By that reasoning, what’s wrong with “dead”?
Okay, if some people think this is personal information, how about “Former member”?
I prefer a simple “He gone now”.
mmm
See Post No. 70.
But that wasn’t Darren. Well, you probably know that.
As for offensive euphemisms, I will see your ‘passed’ and raise you a “lost”, as in “I was so sorry to hear you lost your parents.”
“Oh, they’re not lost. Quite the opposite: I not only know exactly where they are, they’re going to stay put for a long, long time.”
Status: “Taking a dirt nap”
Dude, it’s just a message board. Who gives a shit? Comparing it to Mormon baptisms of the dead is a wee bit over the top, don’t you think? It’s not a violation of privacy to say that someone is dead, either. (Besides, once you post something on the internet, it’s no longer private.)
Count me in as one who’s in favor of it. “Morbid”? Death is a part of life. Hell, “morbid” is a part of life. It happens.
There is no one on the sdmb that I know in real life. Some real life people have heard me mention in conversation “Oh, on this messageboard that I like . . .” but I’d be surprised if any of them could say off the top of their head what the name of the messageboard is.
So, I’m putting $5 in my will for the first Doper to confirm my death.
“He’s dead, Jim.”
I’d have no problem with “dead” either (for me, and others). I just prefer “deceased” because the word sounds nicer, without euphemising the concept unnecessarily.
As I said, I don’t really care, but if I had an objection this would be it. I really don’t see what the point would be. Someone said it would prevent some noob from posting a zombie thread, but common sense shows that if they can’t notice the date, they won’t notice a title. And also, I say again, if there is no way to do it with everyone, it just seems a bit cliquish to me.
I’m not in favor of this idea.
We have plenty of threads where someone made a post and they’re not coming back to that thread. Some of those people still post here, some of them don’t.
We don’t always know the reasons why someone’s posting status changes. When they have indeed left the building and we are made aware of it, we indicate in the “In Memoriam” thread in MPSIMS. This is a sticky and always visible towards the top of the listing.
We also move that account into a database where it can no longer be accessed to make postings. This is not visible – the registration appears the same as always – but posts cannot be made from that registration.
I really think that’s sufficient.
What’s the difference between an old thread resurrected from the past where someone has passed away and someone has merely left the board? The response is the same – there is no response. For someone who brings such a thread out of the past and into the now, what’s the difference? A note to the newbie (it’s almost always a newbie) that this person hasn’t posted since _______ [insert post date here] and is unlikely to return is sufficient.
The Doper mind seems to be the type that really enjoys sorting and pigeonholing – everything neatly filed away into little categories. Life is by its very nature a messy thing and people and situations are not always so easily sorted out.
Or, you know, don’t tell anybody here.
There are lots of ways to be a “former member”, like being banned, losing interest in the board, going to prison and not rating any internet privileges…
Given TubaDiva’s response this is likely just beating a (dead / expired / deceased / pining for the fjords / dirt napping / insert your favorite) equine. But…
Some zombie threads are actually an interesting read, or even worthy of fresh commentary, as the new more relaxed policy toward them recognizes. And it isn’t just the OP of such a thread whose demise may be significant to the discussion. As I read through (yeah, I still often forget to notice the OP date) I may be making note of certain points to which I might offer a reply. Under the present system, it’s easy to see that there is little point in replying directly to someone who shows as BANNED. Similarly it would be occasionally useful to know that others are also beyond my present ability to communicate, being DECEASED.
And this doesn’t apply only to zombies, but to many current threads with ongoing discussions. No, I’m not going to go check any **In Memoriam **sticky for the presence of posters toward whom I may wish to direct a comment. Or search their profile for last posting date either. I’d be constantly doing so for all except the most prolific posters who inhabit the forums I frequent. I’m paying attention to the thread, not to whether I’ve seen someone’s username before or how long it’s been since the last time I saw it.
I suspect there will be precious few posters whose disappearance will actually be confirmed as being due to discorporation, and the brevity of the **In Memoriam **thread confirms this. Most will simply disappear, as so many do, never to be heard from again. I cannot imagine that changing member status to DECEASED for those few individuals can be even slightly more work for the mods than adding them to the sticky. And a whole lot less work than sending “A note to the newbie (it’s almost always a newbie)” every time this happens.
I don’t have a whole lot invested in this, and my user experience isn’t likely to be impacted more than a smidgen either way. But it seems a simple idea, occasionally beneficial, with virtually zero downside. At least, after 93 posts, I haven’t seen any problems suggested that go beyond personal preference. So I’m still supportive of the idea.
Perhaps you could set the board software to change the status to “Missing, presumed dead” for any poster inactive for more than five years.
I think this is a good idea, and not only for the reason of letting people know that the now-deceased poster won’t be responding – I agree with **Tuba **that the In Memoriam sticky + a note in the thread can cover that.
I do like the idea as part of the Community Spirit we are at least imagining we are fostering here. It just seems like a nice touch – “this person is remembered.”
A sample of your cremains must be sent to the Chicago Reader for DNA comparison.
That kinda strikes me as the very definition of morbid.
Anyway, you’ll miss me when I’m “Coil-Shuffled.”
“It’s more than that” 
Put me down for in memoriam (but not yet, okay???:D)
Thanks
Q
Would instructions from an executor to alter a signature be followed?
I don’t care myself, I’ve already introduced a virus into all major software that will continue posting for me for the next 12 centuries.