Would a Vacation/Hold option be useful?

Another site I use for book trading has this option. You can put your account on vacation/hold for a length of time if you aren't going to be actively using your account. I thought that with all the trading and dmailing that it might be useful here so no one has to play catch up or make public announcements when they aren't going to be available for whatever reasons. Just a thought....

I'd never thought of that. That's a good idea, dmac.

Thanks. I know medical and family issues will sometimes keep us from posting/chatting with everyone aside from the vacation thing too.

You wouldn't be able to put threads you started on hold, and you'd probably not want to keep people from being able to write you since it would be there on your return. Something saying the user is away from internet access until x-date might be good to come up after a D-mail is sent so people would know the reason for a delayed response.

I guess I am leary of informing anyone online, that have access to my address, that I will be away from home for a period of time. If the feature is implemented use it with caution. You can't be too careful now days.

I feel the same way. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the post.

Sad to have to feel that way but in todays world...

I remember when I first joined DG last year, I posted my address on a thread for making a trade! Someone immediately told me I should go back and edit it out and send it through private d-mail. I was so new I didn't know about dmail. It sure is a different day and age ... you can't be too careful nowadays. I just wasn't thinking about the fact that everyone out there in cyber land can see some of these posts. I realize that the chances are slim of someone seeing an address and thinking about going to that home, but it's good to be safe and not advertise imformation like that.

Just because you don't have internet access for an extended period does not mean you won't be home.

An away message could read, "I am currently unable to access the internet, but will respond to posts and Dmails after I am back online."

The problem is how many days is a person going to have that message?

I think it would be obvious their away after a time.

I hate to sound downtrodden but after having my home robbed while I was only away for 2 days has made me extra careful.

I have also house sat for people so they could attend their childrens weddings without worrying.

It gets to the point where you have to think like these awful people to try and make sure all your bases are covered and you can somewhat relax while your away.

They'll look for any little clue. :-(

I can see your point.

I can't imagine going without DG for more than a scant few days, anyway. I'd go to the library or beg off a friend to get my fix. LOL

Dave and I have batted around the idea of adding something to each person's member page that would say "last activity (or post) on [x date]" or something similar. That doesn't mean the person is away from home, but it would let others know if they've been at DG anytime in the recent past.

This site ..... "literately backs up for the members/subscribers" . After many years on the web, I can think of no other as well . it is now getting near the end of the growing season.
I need a break..................... maybe they deserve one also......... have a good afternoon/eve folks our thoughts are with you. - Dave, Trish, Terry, Best too you and yours, thank you for this site.

Truthfully, the thought of subscribers movements being "tracked" on DG gives me the willies. It does sound handy for trading and dmailing but that should be the subscriber's choice to activate the feature. Otherwise why does anyone need to know if someone hasn't been on DG for a while or why they're not posting in a particular forum?

Not everyone can or wants to spend all their time online and some need a break from the Internet without having to explain why or put their account on hold. Just my two cents worth.

I join with Dyson in thanking Dave, Trish, Terry and other staff members for their wonderful work. Thanks.

June, it would always be the member's choice, just as journal and blog entries being visible, along with what location shows up, etc. :)

Gardenwife -- Thanks for letting me know that.

June

At one time (a long time ago) we had a "who's online" feature. There were some who felt that was too invasive, so we took it down.

But we do get regular inquiries about various members - usually along the lines of "I haven't seen so-and-so around lately, and I sent them a dmail and haven't heard back. Are they still a member?"

And all we can tell them is if they are or are not a member, and if they are, approximately when they last posted.

Having something very general - maybe as vague as:

"this member has posted during the last week"
"this member has not posted in over a week"
"this member has not posted in over a month"
"this member has not posted in over a year"

Would be helpful enough to answer those helpdesk questions without anyone feeling they were being closely monitored ;o)

I wouldn't use a "vacation hold" feature for the security reasons given above. But several times I have gone hunting through forums, trying to figure out if a member who had vanished from a forum or stopped responding to Dmail was still active here... Since some people start very few if any threads, looking at the list of their threads doesn't always help answer the question of whether or not they're still reachable via DG. I guess I didn't realize I could've asked admin when they had last posted...

I like the vague options Terry gave above. That's enough information to know if somebody is still online and active without telling you exactly when they might have last been online and had a chance to read their Dmail etc.

I like that "vague" posting category.

Terry,
I like the vague option, too!

There's actually numerous situations, where that could be a valuable tool, to set a concerned subscribers mind at ease!

Sasha

I also like Terry's idea, it's nice to know whether someone's been around recently or not, but doesn't give away anything private.

Is it possible to have a auto-reply feature on the dmail, where we could put a note to let those friends who send us dmail that we may not respond for a period of time?

Sheila, how would you make sure that reply only went out to "friends" and not to any random person sending you Dmail? I hate to sound so paranoid, but if that feature were in place, anybody could sign up as a member (no need to even pay), search for DGers in their area, and Dmail them to see if they got a reply saying they weren't available. (And most of the time, that would mean they weren't home, and not that their computer connection was down.) I'm not sure that would be a good thing.

Yes, you are right on that. You can't be too careful now days.

Nice idea, though! I was thinking some more after I posted, wondering about a way to direct auto-replies only to people on a list or something... but I think that sounds like one big mess to program. However, we do have a way to send Dmail to groups of people now, so if you wanted to you could send a Dmail to a bunch of your friends to let them know you were going to be unavailable.

(to set up a group, go to the "My Info" tab and click on "manage your friends and groups")

I'm not sure I like the idea of everyone knowing if I've been around or not. Even though people don't post or haven't posted for a long time, doesn't mean they aren't around. Maybe they just want to lurk or be left alone for awhile. I used to post way more than I do now, but that doesn't mean I'm not here reading the threads.

mgh, good points. I agree with your statement saying if we don't post it doesn't mean we aren't here.
I'm usually in our community several times a day, but I rarely post unless I have the urge to express myself or offer something. I've posted a few photos to PlantFiles and in threads too.
My point, like yours, is that I'm here often, though it's not apparent because I'm not posting frequently.
To the subject of of anyone knowing if I'm currently on the Dave's Garden site, I don't really care because it wouldn't affect me. If I posted my user name for a chat program like Trillian or Yahoo Messenger it would. Otherwise, I'm not interrupted in enjoying myself with browsing and learning things here.
I can understand that if someone had posted in a thread and I'd added my reply to a comment, I would be interested in seeing if there was a reply or comment to my thoughts. But it's not necessary that I know if that poster is on the site.
I guess my feeling is that if someone hasn't posted in awhile, it's just that person may be busy with other things that come up or hasn't felt the desire to post at the moment.
I've only been a subscriber for three months, though I've been around on the site since last year. So I haven't had access to all these forums or the "seniority" to get to know folks yet from their posts.
One thing that I'd like to be able to do with "My Info" is to be able to add a brief description, say 50 words or less, of my interests/hobbies and anything else that I care to share so people can get a feel for who I am. Or even a short list of my favorite sites. (I'm a male, 50 something, US Air Force vet, etc.)
That would make it easier for members to get to know me and I others.
I'm well aware of personal privacy issues. A simple search of previous screen names still shows posts I made online nearly 20 years ago. I was a computer programmer in the Air Force and had a security clearance. It just takes common sense in reviewing and proofreading what you say BEFORE you press SEND. Be aware of what could be used against you by hackers, scammers, and spammers.
We never locked our door when I was a teen. Today? Of course.

Hi soulflier. You can add something about you on your homepage......I see that you have added something with the pic you have there (cute granddaughter!) You can also add something about you if you put your name in the address exchange. At the top of the page go to extras > DG address exchange > add your address I think that last one is right. Because mine is in there already, it says click here to edit your listing. I'm not sure what it says when your address isn't in there. Anyway, there is a spot there for your interests. :o)

I rarely "need" to know if somebody is still active on DG, but sometimes I get concerned because I haven't seen them posting on a forum where they were a regular -- and if I know they're still posting elsewhere, then I know they're OK.

Also, I've arranged a couple of "now & later" trades and then had no response to my "are you ready for your box and what would you like?" inquiries... If I know they haven't posted in a month, and they aren't answering my Dmail, then I know it's time to try to follow up with snail mail or other methods of getting in touch.

Similarly, people sometimes go offline when they're in the middle of a co-op, and the organizer needs to know whether or not they're getting the necessary information about their order.

I would not be comfortable with even the general info. I think if members are concerned about someone they can contact admin and admin can dmail the missing member and ask if they will contact that person.

mgh, thanks for that info. I checked your info and noticed that you have a list of favorite sites that I'd mentioned as a "wish" on my info page and that you had added comments. I went back and revisited the options available. I then discovered that I can do that by editing my Members Page preferences.
That's exactly what I was talking about. I guess I'd better do more exploring of the options available before I ask for something.
I have to check out the address exchange too. I'm not sure that I'd need that unless I set up a trade or plan to attend a roundup, but will look into it. Thank you for the feedback!
critter and other posters, from the posts I can see the need for the info if that person is involved in trades, etc.
I have much to learn and appreciate the efforts of everyone here at Dave's. From what I've read, I think that Dave and Trish monitor things somewhat as far as postings and behavior on this massive site. This gives me a feeling that it's more safe here than many sites that specialize, but I'm always aware that search engines store a lot of information and I always think before I offer specific data that may be used against me in the future in ways I hadn't considered at the time.
Thanks again for helping with my learning curve!

I'm pretty much with GrammysGardenAZ.

Keep in mind that one concerned person's "need to know" may well be another person's feeling of "being monitored on a web site". The fact that Dave's staff responds to requests to d-mail non-posting subscribers asking them to contact a concerned member is a gracious service but might not be welcomed by everyone. Sometimes people are busy or just need a break from the Internet or just don't feel like returning a particular person's d-mail.

The more vague the options for "tracking people", the better.

I think just being a friendly gardener in our local areas, and having a network of friends that have our personal telephone number, and know where we live can help. If we went "missing" on line someone would see the post and call and check up on us. Or we would let them know ahead of time we were on vacation and they could respond saying we had company visiting etc.
I don't like the "on-line" icons on some websites; I opt out of making that visible. But I agree with the 'vague' information.
I know we give a lot of information ourselves when we are so comfortable with others online, forgetting that there are many people we don't know reading our words.
Yep, as Soulflier said....we used to have doors open with unlocked screen doors as we slept when I was a kid. Times have changed.

Maybe it could be optional--you could choose to display whether you've posted in the last week/month, or you could choose not to display that info. That way people who like the idea of people knowing if they've been around lately could have that option, and people who want more privacy can keep things the way they are now.

I didn't take into consideration the address book and such that are available here so I can certainly understand the "makes me nervous" thing. What prompted the query/suggestion for me was that due to a fire (someone else's apt-not mine) the people in my building were moved temporarily and I wasn't going to be able to be online for a few weeks. I didn't want anyone to think I had skipped out on any trades, swaps or whatever but that's sort of what happened. The whole thing was so sudden (middle of the night, when these things seem to like to occur best:) that I didn't get a chance to post every place I needed to.

Anyhow that's all that really prompted the topic. After reading all of the replies I can see why perhaps on this site it wouldn't be advisable. Thanks for all of the insight everyone:)

My main objection to this is simply more time from the already busy administrative staff..........after all, we are only paying a nominal fee to have this much fun.

Most of us who are good friends have one another's email at home anyway..........if we are worried we know someone who knows them well enough to check on them by phone, etc............

Just my 2 cents here....during hurricane season, many of us islanders traded phone numbers of contact people out of harms way, that would probably know of our status if power went out or that sort of thing. Those who had this info could pass on "he/she is okay, just out of power" or "needs _____ help, contact_________ for details". It was a wonderful way of knowing that our DG friends were okay. For folks who have become friends here on DG, a phone # or e-mail address is usually exchanged, and then if anyone asks about someone MIA, those in the know can post reassurences that they are OK - just out of communication.

Shari....We went through a situation like that with Katrina.....afterwards a lot of us entrusted our emergengy contact person's name and number with one of our dear members....Mystic....I'm sure she still has a file of our contact numbers. Jo

It helps.