What does it mean when a user is "Online"?

I have noticed that users' online/offline status is now shown under their names next to their posts. I have also noticed that I am no longer required to "Log In" when I come back from having my browser closed. (I have the "Remember Me" setting checked.) But I frequently walk away from my computer or I'll work in other applications for a while. All the while, the HAMB is open in a browser window in the background. Now I haven't so much as scrolled down in the HAMB window for maybe a couple hours, but do other users see me as "Online", even though I am busy doing other things?

And when I do step away from the HAMB, should I log out, or just close my browser window?

I guess I am asking more out of curiosity than anything.

 

Here's my thoughts on the subject. I believe as long as you have a window open and your on the HAMB in that window, even if it's minimized, you will still show "online". Only makes sense right?


I close out my window if/when I leave the HAMB to do something else so I don't us up bandwidth unneccessarily.

I don't "log off" the HAMB, I like that little box checked, less hasle when I come back to the HAMB BUT I do log off if I have HAMB folks over for a get-gether cuz the ones around here like to mess with each others screen names and such. Jdubbya found out the hard way And don't ever let a GMB know your password

 

Thanks, HRLC!

But my understanding of the way web browsers work, is once the page is loaded on your screen, you aren't using any bandwidth at all-- yours OR the site's-- unless there is some code-- a cookie or similar-- in the page that continually "checks in" with the site's server to update your status or even automatically reload the page every so often. So that may be the case here?

 

I'm not that computer savy to know BUT if you've ever seen the "Who's Online" list it updates every 20 or 30 seconds. Or it use to on the old HAMB. And I would think that if it continues to update with your screenname on it, thats it's using bandwidth to check back to your ISP to see whether your still on the website or not.


Like I said, I'm not sure, just guessing.

 

Yer prolly right. Makes sense to me!