What is the "who's online" function going to be like? It said it was deactivated or something. Is it going to be like instant messaging other people? hehe...
I think it's only used to show who is currently browsing the forums. You can also private message the guy, but this is nothing like ICQ or MSN. The private message function just sends a note to the user.
it shows you who's online (duh. ) and what they are doing, like, browsing a certain forum, etc. i think that is a little bit too intrusive, i want to be able to read these forums knowing that no one else is peeking at me.
Hmmm... perhaps, but one could also argue that it definitely strengthens the "community" feeling by adding a "real time" dimension. I think it makes people visit more, and longer. Isn't it possible to have the function activated, but blank the "who does what" field? It's the natural place to go if you want to send someone a private message.
actually, right now, you can see who's online, directly at the front page. you just cannot see what they are doing exactly. i agree that knowing that there are others around is a good thing, but knowing what they are doing is a leetle bit too intrusive.... i will see if the who does what can be blanked.