huh, the post I submitted disappeared it seems.........trying again--

Cathy, the Daily Digest postings say "Order THIS book" when you click on it so thought I was getting the copy from the person who had just posted it.

When you order from the daily digest, it's "this book" in the sense that it's "this ISBN", not "this specific copy of this ISBN". Ordering from the digest is just the same as if you searched for the book and then clicked the Order This Book button on the search results or on a detail page. That's just the standard language used throughout the site whenever you order a book.

I wish, even if you don't want to be on pbs anymore, that if you had books on AR and a book comes to you, just come back, mark it received and remove your bookshelf and wl.

I think I have another abandoned account from a paid member. The book was on  AR, I can't see where she's been active recently and my pms haven't been read. By the time PBS tries to see if she's active, it will take awhile for me to receive my credit. 

I don't know why people are so discourteous,

I agree Michele! I recently had a request from an abandoned account with the WL on automatic request, the member had moved and the book was returned to me...I had PMed the member about it, she actually responded and gave me two credits, said she hadn't used PBS in nearly two years. But her account is still open. Contacted PBS about it, with the request that people with WL on automatic have to check in, say, every 90 days or their WL would no longer be set to automatic. They responded that it was a good idea, that they would consider making that a feature in the future and that they would look into her admittedly abandoned account. Weeks pass and her account is still active. Hopefully, they at least changed her WL so it wasn't set to automatic any more.

Weeks? Wow, I would think if pbs knows the account is abandoned, it wouldn't take weeks to close it.

PBS has no desire to reduce what they can represent as "active account" because it is not in their interest to do so. If they were so inclined it is mind numbingly ease to require a log in to reactive account after a reasonable absence ( say 90 days). Their numbers would fall dramatically and they will not be doing it. Better to just keep incoveniencing remaining members. If PBS cared it would have been done simulaneously with the advent of paid subscriptions.

Nah, I don't buy that Mary.

Then what is your theory as to why PBS has ignorned the issue foe 2 years?

They haven't ignored the issue, they have closed accounts. Plus they can say they have any number of members, who would know if it's right or wrong. Last, how would they even know who has left unless others members write them. Let's say I bought a membership last Feb.  and somewhere in May I say I don't care about this anymore and I keep my books on AR but never come back. I paid for a year, how can you get rid of me?  

I just looked at the member's profile again...the one I talked about above who had abandoned her account but still had her WL on automatic, and yes, her account is still active but she has updated her address, so perhaps she decided to stay with the club.

I can see Sally's scenario happening esp if that member DID NOT receive any requests in a long while.  Their account was just sitting with credits waiting for a wl offer.  Good thing you heard from them and they made it up to you. 

Just contacted pbs for my credit. Standard member, wl on ar, bookshelf on hold, no response to pm's, and the book according to tracking was delivered to the mailbox.

I keep a book shelf.  We were without power for several days due to an ice storm so a few books timed out.  I explained to PBS and reposted most of the books which have gone on their way since.  I try to keep some WL books posted but when my credits grow too fast I reduce my posting which leaves the older books for requesting.  Just sent out a couple that I had on the shelf for some time.  You just never know.  I am fortunate that few of the books I want are not sent to me.  No complaints.  Just too many books to read!

 Last, how would they even know who has left unless others members write them

Very easy. Require reactivation of account after a 90 day absence.

Plus they can say they have any number of members, who would know if it's right or wrong.

As a business, they likely have audited financial statements required by any bank. They would know and more members look better

 I paid for a year, how can you get rid of me?  

You don't. Just suspend pending reactivation

A big (or any) bookshelf is not necessarily a good judgement of a person's invovlement and definitely not representative of the various ways a person can use PBS.  Here's my personal example:

I no longer want to have a bunch of books (or anything for that matter) that I don't want sitting around. So now when I purge my personal library (which happens once in a while) I'll check to see what in it is currently wanted on PBS which this time was about 30-40% of what I'm purging.  Those books will get posted, are usually promptly claimed and mailed and the rest go to a resale shop for a charity I belive in.  In fact, I'm probably going to purge my bookshelf of about 10 books that have been on my bookshelf for a few years unclaimed.

Renee I will accept the request but mark it that I can mail at the longest time available. That way I have almost a week to coordinate orders and people don't have to see their request just hanging.

One thing that might be helpful is if everyone was required fill out at least the basics of a profile. When requesting a book it might be helpful to check that to see if the member if still active, when the member joined, last forum post, etc to see whether it's someone who hasn't visited the site since the fees came in or someone who is active. Many left but didn't bother to clear their bookshelves or WLs.  Even if one chooses not to cancel the request still there would be no or low expectations until the request bumps over to the next possible sender.

Late in the day to ask for required profiles but it would prevent a future buid up of inactive accounts  or, at east, make clear which they are.

I figured most people wouldn't agree, but I have read posts by former members (who are in another club now) who stated that they won't put books on their shelf because they're against paying for membership, but still want their WL books.  How, in any way, shape, or form is that fair?  They come right out and say they won't pay, won't list books (both of which are their choice I agree) but still want the WL books.

Think about it like this:  Let's say you have a potluck every week at your workplace, and everyone is supposed to bring something.  Would you be happy with the person who tells you that they're going to partake but aren't buying anything because they 'don't want to spend the money?'  How long would you tolerate someone who eats your food (and that of others) but refuses to contribute?

Okay so what about folks who only post wl books and don't keep a shelf? They are posting (and what about the ones who are members and only post wl books?)

I would like everyone to post books and order more. However people who won't pay a membership fee can only order books when they have credits. They must have sent out some books already to earn those credits, so they gave participated. Everyone will eventually wind down their trading.

People contributed when they sent books and earned credits and they are most certainly entitled to use those credits as alacarte members. Makes no difference if they are currently posting books or not. Given how slowly WL are granted, it could take years for some to use all their accumulated credits. Nothing wrong with using what they earned.

JoAnne: Think about it like this:  Let's say you have a potluck every week at your workplace, and everyone is supposed to bring something.  Would you be happy with the person who tells you that they're going to partake but aren't buying anything because they 'don't want to spend the money?'  How long would you tolerate someone who eats your food (and that of others) but refuses to contribute?

The thing is that you've gotten the analogy wrong. It's not a potluck. It's individuals sponsoring pizza parties. If they already have the credits then then alredy sent out their books = they already bought the food and we, as a community, have already eaten it. You can't say "well, you didn't finance this week's party so you don't get any" when they already financed it on their turn.

If it is a potluck, then it's telling someone that because the food that they brought got eaten first that they can't have anything from the dishes after the food they brought is gone.

Even if they don't have credits, they'll need them when that WL book pops up and they'll either need to buy a credit or send out a book. If they buy it from the a member then that member is more likely to post a book to get another credit, if they trade for it then they're sending out a book and continuing the cycle. The only issue I have with that is when it's bought from the site itself because that's generating a credit backed by money not a book, which is a devaluing forces on the site.

You can give 5 credits to a member who in turn buys you a limited membership. 8 credits for standard.

if you want to trade credits for a membership, there is a thread in the book bazaar where you can do this.

Name of the thread in Book Bazaar. - Want to receive a gift membership in return for credits? 

My WL exploded in January......think I had 9 granted in the last 3 weeks of the month!  Was glad to see FEB slow down as i was mailing out a bunch of Valentine care packages.  The $20 standard membership fee is nothing to me for a year of access to the posted books....i would spend more than that in one trip to a brick and mortar bookstore which I used to do monthly.

Just keep reminding yourself--every book that times out is one more hit against that member that will lead to their shelf being put on hold after a few.  Then they are out of the system until they actively come back.  So by watching books go through member after member you are helping!