Why do some usernames not show up when searching?

[Whale_bones]

When using the advanced search feature, under "posted by", if you start typing a username, a list of users with those letters in their name will pop up. Then you can select one and it autofills in.

I've noticed this doesn't happen with some people who have left the site (though you can still manually type out their usernames and search for their posts, but the name doesn't pop up as an option).

I'm wondering if this only happens with users with certain effects on their account, like if they asked the mods for a self-ban.

The reason I'm asking is I've known a few people on here who stopped posting abruptly, and while their account is still there, their name doesn't come up in search. I had a friend who likely CTB'd, and I know we can never know for sure, it would just give me some closure if I knew she requested to self-ban after her last post.

(Also not asking about regular bans since I know the mods don't discuss reasons for that, but I think self-requested bans are a separate subject?)

 

[Gangrel]

you could ask on the user discussion thread and a mod might respond if they self banned or not

 

[Whale_bones]

you could ask on the user discussion thread and a mod might respond if they self banned or not

Hmm, good idea, although I'm also wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question in general, so I don't have to ask about it for every person I wonder about!

 

[-Link-]

Not a mod here, never been a mod here. But, this will most likely affect banned accounts, self-banned accounts, and deactivated accounts all the same. Possibly this could be an administrative choice, although I'd guess this would be either a default setting with the forum software or possibly not even an alterable setting at all (short of software customization).

I want to say this is how I realized you, yourself, had deactivated your account. But that's only what my memory is telling me, not necessarily the reality.

Recently, I noticed a particular member's account -- a member who long ago was said to have died and whose account was still visible -- disappeared as if to have been either banned or deactivated, which I thought was a curious thing considering this member was purportedly long-deceased. So, why was their account banned? Or who requested its deactivation? Or is it that we deactivate accounts of members who are confirmed (or reasonably assumed to be) deceased? The crash course for new members suggests the latter as the most likely scenario.

A side note here is that a ban, a self-ban, and an account deactivation may all be technically the same thing within the forum software, which could explain why a deactivated account would disappear the same way as a spam account would disappear, for instance. But then, I just checked a member's account who I know for certain was banned, and it still shows the option to Follow or Ignore them. And I want to say that when you deactivated your account, there was no option at all to do anything -- the options to Follow, Ignore, Start Chat, Start Conversation were all gone, if I recall correctly. So maybe they are differentiated within the forum's software after all.

Again, all this with the disclaimer that I'm not familiar with this forum's inner workings to say anything with certainty.

you could ask on the user discussion thread and a mod might respond if they self banned or not

Hmm, good idea, although I'm also wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question in general, so I don't have to ask about it for every person I wonder about!

Yeah, I'm thinking a deactivation alone isn't reliable enough to determine someone's status. If a mod can clarify whether the account was deactivated by request, that could be a positive sign. If it wasn't deactivated by the member's own request, that's probably not a great sign... although it's possible a member could have attempted and survived without staff being aware of their status.

 

[Whale_bones]

Not a mod here, never been a mod here. But, this will most likely affect banned accounts, self-banned accounts, and deactivated accounts all the same. Possibly this could be an administrative choice, although I'd guess this would be either a default setting with the forum software or possibly not even an alterable setting at all (short of software customization).

Thanks for the informative reply, Link. My only guess about deactivated accounts showing up differently is that I see usernames that have been randomized (now that I'm trying to think of it, I can't remember exactly what they look like, but above their posts where their name used to be, it turns to "user5972" or something like that). It seems like that doesn't happen with a self-ban, but I'm just speculating there.

I want to say this is how I realized you, yourself, had deactivated your account. But that's only what my memory is telling me, not necessarily the reality.

Well hey, your memory is probably much better than mine is to start out with, so I have no reason to doubt it

Recently, I noticed a particular member's account -- a member who long ago was said to have died and whose account was still visible -- disappeared as if to have been either banned or deactivated, which I thought was a curious thing considering this member was purportedly long-deceased. So, why was their account banned? Or who requested its deactivation? Or is it that we deactivate accounts of members who are confirmed (or reasonably assumed to be) deceased? The crash course for new members suggests the latter as the most likely scenario.

But then, I just checked a member's account who I know for certain was banned, and it still shows the option to Follow or Ignore them. And I want to say that when you deactivated your account, there was no option at all to do anything -- the options to Follow, Ignore, Start Chat, Start Conversation were all gone, if I recall correctly. So maybe they are differentiated within the forum's software after all.

That's what makes me curious too; I feel like atleast account deactivations show up differently in some ways than banning or self-banning do, but as for the latter two, they might appear the same way. In the case of my friend, I'm certain they weren't banned against their will, it would have to be something either requested by them or a change the mods did (from assuming they're no longer with us.)

Their account name isn't randomized and all their posts are still here, but their name doesn't pull up as an option in search and- I just realized this right now- you can't @ them. But I know for a fact you could still @ them for months after their last post. So, seemingly something regarding their account has changed since their final post...

Of course, considering the content of that final post, I know it's likely they did CTB. I just can't help but keep thinking about it, and wondering if there's an answer. Heading to the User Discussion thread now to ask about it.

Edit: I got the answer, it wasn't anything my friend did and she hasn't been back online, her account was banned due to presumed CTB. Somewhat hard to hear, but I also feel much better knowing, rather than being left to wonder.