"Who's Online" on this forum

[hotdogPi]

I often check "Who's Online" on this forum (that's often how a topic gets resurrected), and here are some interesting things I have found about it:

1. Nobody else checks "Who's Online".

2. Sometimes someone will have Nothing, or nothing you can see...
What does that mean? Also, only guests and admins seem to do it.

[Molandfreak]

I have no idea what you are attempting to ask, but maybe I can shed some light on the situation.

1. Nobody else checks "Who's Online".

Why do we need to?

2. Sometimes someone will have Nothing, or nothing you can see...
What does that mean? Also, only guests and admins seem to do it.

I have noticed when I've conversed with members, sometimes it will show them as offline. I assume these users are using smartphones to post to the forum on these occasions.

[froggie]

I often check "Who's Online" on this forum (that's often how a topic gets resurrected),

Huh?

Topics get resurrected because A) someone has new information on the topic, or B) a new user wants to have their say on an old topic.  Has nothing to do with "who's online".

1. Nobody else checks "Who's Online".

Moland's right...no real need to.  Plus, the main forum page shows who's been active within the last 15 minutes, so why go to a special page?

Some (most?) of us aren't on this forum to see who else is.  We're on this forum to comment/post information related to transportation, or other stuff in the case of the "Off-topic" folder, mostly sports and hobbies there.

[1995hoo]

I never look at the list of who's online, but it's meaningless anyway. I've often looked at the forum and then, because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, left it running in a browser tab for several hours while I was doing something else. It might show me as "online" when for all practical purposes I might as well not be.

[Takumi]

I often check "Who's Online" on this forum (that's often how a topic gets resurrected),

Huh?

Topics get resurrected because A) someone has new information on the topic, or B) a new user wants to have their say on an old topic.  Has nothing to do with "who's online".

I think what he's saying is he sees someone on the Who's Online screen viewing an old topic, so he goes and looks at it himself, and in some cases resurrects it.

[J N Winkler]

I wouldn't check "Who's online," largely because I don't know how the forum software generates the listing, and it might actually be spurious.  If I had to guess, "Who's online" might be shorthand for "Which of these users sent a page request in the last fifteen minutes that was accompanied by the login cookie for that specific user," which would mean that some users would be excluded if, for example, they used private browsing.

In short:

*  If you are tempted to post something on the basis that a given user is not shown as "online" and thus won't see it immediately--don't.

*  If you post and hope that a user shown as "online" will see it and reply immediately--be patient, and be prepared to send a PM or use another direct contact mechanism if you really need an answer.

"Who's online" is useful mainly for getting an impression of who checks the forum frequently and how active the forum is at various times of day.

[ET21]

Making a topic on everything I see? 

[froggie]

I think what he's saying is he sees someone on the Who's Online screen viewing an old topic, so he goes and looks at it himself, and in some cases resurrects it.

Which might be the case with him/her, but from what I've seen, is not the case overall.

I wouldn't check "Who's online," largely because I don't know how the forum software generates the listing, and it might actually be spurious.  If I had to guess, "Who's online" might be shorthand for "Which of these users sent a page request in the last fifteen minutes that was accompanied by the login cookie for that specific user," which would mean that some users would be excluded if, for example, they used private browsing.

I'd think (and expect) that posting a reply would trigger it as well, even if 'private browsing' was used.

[bob7374]

Speaking of 'Who's Online', anyone notice that a new log-in record was set on August 4? From the bottom of the main page -'Most Online Ever: 261 (August 04, 2013, 11:35:07 AM)'.

I was logged in at the time and the online listing had about 40 or so 'users' and about 220 'guests.' Typically there may be over 100 guests at times, but over 200? Anyone know what could account for this large number of guests, especially given that it was on a Sunday morning. Was the main topic of concern at the time, airport signage, of that much interest? Was the Forum address listed in an article in the Sunday paper somewhere?

[vdeane]

I'd think (and expect) that posting a reply would trigger it as well, even if 'private browsing' was used.

Private browsing doesn't affect anything if you're signed in, and if you not, there's no posting a reply, so it's moot.