# Why did some users reappear as guests with zero posts? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 17, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362 "2009-04-17T01:08:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/1 "2009-04-17T01:08:47Z")
I haven’t been following what’s going on with changes in SDMB membership, etc. So if I’m boring you with stuff that you’ve been through a billion times, sorry about that. But it seems like at least a few familiar user names are appearing as guests with a post count of zero. What’s that about? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/2 "2009-04-17T01:19:33Z")
Guests don’t show a post count at all. They are probably members who let their paid membership expire, which reverts them to “Guest”, and the system no longer shows their location or post count on their posts. You can see their location and post count by clicking on their profile though. ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/3 "2009-04-17T04:01:07Z")
I’ve never been a paid member. I thinks it’s about time I stopped showing up as a guest. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/4 "2009-04-17T12:17:10Z")
Someone noticed me! Well, it probably wasn’t me personally. But I got noticed in general! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/5 "2009-04-17T14:43:58Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > I’ve never been a paid member. I thinks it’s about time I stopped showing up as a guest. I’m not sure what you mean. If you aren’t a paying member then your posts will always appear as Guest. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/6 "2009-04-17T15:04:16Z")
The board has been in three modes. 1. Before Pay to Post, if you wanted to post, as opposed to just lurking, you signed up, no charge, and were a “Member”. (There were a bunch of other titles for those affiliated in oome way with the Straight Dope: Moderator, Administrator, SDSAB, etc., but hoi polloi were ‘Members’.) 2. When Pay to Post went into effect, you were charged $14.95 a year to post. Those who signed up as it was imposed were Charter Members at half price, and could continue to renew membership at half price. Those who signed up thereafter and paid were Members. Those who wanted to test things out before paying were Guests, and had 30 days free trial, lifetime, after which they needed to either pay or stop posting. 3. When Pay to Post ended, the Dope got its income mostly from ads. You could pay for the privilege of not seeing those ads, at the old rates (or if your Membership or Charter Membership was meaningful to you). Anyone could post, by the epxedient of signing up. Those who don’t pay are Guests – even those who were Members before Pay to Post went into effect – and they get hit with ads. Members and Charter Members pay for the privilege of not seeing ads or because they are supportive of the Dope or of their status as members. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/7 "2009-04-17T15:40:00Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > …but hoi polloi were ‘Members’. And now, of course, ‘members’ are _hoi polloi_ whereas you are _hoi oligoi_. I have long thought these Greek titles should replace ‘members’ and ‘charter members’ but couldn’t think of a similar one for ‘guests’. Except where guests become a nuisance to both _hoi polloi_ and _hoi oligoi_, in which case we could call them _hoi trolloi_. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/8 "2009-04-18T21:11:16Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > _hoi trolloi_. Why does this make me think of gummi bears? ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/9 "2009-04-19T07:47:14Z")
You are thinking of Haribo ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-some-users-reappear-as-guests-with-zero-posts/493362/10 "2009-04-19T21:36:25Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > And now, of course, ‘members’ are _hoi polloi_ whereas you are _hoi oligoi_. > > I have long thought these Greek titles should replace ‘members’ and ‘charter members’ but couldn’t think of a similar one for ‘guests’. Except where guests become a nuisance to both _hoi polloi_ and _hoi oligoi_, in which case we could call them _hoi trolloi_. Right What?