The Hidden User

I'm hidden for a very mundane and slightly embarrassing reason -- I have the computer on all day and hit "view topics with last posts" a LOT. It's as I breeze through on my way to doing something else, as I am reading a book to my daughter, as I'm catching up with email correspondence, but, a lot. Since it doesn't really indicate how much I'm online, per se, I decided to be hidden.

I think that I chose "Hidden" because I didn't one others to see how often I was on the site. But should it really matter, how often I visit this site?


I say no!

sozobe & New Haven- I too will leave the site on, even when I am doing something else, so it looks like I am on a lot more than I am.

I personally like to be visible, if someone has a question, or wants to PM me, so I probably would never become a hidden user.

I don't know what will happen in the future, when there are a zillion members, but right now, no one can really be hidden.

Phoenix"

What's the meaning of PM? How does someone PM you?

New Haven-

PM stands for Private message. You can send a note to someone, that will not show up on the threads. If you look on the bottom of what you wrote, you will see the letters "PM" on one of the buttons. If I wanted to PM you, I would click that, and a box would come up where I could do that!

Phoenix

Psst New Haven - I can see you, so you might want to adjust that towel.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Jespah:

As you can see, I'm wearing a really big beach towel.

Nice color, isn't it?

A2k loge me out automatically after about 10 minutes away from the puter. Is it my system or is there something I need to do in the site to stay logged in?

Offhand, it sounds more like your ISP, Joanne. Some of them still shut you down when they don't detect activity after some length of time. This has been so bad that long downloads used to be impossible with my former isp.

I can't say this is what is happening to you, but it used to happen to me, with the time intervals varying with the volumn of traffic. It has not happened on a2k or anywhere else since I switched servers.

Thanks Roger.

Joanne, do you get booted completely off line or just signed off A2K. I know AOL used to boot me off line all the time if there was no activity. But if you're just getting logged out of here, I don't think it's necessarily your isp (though I really don't know much about this stuff).

No just signed out of A2k. I am on cable.

Unless you are using cookies (check the box that says to remember you) your session lasts 5 minutes (of inactivity).

I always shut down when I'm not actually using my computer, so I keep myself visible. I can't think of any reason why I wouldn't want to be visible, so you will always know when I'm here :-)

JD, if you have a dial-up connection and you have disabled "Disconnect when connection may not be needed", and you are using Windows and Outlook or Outlook Express, open your e-mail client, select "Tools", then select "Internet Options" There will be a line for "Check for new messages every (XX) minutes". Put a checkmark in that box and set the interval (XX) to something like 5 or 10. This way, even if you are away from your computer, the machine still registers activity, but is using relatively little bandwidth. Most ISP's will, however, automatically disconnect a user after a set amount of time anyway, usually after 4, 6, or 8 hours of connection. The term "Unlimited" in your ISP agreement merely means you can connect as often as you wish, it does not mean you can maintain a 24/7 connection. There are ways around that, too. Your e-mail client can. for instance, be configured to go online if it is off when scheduled e-mail checking time rolls around, as long as your computer happens to be on at the time.



timber (who just edited this post due to not having used the feature which would have allowed me to see that the question's answer had nothing to do with my discourse ... I shoulda known better. Oh, well)

I figure that people will be able to tell I'm here because I'm posting - what would be the point of being 'hidden'? If I'm not here, I'm not here. If I am, I am. Or am I Popeye?