Admin Morrigan 1,826 Admin Share Posted June 8, 2016 Who was online has been a popular feature of many an RP since I can remember. It tells you which characters or players logged on in the last day (or since midnight depending on the mod). I've always thought that those things could really harm a site but I still conformed and added one. overall I think it can do one of two things, give people hope that isn't there (lots of logins but the result is that none of those people are posting) or no one logs on (the site is small and someone hadn't logged in in over 1 day which happens). Now on the flip side I can see it helping by telling you who logs in to check out their wanted ads etc that the staff is still active and whatnot but I don't think it's a good indicator as someone (like me) I can re-open my browser and it will auto-log me on without even looking at the site or switch to the wrong tab on my phone etc. What are your opinions? Do you even use them? Profile set made by myself and original Artwork by Fae Merriman, my daughter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death Kitten 200 Share Posted June 8, 2016 I think with cboxes and other chat options, having the forum/system telling you who's logged in isn't that necessary. If someone only has time to tag and run, they likely won't hit the chat, and showing them online/logged in just makes people wonder why they aren't chatting or if they're getting a response today, etc. People logging in doesn't necessarily mean activity, so it certainly isn't an accurate indicator to people who aren't playing yet either. 1 Captain Amelia Waterhouse, Commanding Officer =/\= Join =/\= Roster & Openings =/\= Rules =/\= Chat =/\= "It is human nature to yearn to be what we were never intended for. It is singular, but it is so." -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CovertSphinx 710 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I never was fond of it, and would really like to turn the feature off. When I tried to hold out and not conform though, I ended up getting a lot of backlash from current members at the time so now that I'm trying some new things I'm a little hesitant on nixing it just yet. (I already swapped the Cbox/chatango for a shoutbox that only members can post in. Got tired of anons posting the "is this place alive" bs without looking at the actual board lol) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirusZero 176 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Personally, I kind of like seeing the who's online list simply because it shows people that at least were online. Which gives me a rough idea of who shows up and how frequently they do without having to go to their profiles and check last online date. (I mean some members only log in every few months where others show up every day.) Though I wouldn't put any stock into it for gauging activity. I mean just being online doesn't mean anything happened, nor does it show that one account made 10 posts. I've considered making a plugin that only displays the chatbox if someone's logged in (a variant of another plugin on my site). But at the present I'm not going to because there are still times/reasons I want guests to use it, 5 "There are three sides to every story... Your side, their side, and then somewhere in the middle is the truth." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Archaic Cyborg Share Posted June 9, 2016 @Death Kitten , what they said, pretty much! I always have it on, bu I'm not 100% reliant on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune 1,099 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I use it on occasion to see if anyone has actually been online - If the site looks dead but people are logging on, there might be some other reason there or simply a lull in activity as opposed to actual death. That and I like getting my members riled up to break the record of most accounts online. <.< 2 Heart of the Community 2018 Cry Wolf - 18+ AU Mercy Thompson (Urban Fantasy) RP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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