# Deleting inactive names **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 6, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110 "2003-02-06T02:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/1 "2003-02-06T02:37:25Z")
When I say “inactive” I am referring to the names that have less than 20 or 30 posts and have not posted for the past 6 or 7 months. If those users were to be deleted (NOT delete their posts) how many dopers would we loose? After browsing thru the Comment on Cecil’s/Staff forums, there seems to be quite a many names that can be booted. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/2 "2003-02-06T03:02:51Z")
Yeah, while we do have over 30,000 registered, most estimates say we have less than five thousand active (which still seems like a hell of a lot). We likely wouldn’t delete the names anytime soon. There’s no real reason to. However, when we changed the board software from UBB to vB, some of the user names were lost- the banned ones, for instance. That’s why in older threads, you’ll see posts labeled “Guest.” ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/3 "2003-02-06T03:12:31Z")
Why delete them? We’ve had posters disappear for long stretches and then come back. **pldennison** and **dropzone** are two “regs” who’ve disappeared for many months now, but whom I expect to see again. On a previous thread on this subject, I noted that I’d seen one person whose first post was two and a half years after he’d registered. A lot of these folks lurk. There’s no need to deny their posting priveleges. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/4 "2003-02-06T12:33:43Z")
Well said, Ringo. So well said I don’t have anything to add! your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/5 "2003-02-06T18:08:16Z")
That _has_ come across my mind – how many lurkers we must have in proportion to “regs”, if you will. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/6 "2003-02-06T18:20:20Z")
Or, in my case, the _dregs_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EVO95](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@EVO95](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EVO95)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/7 "2003-02-06T18:26:42Z")
What if you want the name of someone who hasn’t posted in a long time, and you contact them by e-mail, and request use of their name, if they have decided not to return? ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/8 "2003-02-06T23:44:41Z")
Applying EVO95’s question to my own case… When I tried to register ‘Gyan’ (my first name) , it said the username existed. So, I searched and did not come up with even a single post over the range of all dates. So, I most probably suspect that that it was infact I who registered that name much earlier and never visited the boards again. Until recently. Is there a way I can get that name back ? If you want, I can email one of you Admins the possible email addresses I could have used for that name. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/9 "2003-02-07T14:12:25Z")
The other Gyan ain’t you. Unless you’ve moved from Canada to Pennsylvania sometime in the past two years. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&username=Gyan](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&username=Gyan) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/10 "2003-02-08T06:42:21Z")
On my board, I don’t delete those who haven’t posted, but if someone hasn’t posted and _visited_ after a while, they’re gone. My rule of thumb is that they’re gone if … The last visit was 60 days ago, and they never posted The last visit was 120 days ago, and they posted only once The last visit was 180 days ago, and they posted only twice And so on. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-inactive-names/153110/11 "2003-02-08T14:10:52Z")
Reminds me of a video game they had in my college’s student union, **elmwood**. Post or _die_!