Leosghost - 12:39 am on Dec 29, 2009 (gmt 0)

I get the impression that there is in the OP's post an inference / apprehension that the fact that there is no membership list and that long time members post as "new members" ( and some of them only post on "very hot topics" after years of silence )..that the OP thinks that somehow the posts are rigged and that some are not real members ?

If that is the gist of the post ? ..I've got to say that although I dont always agree with some admins or some mods ..that IMO this place is still one of the straightest places ..if not the straightest place on the net ..some people post lots ..some hardly ever ..some only when it seems important to them ( there was a time when I was aware of some nicks with a suspiciously similar style of post prose ..AFAIK that was sorted ..and multiple nicks is now watched for by the admins and mods and members ..and sock puppeting like spamming is picked up real fast ) ..some members do however come back and post under new nicks ..but if one reads here enough one recognises them by their style ..

The integrity of WebmasterWorld isn't just watched over by admins and mods ..we all have an interest in this place staying as "shill free" and as balanced and as unpolluted by cabals as possible ..

Closed threads don't resurface except as referenced to in other threads ..but some glitches do seem to happen and some threads show "active" in "recent posts" for a short time even though the last post may be a few day before ( when that happens someone ? resets the "whatever" and the "recent posts" regain their chronological order ) ..

Some threads show in recent posts ..and then drop out ( even though they may be active ) ..Foo threads in particular ..( as interst waxes and wanes )..and some extremely controversial threads drop off "recent posts" list and only the participants ( supposedly ) know they are continuing ( a useful way for admins in any forum to smoke out "teams" and identify "team members" ) new posters to such threads can only have been told by participants that such threads exist ..

Any admin will know the usefulness of the latter technique to help spot those acting in concert and be able to watch them in the future ..and most teams don't realise when this is happening :)

Membership lists and "members online" IMO make for tacky forums ( as do avatars etc ) ..posting can too easily degenerate into a sort of IRC conversation if one sees that ones mates are online ..and can also result in provocative posting ..

I've read thousand more threads here than those in which I've posted ..and there have been many threads just on the subject of fora , modding fora, admining , tag teaming ,sock puppetting etc ..I dont think I ever read anyone asking why there are no membership lists on WebmasterWorld until today ..( I would have said "who cares who amongst us is online" ) but apparently the OP does ..

And like other posters in this thread ..the question(s) isnt/aren't too clear to me ..Problem of using translation software I suspect ? And maybe the sense and nuances some of our answers also get lost in translation ?

Maybe some of the things I mentioned are the cause of concern and or misunderstanding to the OP ?

But I think s/he maybe also jumping at imaginary shaddows :)