t even show up on the mod roster: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php)? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/14 "2006-03-23T13:25:23Z")
Lynn Bodoni is semi-retired from the board, but does still work for the Dope and handles chores for us. She does not have specific responsibility for a certain forum, so she’s free-floating in the moderator/administrator world. As such she is not expected to handle requests/problems like the rest of us and is not on the contact list. As she is our roving Angel of Death, this somehow seems appropriate. 🙂 TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/15 "2006-03-23T17:18:39Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Lynn Bodoni is semi-retired from the board, but does still work for the Dope and handles chores for us. > > She does not have specific responsibility for a certain forum, so she’s free-floating in the moderator/administrator world. As such she is not expected to handle requests/problems like the rest of us and is not on the contact list. > > As she is our roving Angel of Death, this somehow seems appropriate. 🙂 > > TubaDiva Ooh, a “Moderator Without Portfolio.” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-a-whos-online-function/349234/16 "2006-03-23T17:36:45Z")
> [@xash](#): > > Only **Lynn Bodoni** has the magical powers of Invisible: > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7223750#post7223750](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7223750#post7223750) > > She doesn’t even show up on the mod roster: > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php)? To paraphrase Tim Allen: she’s not really here.