factoryexample.cs

// 1: Object Initializer //////////////////////////////////
public class User {
  
  public bool IsActive { get; set; } 
  
  public string Name { get; set; }
  
}

var user = new User {
  IsActive = true,
  Name = "John Doe"
};

// 2: Constructor //////////////////////////////////
public class User {

  public User(string name, bool isActive){
    Name = name;
    IsActive = isActive;
  }

  public bool IsActive { get; private set; }
  
  public string Name { get; private set; }

}

var user = new User("John Doe", true); // Boolean is confusing at this point?

// 3: Factory method //////////////////////////////////

public class User {
    
  public bool IsActive { get; private set; } 
  
  public string Name { get; private set; }
  
  public static User CreateActiveUser(string name) => new User {
    Name = name,
    IsActive = true
  };
  
  public static User CreateInactiveUser(string name) => new User {
    Name = name,
    IsActive = false
  }
}

var user = User.CreateActiveUser("John Doe");

MS docs on Constructor usage https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms229060(v=vs.110).aspx

Consider using a static factory method instead of a constructor if the semantics of the desired operation do not map directly to the construction of a new instance, or if following the constructor design guidelines feels unnatural.

Example one has the by product of creating a temporary object in memory before creating the actual object (http://haacked.com/archive/2013/01/11/hidden-pitfalls-with-object-initializers.aspx/).

Example two is vanilla constructor - the boolean flag is strange when looked at alone, you could always use the parameter name to make it more intuitive or set it seperately via a property or method. A thought though - how does this differ from a method call where the parameters aren't named?

Example three to mee seems to mix concerns, you have a class which represents a user but now also has multiple methods to create a user the only difference being the setting of a boolean flag.

You could of course create a factory class that takes the static methods out of the User object and use that:

public static class UserFactory
{
	public static User CreateActiveUser(string name) => new User(name, true);
	
	public static User CreateInactiveUser(string name) => new User(name, false);
}

var user = new User("John Doe", true); // Boolean is confusing at this point?

Make the implicit explicit.

var user = new ActiveUser("John Doe");

Or just use F#

match user with
  ActiveUser -> printfn "User is active."
  InactiveUser -> printfn "User is not active"