So, Petter and I were having a chat. We got right down to business and a beautiful idea sprouted from our brains.
Why not do something about the accounts that are floating around in cyberspace? Those that are unloved and unused have shown no purpose to those who made them. We have more than 14,000 accounts described. Having 14,000 accounts with only 5-19 people active a day is bad for business. Now I'm no gypsy, but I think its safe to advise that newcomers may suspect something "off" about a server where 14K joined, yet only <19 are playing.
With this in mind, Petter and I developed a few options to do with these accounts:
1) Delete accounts that are lvl. 3 or similar, 5 months inactive, and have a total skill level [that is close to the number those of starting players have].
Or
2) Disable such accounts. If or when these "disabled" players decide to come back, they will have to choose a new name.
--In support of option 2, an email system could be implemented, where that person (after meeting all of the requirements for a disabling of an account), has one week to respond. If such email goes unheeded, the account is disabled/deleted.
Here are a few reasons why it is the player's liability in this case:
-You did not play on your "specially named account", an account with a name that some RR loving player could have used.
-You did not heed the email, which warned you that your account would be disabled in a week if not responded to.
(In support of the above option, 13 years of (the required age to make an account) is a mature enough age to assume that you should be checking your email often.
In addition, if you decided to make an account with [fake email, forgettable security questions, or you just don't care], shame on you).
-This server was made for the founders, they can do whatever they want.
-However, this server is also for the theme of: community vs individual. There are many people, (who I expect to come somewhere around the next few months) who would like to have a decent name. The individual who hogs a name and doesn't use it has no right.
Now, lets put this in the example of a real life scenario...
How would you like it if you were a father or a mother, and there was a special toy you wanted to get for your kid. There was one last toy available in a store, but it was reserved for someone who hadn't entered the store in 5 MONTHS. Would it be reasonable to ask the manager to put the special toy off reservation and buy it yourself? Yes. Very much so.
If you have any more suggestions, I could add them to this post.