How Can This Be!

[whitestar505]

Currently Active Users: 18 (8 members and 10 guests)Most users ever online was 166, 07-28-2004 at 10:53 PM.
whitestar505, brainpause, Cheryl, chip, Old Goat



Does this make sense?

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[MommaMia]

Currently Active Users: 18 (8 members and 10 guests)Most users ever online was 166, 07-28-2004 at 10:53 PM.
whitestar505, brainpause, Cheryl, chip, Old Goat



Does this make sense?

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If you are talking about 8 members active, but only 5 of you show up... you can view the forums but stay hidden from public view..... lurking in other words.

[mike4947]

It's not uncommon for forum software of most varieties to show erronious numbers in the "most users ever online" amount. Some one explained it to me what happpens but of course it went in one ear and out the other because it didn't really bother me.

[whitestar505]

If you login it should show up with user name. If you do not login you are a guest but can not see all. Don't know of any other way unless you are admin/console.  This is way off.
 

If you are talking about 8 members active, but only 5 of you show up... you can view the forums but stay hidden from public view..... lurking in other words.

[Kelly]

If you login it should show up with user name. If you do not login you are a guest but can not see all. Don't know of any other way unless you are admin/console.  This is way off.

Nope ~ not true.  You can login and be invisible ~ not show up as online.  Click on User CP and then on options.  The first option is to make yourself invisible (can I do that in real life?  )   If you check that box you are invisible when you are logged on ... lurking, as it were.

[tlhdoc]

Kelly has it right.  You can be online here and hide.  I don't know why someone would want to do that, but they can.

[birol]

People like me do it all the time .....

Kelly has it right.  You can be online here and hide.  I don't know why someone would want to do that, but they can.

[whitestar505]

Here is my idea on this, if you are hiding you have something to hide about and it is not good! I don't like this option neither tlhdoc.

[SkipP]

Here is my idea on this, if you are hiding you have something to hide about and it is not good! I don't like this option neither tlhdoc.

I see it as people placing value on their privacy much like using an alias (or "handle") here instead of their real name. Certainly don't see either one as "bad" or having something to hide about.

[whitestar505]

Okay, most of us have a handles anyways so our privacy is private,
why hide the handle?
 
 

I see it as people placing value on their privacy much like using an alias (or "handle") here instead of their real name. Certainly don't see either one as "bad" or having something to hide about.

[bearbait]

why hide the handle?

 
Because they can.......what is the big deal in the grand scheme of things weather they hide or not?  Is this a life and death issue that no one told us about?  
 
Maybe the better question here is what are you trying to gain by finding out who is on line and when?  What are your motives?

[NightOwl]

Most users ever online was 166, 07-28-2004 at 10:53 PM.  -->

I have to admit that when I came back from my trip and saw this, I thought, WOW:  all those people online here at once , and I missed it!  And I wondered what was the cause o so many people reading at once.  Maybe something juicy?
 :-()  :-()  :-()

but then, it also occurred to me that  maybe there were quite a few new or new and shy members who were lurking and reading and trying to get acquainted with what is going on here.

CONFESSION ( BIG GUILT TRIP): sometimes I log in at 1 or 2 AM, and  I log on invisibly becuase I dont want someone else to see me here and think I am some internet  junkie who stays up all night long and surfs the net.  (Even though--hee,hee--sometimes I AM!  :J )  (Well, when you dont have to get up and go to work and you have a  sweet hubby who lets you sleep-in if you want....you count your blessings and just dont worry about insomnia! )

And then to compound the problem, sometimes I forget to go back to visible mode

Also, I belong to several other  message boards (fitness and nutrition and some arts and crafts boards) and I almost never post or "appear" because I am such a novice, and the other members are so knowledgeable) that I feel I dont  really have anything to add, and so just lurk.

[NightOwl]

and then again, sometimes people just  like to lurk because they are  professional LURKERS!


So, good old friend whitestar505, please do not  have any unpleasant thoughts about lurkers. Remember, poor dears, it isnt easy to be a lurker :J--they need all the friends they can get and sometimes it's hard  to be one of the gang  when you hang out in the shadows.  (Hi there, Lurkers :W)  

 Of course, sometimes it isnt easy to be popular when you are NOT lurking and we have all experienced that, too I guess

[Mountaineer]

Well...then there are those of us who like to browse through the info but don't spend enough time to really learn how to use the system.  Thanks for this discussion.  I had never really thought about whether or not I was invisible.  This discussion has encouraged me to do a bit of investigation.  Perhaps I can learn how to use this forum.  (I probably should be writing next week's lesson plans because this weekend I will be enjoying the RV show in Harrisburg).
      Phil

[SkipP]

Okay, most of us have a handles anyways so our privacy is private,
why hide the handle?

Why not? I don't see anything wrong with either way. People have their own motivation for being public or private. I don't think there is any sinister intent there though.