SIT: Is there any way of weeding out the chaff?

[jillruss]

I spent a couple of hours a week or so ago ploughing my way through the Surname Interests Table. I hadn't looked at it for a while, so I updated my entries and checked for any possible matches.

I sent PMs to 3 people: one of whom replied pretty quickly, although it was 'no match'.

Neither of the others bothered to reply, so I've just checked out their profiles. One joined RC in 2006, has never posted and the last time he/she was logged on was also in 2006. The other joined September 2008 , last online Oct 2008 and has never posted.

Apart from wondering why anyone would go to all the bother of entering their surname interests and then dip out completely, I'm not that chuffed about wasting my own efforts.

Please, is there any way that such people can be executed .. oh alright then... excommunicated? They're just clogging up the system as far as I can see. The site organisers must have their email addresses - is there any way an email can be automatically sent to them after a reasonable amount of time asking if they would like to renew or (frankly) b---er off!

Jill

[mshrmh]

Jill - you have my sympathy, not that that's any use.

I've seen this suggestion made several times before, but not seen a response from "Administration" (or similar title, sorry if that's the wrong version). I have also seen people (ordinary users IIRC) suggest that to "cull" members (as enumerated prominently) could affect advertising revenue which is after all what enables the site to be free for us to use. I suppose it's a difficult balancing act....

[jillruss]

I suppose I hadn't thought of the revenue side of it.

What I didn't add in my last post, is that I found a 4th person in the Surname Interests Table that day. He/she is the only other person I'd managed to locate with a particular surname in Lincolnshire so I was champing at the bit to make contact.  Only I couldn't, because he/she had only posted once - and, for security reasons, I cannot send him/her a PM until they've posted 3 times.

So, I was well and truly stymied that day, and, to be honest, I don't think I'll bother with the Surname Interests Table again - it doesn't seem to be worth the hassle. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great idea in principal, but doesn't seem to work in practice. 

Jill

[carol8353]

Jill

I didn't think the 3 posting rule applied to you sending a PM......only to the newbie replying to it?

I imagine you could send a PM and include your email address.

However if they haven't logged on to Rootschat for ages,it kind of seems pointless ,cos they won't read it

I agree with you about the SIT needing pruning if people haven't been on Rootschat for a while though.

Carol

[jillruss]

Hi Carol,

No - I tried to send this person a PM but I got a message to tell me that I couldn't because of the 3 PM rule.
But then as you say, if he/she isn't logging on there's not an awful lot I can do about it anyway. It's just so frustrating because that particular surname seems really uncommon.

heigh ho! 

Jill

[alpinecottage]

To contact this 4th person who has posted once, why not answer that post saying you'd like to contact him or her, but can't because he/she hasn't made enough posts.          Then, he/she will get a message in his/her email to look on Rootschat again - and with a bit of luck.....it will be the beginning of a fruitful partnership

[n4mv3t]

... just a thought ... if a 'recent' member had a computer/hard drive crash and lost everything (or the 'techo' at the computer shop [due to the all to common virus or op sys malfunction] reconfigures their drive etc, etc) they loose everything, including their bookmarks. So an email to them would renew their connection to Rootschat and give them their 'link' to their often forgotten 'handle' and password.   ... so member not 'lost' but member 'reborn'  
It took me a while to 'fall over' Rootschat and that's probably true for most ...(am not an IT person but am reasonably computer savy [can partition hard drive and fix most problems] ... but if I lost the Rootschat bookmark in the first few weeks of finding the site I would have been like a surf lifsaver in the simpson desert!  
Just my thoughts on the stituation  

regards ... n4mv3t

[jillruss]

To contact this 4th person who has posted once, why not answer that post saying you'd like to contact him or her, but can't because he/she hasn't made enough posts.          Then, he/she will get a message in his/her email to look on Rootschat again - and with a bit of luck.....it will be the beginning of a fruitful partnership

Great minds! Tried that - it hasn't worked so far, which is what I find so frustrating. If this person went to the trouble to post their surnames but , when contacted, can't be bothered to reply, why bother in the first place? 

Jill

[alpinecottage]

Ah Jill, I should have looked to see you were an experianced Rootschatter before stating the flippin' obvious

But a week or two isn't a long time, they may be on holiday, away on business or otherwise occupied - let's hope they come back to you in the fairly near future