Administrators, please delete 33,400 member accounts!

When simon started this site 3 years ago, I dont think he care about marketing. Just wanted to make a place where people could come and discusse goverment projects and stuff along those lines. After all its not like hes going to make a fortune by running a forum.

I aggree they should be purged.

I think if you sign up just to read you can find soemthing to post 2 times about. I mean we have BTS you can talk about almost anything. TV, your favorite food, your keyboard, they type of fish food you give to your pirahanas, what kind of bath toys you use.

I mean if you beleive you canot contribute to the board in any way but can comprehend the post on the ATS system then I applaud your gift of being a Savant.

Originally posted by beyondSciFi
When simon started this site 3 years ago, I dont think he care about marketing. Just wanted to make a place where people could come and discusse goverment projects and stuff along those lines. After all its not like hes going to make a fortune by running a forum.

I'm sure you're right, and I'm sure that even in spite of the recent business arrangements they still have little plan on profiting (much at least) from the site. However, it still takes money to run and host the site, and with every server upgrade that amount increases.

I'm in line with Durden. What exactly would be the overall benefit of doing so? Is the goal to try and organize the database a little better? Try and force people to post? Just because it's a "priviledge" and not a "right" doesn't make much sense to me, especially when I've yet to see Simon or SO (or anyone for that matter) say anything about that priviledge being based on actual physical contribution.

EDIT: citing Durden

[edit on 7/26/2005 by MCory1]

I'll tell you the goal...
that memory space ont he server could be used to hold my wonderfull thread on choclate animals that I spotted in the amazon last week in the cryptozoology forum.

(sorry for the joke i have to be commic and happy at all times)

Originally posted by beyondSciFi
When simon started this site 3 years ago, I dont think he care about marketing. Just wanted to make a place where people could come and discusse goverment projects and stuff along those lines. After all its not like hes going to make a fortune by running a forum.

I would guess that you are correct here. But the marketing aspect is still important. It allows us to all hang out here without costing Simon an arm and a leg in server fees.

If you check out the site history, I believe that there was a point where it almost shut down, until the Google ads came through.

This is utterly pointless. I'm a pretty prolific poster, but that's the way I am. My posts are almost always of the highest quality, but that's just me. We have a point system that rewards those who contribute, even though most of the points I have spent have been wasted, such as upload space that doesn't work, RATS that now charges rent, and background color that plays hide and seek. Leave the lurkers alone and seek professional help. Elitism is a scourge.

Maybe some of those 33,400 don't have any input on any topic and they don't post because of it. Or whatever they would have posted was already said by someone else. There's no need to delete their accounts if they are using it to read the topics, they might have a reason for not posting.

But if they join they can "track" the topics they like.

The idea of making people post at least once a month, would mean I would have had to re-join as would have countless others.

Several members of ATS have businesses, family, etc, and can be gone for extended periods of time.

Several people just want to read. I see the difference between people who do not log in for a year. But if they are logging in, reading the posts, that is helping them to deny ignorance which is the whole point of the forum.

If you delete people because they don't post, you help to promote ignorance, you help to run people away from the site and you push them towards other places.

Allow them to deny ignorance, allow them to read all the threads and when they think they can post and when they want to allow them to post especially with the new way people have to sign up.

I would much rather have someone just watching than to make a post that is completely useless. Much like this post, because except for a select few the overall majority of the topic all share the same opinion of leaving the "lurkers, and readers" to themselves. I believe that the system that is in use now is working very well and needs no improvement.

On a side note: Can't wait for that new server so that people can stop complaining about low bandwith.

Let me just point out something to you guys. Over 99% of those 33,400 members are not ever on ATS. Most have just signed up forgot about it and thats it, just leaving a useless acount. If you guys check the board stats, you will see that we get 100-200 members on every day and over 4500 visiters. 100-200 members dailty of 52,200 is pathetic. ATS makes its money from those visters and noone else, deleteing those useless account would have no inpact on market for ATS, it wont even have an impact on bandwith. And as for those members that are just readers they number only in the few hundreds if even that. Hell of those 18,900 members that posted at least once only about 3,900 of them can be considered regular that visit ATS at least once a month. It just goes to show you, that most of you guys have noone idea what your talking about. Where an Admin when you need one?!

[edit on 26-7-2005 by beyondSciFi]

I, as with many, many others, are not seeing an issue here, but apparently, you are?

Are you going to go to the vast majority of other top internet message boards and forum and demand to their administrators that they delete 'x' amount of their total listed membership because they are "ghost" members who have never posted?

I do not recall that Simon had mentioned or posted that they were looking for anyone to replace SkepticOverlord, you? Interesting that you make the demands that you do....





seekerof

[edit on 26-7-2005 by Seekerof]

All I know is if I was placing an ad, I would be more likely to pay more for a site with 34,000 registered members than one with 5,000.

Currently, the audience that visits and participates in AboveTopSecret.com is the largest and most active of any other online community dealing with similar topics (politics, political cover-ups, extraterrestrials, and related current events). Over 1,200 registered members visit every day and over 2,000 visit every week. Our members contribute between 2,500 and 3,000 new messages (or posts) on a daily basis, attracting over 30,000 unique non-member visitors every day.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I have no idea how current this is.

Okay beyond, since you know so much about the visitors to the site, what are the names of those 100-200 members who come on daily? Are they all the exact same members every day? Or is there any chance that a handful of them may be part of that vast number of non-active members who are checking the site for a few minutes to see what's happening and then going on about their day? Is it possible that those ~4500 daily non-member visitors may include some of those members accessing their account from a different computer where they can't log in and are just wanting to look for a reply or something?

And all of that notwithstanding, what did any of them ever do to make it so wrong for them to have an account? I'm sorry, but I still don't see any reason why this should be done.

It sounds like someone wants to change thier name.

I see no issue with the banned members being there, I like the memorys they bring. hehe Cheers!

I have no problem with beyondSciFi's approach to contribution over useless traffic.

Except if and when he starts applying that to population control and eugenics in whatever that part of our world is called that is not cyberspace.

I, myself find my habits on this board to consist of mostly reading. Actually I visit the whole board and read many topics everyday. When I feel that I can contribute in an intellectual and informative manner that strengthens a discussion, I do so. But a situation where those previously afforementioned criteria exist is rarer than its alternative.

I feel one who is wise will keep his or her mouth shut until they have something to say.

BeyondSciFi

Where an Admin when you need one?!

Busting their humps so you can whine more efficiently.

I see no reason to tell people how to do their jobs. What's different about you?

Then the Bison of Truth should say more at times!

Has it ever occured to anyone that bisons kinda look like a cross between a camel and Mr. T?

Is it just me?

Sorry for the tangent, but I just had the revelation.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Busting their humps so you can whine more efficiently.

I see no reason to tell people how to do their jobs. What's different about you?

First, I am not whining.

Second, Im a stating these facts to the admins in hope to make ATS a better community. I am not telling anyone how to do anything except stating my opinion backed by facts, Since when is that illegal? Besides I already helped out to point out problems in the point systems and that turned out well.

If anything, I would be better qualified to point out things then most members.

[edit on 26-7-2005 by beyondSciFi]