I'm still rather new around here, and I'm not sure how many of my followers are actually alive to begin with. That being said, with the shear number of dead accounts, I have been wondering if there needs to be some sort of term limit on those accounts. I don't like the idea of taking tokens away from dead accounts, but maybe as @tcpolymath has done there could be some sort of automated message sent to the users presumed dead with a warning that says "%1 of your tokens will be distributed to any and all active accounts you follow. This will continue until you're account is active again or the account has been drained. Repeat this email every month until the problem is solved.
Could be a bit extreme...but still.
that is interesting... at the same time i doubt anyone would sign up for that... I think EOS got a lot of flack for suggesting such a thing. Inactive wallets get their tokens taken away...
Oh, I bet they did. However, its not without precedent. Many gift cards have similar decreases in value over time, and usually after a year or two of not using the card. I think they would be more upset that you were giving their "money" away to others (though I think that's a better option than it going back into the ether). Not saying it needs to be , or should be implemented, but there does need to be some sort of user retention / repatriation plan. Maybe a carrot is better than a stick in this regard, but I still think its worth the thought and the discussion.
I reckon their usernames might be recycled, and their tokens left alone, as a less onerous option. However, I don't like either idea, as if I got stabbed and needed to spend a few months in a coma, I'd be bummed out if Steemit gave my name away.
If there's a way to just remove dead followers, I reckon that would enable us to feel better about the accuracy of our metrics. Again, however, folks returning from comas might feel slighted by being bumped.
I note several noxious bots such as @a00 that are dead followers of mine, and don't mind bumping such as them. I don't mind ghosts so much, as I get all puffed up with self-importance when folks pay attention to me, even if they don't engage. (/sarc)