Details

Closed to new replies
Posted: December 12, 2012

Link

Statistics

Replies: 48

"Ghost Deviants" report button/section - let's finish them off

=CircleCentric Dec 12, 2012 Student Digital Artist

(sorry my bad english, Google Translate)

Ghost Deviants are people who create their accounts and don't realize absolutely no activity - such as comments, favourites or drawings. Don't even have an icon or recent activity. Simply are killed or abandoned accounts. This goes against the "ethics policy" of DeviantART; an account should be the gateway to participation in the community. And that's not what we see.

My idea is that there is a "Report" button or a report section just for that. Accounts with more than 7 years duration and no activity for at least three years - they only serve to take names, and are just garbage. they are taking the name that someone could use.

Some people do it for "trolling" - just catching famous names to prevent others to get. For example, the famous PLZ accounts [link] ("get a real plz" comments...). Another use of "ghost accounts" are just for to enable the mature drawing visualization.

I had an account for two years, then wanted to use a new one. But take me long to get a simple name, based on my idea. And almost all the names used were used and abandoned (with absolutely no activity for over 300 weeks).

With this text, I suggest an easier way to report "abandoned" accounts. Easier than FAQ #238: How do I report people for abuse, harassment, or another issue I think is a problem?. Sure, let's be succinct. That would only work with "empty" accounts with more than two years and several reports like that. The user:
- Would receive an account by email, requesting that it make at least one activity or login within 48 hours.
- After that, the account would be blocked for seven days, until the user opens a call on DeviantART.
With no response or call from the user, the account is finally deleted for new registration.

What do you think? Is that a good idea or not?

You can no longer comment on this thread as it was closed due to no activity for a month.

Devious Comments

~SodiePawp Jan 14, 2013

If a person leaves their account inactive for that long, then they really don't have any right to that username. I mean, of course, if someone leaves an account then comes back some years later, then maybe it would be frustrating and unfair, but if a person makes an account, even one used only for viewing mature stuff, if they can't even be bothered to comment even once in their three years, then they really have no solid right to keep the account. And of course, I mean those who have the account unused for years. I see people with some really rockin' usernames that say they've been there for about 6 years already, yet there are no comments, no faves, no deviations, no activity at all. Not even a comment left by anyone else. I really don't understand some of the prior arguments here, cuz I honestly see no downside to this, since those totally unused accounts might as well not exist at all.
And I'll even go as far as to say that even used accounts should only have some sorta grace period. Even my own account. Sure, if I don't comment/fave/post anything for three years, then chances are I'm not gonna come back. Cut up my account, make something healthy and feed it to homeless people. And if I decide to come back after three years of inactivity, only to find my account decimated, then that's just tough nubs for me. I shoulda done something then, even just log on an leave a friendly comment. I can either find a new account, or reactivate the old one.
So ultimately, while I haven't actually been "victimized" by ghost accounts, I can see why it could benefit some people. Frankly, I think it's wasteful anyway to create a username that goes unused.

=Operia Dec 20, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

My account was inactive for almost a year once

~Kaera-Neko Dec 20, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Well, I have some understanding for this, but plz accounts...?

Who would want to take the name nopeaviplz or epictrollfaceplz as an actual user account, anyway?

~Fullmetal-Animator Dec 20, 2012 Student General Artist

Ja! Vee vill exterminate all of dee Juden!

~luckynesu Dec 19, 2012

Noooooo i get nervous with this suggestion. I want my account to stay forever. This isn't bank account anyway. Who knows what'll happen in life? If i don't log in for a decade and when i come back my account's gone (or worse, a troll use the username to upload trolly materials) i'll be devastated.

*Lahtiirah Dec 19, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I think it would make sense for banned and deactivated account names to be opened up again after a period of time. But I dunno about giving "ghosts" the boot. I've come across a few that are only there to view all the art on this site. You can't look at anything marked at "Mature" without an account. And there's a setting some users opt for that make it so their work isn't viewable at all unless you're a member. Maybe some of those "ghosts" are just around to look at pretty pictures.

=290Pika Dec 19, 2012 Student Filmographer

I don't, because there's still a history connected to that name. Let's use lolly as an example. He deactivated his account, and assuming lolly's account is just like anyone else's, if someone decided they wanted to use the name "lolly" after a certain amount of time, people would STILL associate the username with the original lolly.

Plus, it brings up this whole issue of posing as someone who was deleted and stirring up drama... no.

*Lahtiirah Dec 20, 2012 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Since when where staff account like everyone else's lol. They work here. They get special perks. I doubt regardless of site changes that a former staff account name would ever be used by anyone but that staff.

And people have made doppelgänger accounts before anyway. Like how many people would notice immediately the difference between Lahtiirah versus Lahtirah? I'm not wagering a high number lol. And cloning profiles with new names entirely is very easy lol. Then you got two lookalikes for all kinds of drama and fun lol.

Releasing unused names wouldn't make anything that much easier for these people. Just a little less typing.

I really don't see this ever changing until the only way to make a screen name here is generated letters and numbers because every other possible thing was taken lol.

=PhxDragon Dec 16, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

I think it would be better if the staff was really worried to send out warning messages before account deletion like some other sites do to get rid of wasted space.

If some one responds it should be a good account.
I don't think trolls would be able to keep up with their fake accounts.

`bohobella Dec 13, 2012 Professional Traditional Artist

If someone is already using your desired username as a ghost account, it's a shitty username. Be more original, this is an art site for crying out loud.

Details

Statistics

"Ghost Deviants" report button/section - let's finish them off

Devious Comments

The Journal Portal

Polls

What is your preferred drawing software?

deviantART [dee·vee·un'nt·ART]

Keep in Touch!

Deviousness

Add Media

Style