[satchel]

Do you keep track of owner participation (lineup exports, etc)?
Yes, I do this now. The first year I was a commish, I didn’t, but now I do. The main reason is to check for people who have disappeared (which doesn’t happen to me often, but it’s nice to be able to check and see how long someone has been absent). It’s nice to have an overall idea of an owner’s participation history. Overall, I don’t have a lot of practical reasons for keeping track, but I find the info convenient sometimes.

Do you require owners to respond if they are going to be returning for the next season?
No, I require no special notice that an owner will be back. I figure everyone is in indefinitely, unless they tell me otherwise.

What do you consider to be an unacceptable percentage of lineup exports (not including opening day which should be 100% participation IMO)?
I expect an owner to submit at least one lineup per season (at the beginning of a new season). Many owners’ management style is to not submit lineups regularly, especially if their team is playing well.

Do you consider a lack of lineup export by an owner to be a sign of non-participation, or a sign that no changes were needed?
Generally I consider it a sign that the owner had no changes. No submission for an extended period of time, and a lack of other communication as well, is another story.

Do you ask or require owners to submit lineups even if they have no changes to make?
No. It’s nice when an owner tells you ‘No changes’ but it’s not necessary. If every single owner who isn’t making changes would tell their Commish, it would make things run more smoothly, and even give the Commish a chance to run the sim a little early, if everyone else is accounted for. I don’t expect it though; many owners probably don’t even know if they’re going to submit a team file until a couple of hours before the sim.

These are good questions. Ideally, a Commish will know all his owners well enough to be aware of their personal styles and circumstances. In my two leagues, I know the motivations and techniques of most of the owners, so I know what to expect from each of them. Of course, a new owner is an unknown for a while, but I have gotten to know most of my owners well enough to be able to tell why who’s doing what.