Suggestions

Like you eponymic I do not use my real name on here

When I sent my husband a message I was still using my real name...maybe that is why he replied?

If I was no longer using the site would I want to go to the trouble of even looking at a message from someone I didn't know or who had a strange name.....doubt it

eponymic, When it comes to GR resolving the problem of un-opened messages we are indeed flogging a dead horse,

There have been many requests/suggestions to GR to include a last active date on members accounts in order to give a potential contact the knowledge that the tree owner is NOT ACTIVE or has not been on GR for how ever long,

This would at least give people some idea as to IF that member is ever going to open the message let alone get a reply

They have so far refused such a request IMHO because it may highlight the 13 million members they claim to have are mostly dormant accounts.

Roy

Highlighting how long it's been since any particular member was last active is not really a reliable indication of when & if they are likely to return.
Granted, the longer a person has been inactive, the less likely they are of ever returning. But it's not an exact science.

Graham, It's not an exact science but it's the only thing that could help without GR infringing on members privicy and it would be simple for GR to impliment.

Roy

My husband became a member in 2007 and that was probably when he entered the six people in his tree....I doubt very much that he ever returned after that.....apart from replying to my message in 2010

He didn't need to do that as he could of phoned me :-D

Up until that point he had the same email address since late 1990s.....he may have changed it now as it included our business name in it ,which he no longer has