Do you like the online indicator?

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March 9, 2019 at 8:48 pm #10231
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Hello,
Trying out a poll here. Do you guys like the sidebar that shows who's been online recently?

Or do you find it too invasive?
This forum software currently has no option to be an "invisible" user, so I can either keep the indicator or remove it - at least in the sidebar. You'll still be able to see when someone was online in their profile.
Thoughts?
March 9, 2019 at 10:24 pm #10237
Aletheia
Participant
- Type: TiNe
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Adaptive
The schizoid cat in me feels shown up when I'm being a lazy lurker and not posting ;p But that also causes motivation for me to integrate and quit being anti-social.. so overall I like it! (you'll get moar posts outa me with it there, fwiw)
March 10, 2019 at 1:13 am #10248
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
ikr?
it also is nice to see who is online, and i think it shows how active this place is. which btw, wow i'm surprised how active this forum's getting.
(but i'm conflicted. i like to see who's online, but i don't always like them seeing that i'm online )
March 10, 2019 at 4:05 am #10259
Aletheia
Participant
- Type: TiNe
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Indeed! There are some great discussions going on, and lots of participation. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a thriving community..

(but i’m conflicted. i like to see who’s online, but i don’t always like them seeing that i’m online )

(^exactly my sentiment.. like a ghost, the Ti-lead is an invisible voyeur of others and all of reality ;D)
March 10, 2019 at 4:12 am #10260
Rua
Moderator
- Type: NeTi
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Adaptive
I also feel conflicted here (haven't voted yet), being an inveterate lurker it is strange to constantly see my profile picture in the sidebar, but I think I prefer it to the alternative, which might feel too lifeless, especially if there comes a slump in activity and no one is clearly visible; seems like it would exacerbate the issue in that case. As Alerith said it's also a nice motivator to post 🙂
March 10, 2019 at 4:21 am #10261
Animal
Participant
- Type: SeFi
- Development: lll-
- Attitude: Seelie
Hehe yes. I have nothing to hide. May my soul bare itself before the typology Kings and Queens, to be scrutinized and prodded for Science.
March 10, 2019 at 10:21 am #10272
asmodeus, king of demons
Participant
- Type: NeTi
- Development: l---
- Attitude: Adaptive
pls remove
March 10, 2019 at 12:08 pm #10274
Umbilical Sphere
Participant
- Type: NeTi
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Idk why I dont like it. I dont like my activity being traced. If some people do want it, and other people dont, should there be a tyranny of the majority? Of course I would say no XD Theres probably some feature that gives everyone what they want that could be constructed, no? Code is very flexible!
March 10, 2019 at 4:27 pm #10276
Rua
Moderator
- Type: NeTi
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Adaptive
@UmbilicalSphere

Idk why I dont like it. I dont like my activity being traced. If some people do want it, and other people dont, should there be a tyranny of the majority? Of course I would say no XD Theres probably some feature that gives everyone what they want that could be constructed, no? Code is very flexible!

I feel that a compromise position could be the ability to hide the sidebar; you might not be able to stop people from tracking whether you're on the forums or not but you don't have to constantly be reminded of it either. But I do not know what would be supported by this specific software.
March 10, 2019 at 4:37 pm #10278
Elsie
Participant
- Type: SeFi
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Unseelie
yeah i aint logging in again
it also says i'm not popular
March 10, 2019 at 4:59 pm #10279
Shelley Lorraine
Participant
- Type: NeFi
- Development: ll--
- Attitude: Seelie
yeah i aint logging in again
it also says i’m not popular

Oh man, I didn't even notice that before! I mean, I know I'm not one of the cool kids around here, but now my competitive side feels challenged - no one wants to see the results of that. Not even I. ?
March 10, 2019 at 5:16 pm #10280
Rua
Moderator
- Type: NeTi
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Adaptive
@ Elsie

yeah i aint logging in again
it also says i’m not popular

I hadn't thought about this before, but yeah you could just browse primarily as a guest and only log if you wanted to post, that combined with the ability to hide the sidebar itself seems like it covers most of the privacy/ invasion concerns so far.
I have so far avoided all social media in my life, but for some reason I think I mostly like this little sidebar, to me it actually feels not too intrusive or overwhelming since there are only four displayed at a time and I could always browse as a guest if I needed solitary time.
March 10, 2019 at 7:33 pm #10291
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Yea, I am concerned about members deciding just to not come online, and/or not participate because they feel too exposed. So while this can encourage participation, it can also discourage it.

If some people do want it, and other people dont, should there be a tyranny of the majority?

It seems right now the tally is ~44% / 55%, so if 40% of the members are uncomfortable with a feature, I think we can modify it. It doesn't have to cross the 50% threshold, there just has to be enough discomfort, I think, yes.
edit: no, wait this doesn't really address the fundamental desire... which is privacy. so I'll remove it, especially since the tally is up to 50% now. I may re-add the online users marker if I find a way to have an "invisible" option. 🙂
March 10, 2019 at 7:48 pm #10296
Tea
Participant
- Type: NeFi
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Seelie
I can live with it, but I think it's weird. I never understood them.
March 10, 2019 at 7:55 pm #10298
Animal
Participant
- Type: SeFi
- Development: lll-
- Attitude: Seelie
@auburn
That solution makes sense to me. 🙂
In terms of voting, I agree with going with the majority and avoiding making people uncomfortable. I'm not personally offended if the indicator is or isn't there. I was just stating that it doesn't have much effect on me either way. I used to try to hide on forums because I was stalking my crush, but now I'm married to him, so I have nothing else left to hide. Others may not be so lucky and may require some undercover stalking coverage. 😀
March 10, 2019 at 9:31 pm #10305
asmodeus, king of demons
Participant
- Type: NeTi
- Development: l---
- Attitude: Adaptive
an invisible/away/online type mode a la discord/skype wouldn't be unreasonable
March 11, 2019 at 4:16 am #10328
EpicEntity
Participant
- Type: SeTi
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Directive
What's wrong with a little sneaky sneak?
People reading this be like: "O hell noo... now I totally freakin veto... turn it off?!"
I'm like: "Noo... keep it on... yesssss!"?

Update: I voted and created a tie braker. LOL
March 11, 2019 at 6:54 am #10339
Bera
Moderator
- Type: SeFi
- Development: ll--
- Attitude: Seelie
I don't really understand the problem. So, what happens if people see someone is online???
But I never checked who was online, so if some people don't like others to see the exact time when they were online, I think the change is fair, since for the others (like me) this issue does not even exist.
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