Where have all the registered users gone?

[glend (Glen)]

Currently IIS has 18,358 registered users (unique user IDs). I have trolled through the entire alphabet listing, looking at join dates and activity (posts). A very large number seem to have zero posts - perhaps they are just readers, hard to know. Then there is another large group with single figure posts. A very small percentage make it into the hundreds and thousands of posts, and I suspect these members are responsible for most of the activity on the IIS Forum.
I am not making any judgements about membership, other than the heavy hitters are the backbone of the community, and can usually be found in any thread where a question is asked.
So thank you to all the heavy hitters for your active participation.

[RB (Andrew)]

Your welcome Glen.

RB

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Well it’s not surprising

Forums provide a resource for information, an opportunity for feedback directly, it’s possible once you have that answer you vanish into the ether.

You also have to consider that sources like YouTube provide most of the answers for general things these days, and you don’t have to wait for a reply. The videos with the biggest hits cater to the beginner.

Myself I prefer to read without logging in, I cruise the deep sky imaging as that’s my thing, check out the blurb on new cameras or software. But don’t really have any desire to generally participate.

Take it or leave it, there’s a certain group that dominates the more advanced area of the deep sky section that would appear to have deep pockets, and have to get the latest best tech gear, well good luck to them, but it’s not an area I wish to participate in directly..... of course having said that, because they do try out the latest gear, if I desire to buy one of those I don’t consider their views on such unworthy.
On a personal view, the imagers seem to just shoot the same 20 objects year in year out, I skip over to look for something new and interesting.
At the end of the day, actively participating day in day out, doesn’t work for me, tried it and no thanks I’m happier just doing my thing alone.

[AdamJL]

this might be controversial... but forums can also be for uhh... older folks (hey I'm including myself here too!).
The only major place forum where younger people do go, is Reddit. Everything else is social media.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by Alchemy

Well it’s not surprising

Forums provide a resource for information, an opportunity for feedback directly, it’s possible once you have that answer you vanish into the ether.

You also have to consider that sources like YouTube provide most of the answers for general things these days, and you don’t have to wait for a reply. The videos with the biggest hits cater to the beginner.

Myself I prefer to read without logging in, I cruise the deep sky imaging as that’s my thing, check out the blurb on new cameras or software. But don’t really have any desire to generally participate.

Take it or leave it, there’s a certain group that dominates the more advanced area of the deep sky section that would appear to have deep pockets, and have to get the latest best tech gear, well good luck to them, but it’s not an area I wish to participate in directly..... of course having said that, because they do try out the latest gear, if I desire to buy one of those I don’t consider their views on such unworthy.
On a personal view, the imagers seem to just shoot the same 20 objects year in year out, I skip over to look for something new and interesting.
At the end of the day, actively participating day in day out, doesn’t work for me, tried it and no thanks I’m happier just doing my thing alone.

So what you've been up to? Still imaging a bit or doing visual these days?

[JA]

Originally Posted by Alchemy

Well it’s not surprising

Forums provide a resource for information, an opportunity for feedback directly, it’s possible once you have that answer you vanish into the ether.

You also have to consider that sources like YouTube provide most of the answers for general things these days, and you don’t have to wait for a reply. The videos with the biggest hits cater to the beginner.

Myself I prefer to read without logging in, I cruise the deep sky imaging as that’s my thing, check out the blurb on new cameras or software. But don’t really have any desire to generally participate.

Take it or leave it, there’s a certain group that dominates the more advanced area of the deep sky section that would appear to have deep pockets, and have to get the latest best tech gear, well good luck to them, but it’s not an area I wish to participate in directly..... of course having said that, because they do try out the latest gear, if I desire to buy one of those I don’t consider their views on such unworthy.
On a personal view, the imagers seem to just shoot the same 20 objects year in year out, I skip over to look for something new and interesting.
At the end of the day, actively participating day in day out, doesn’t work for me, tried it and no thanks I’m happier just doing my thing alone.

Hi Clive,

You make a good point about astro information being more widely available nowdays, especially with the likes of YouTube. Not only is it more widely available, but it is more easily digested: just like watching TV and sometimes informative as well as entertaining. The only issue is that if you want very specific information or direct user experience it may take some wading through compared with say a direct question on the forum.

Anyway I think I know the reason why you're not on the forum that much and it has to do with a visit I took down your way a few years ago...... Your skies are magnificently dark. http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...6&postcount=23

Anyway all the best: I don't need to wish you Dark Skies..... you've got 'em

Best
JA

[jahnpahwa (JP)]

I wonder how many users register to use the classifieds? I was looking on there the other day, and there are people posting with "0" post counts, making me wonder if classifieds posts arent counted?

[N1 (Mirko)]

Like their users, forums evolve. They amass knowledge & wisdom (usually faster than fundamentals change, or innovation takes place in the hobby), so over time, reduce the need to actively ask questions.

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by jahnpahwa

I wonder how many users register to use the classifieds? I was looking on there the other day, and there are people posting with "0" post counts, making me wonder if classifieds posts arent counted?

A lot of people just sign up to buy things.
Posts in Classifieds don't count so that's why you see zero post count but are members for a long time.

RB

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Originally Posted by multiweb

So what you've been up to? Still imaging a bit or doing visual these days?

In a rare reply.....

We are lockdown at the moment so I have time on my hands.

Still imaging, although Melbourne has been typically cloudy with the La Niña, not really a great place to image from that point of view.

Since I joined in 2007 ish a lot has changed, it was mostly modded DSLR back then, I used a cannon camera, a modded Phillips to u cam, used Guide dog for guiding.
Forward a while and upgraded to a new qhy8 one of those Dmk FireWire guide cameras, (can’t get FireWire computers anymore that I know of) went from a 12 inch newt imaging which really didn’t work because of flexure issues, went to a 5 inch apo WOptics which I still have, upgraded the guide scope to a WO megrez.
Of recent put in a Zwo 174 for guiding.... love the bigger chip.

Things for future... looking to get a color camera, I kind of like being able to create some results after a single night. CMOS seems to have come of age with the new 26 megapixel offerings from QHY and ZWO tossing up between them, and here’s where the forum is useful, some reviews are out, but it’s not a clear winner either way, apparently the ZWO has some banding, the QHY less so, but their software has been buggy in the past ( I can’t get my 5 filter wheel to stop on 3 for example at the moment) so if anything leaning to the ZWO
Given my G11 is non Gemini I mounted a Aimpoint laser sight from a shotgun on it.... never need a finderscope again.
I’m interested in the new PHD2 with multi star guiding, I think that’s a leap forward, anyone who’s done planetary imaging knows just how much the sky ‘boills’ and how localised that is.
Meh that’s about it I think, honestly I’m not interested in displaying any of my pics, I’ve found the happy enjoyment of just doing what pleases me, and I find the expectations of continually commenting on others work more than I am interested in, it’s a bit like Facebook I’m not interested in having “friends” I’ve got plenty in the real world, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be friendly, it’s just easier to “lurk”
Some of the YouTube channels are good so I find that entertaining I particularly liked Dylan O’Donnell’s last offering on eyepieces, there’s something about Aussie humour that I don’t think the rest of the world gets, having watched his neaf talk, they just didn’t get it, cuiv the lazy geek is good, there’s a whole bunch of good real science stuff too, so that’s probably my electronic Astro fix to some degree,
For those interested in forum activities on a regular basis, enjoy it, lurkers like me still look at what’s going on even if we don’t buy into it much.....

[Startrek (Martin)]

Originally Posted by Alchemy

In a rare reply.....

We are lockdown at the moment so I have time on my hands.

Still imaging, although Melbourne has been typically cloudy with the La Niña, not really a great place to image from that point of view.

Since I joined in 2007 ish a lot has changed, it was mostly modded DSLR back then, I used a cannon camera, a modded Phillips to u cam, used Guide dog for guiding.
Forward a while and upgraded to a new qhy8 one of those Dmk FireWire guide cameras, (can’t get FireWire computers anymore that I know of) went from a 12 inch newt imaging which really didn’t work because of flexure issues, went to a 5 inch apo WOptics which I still have, upgraded the guide scope to a WO megrez.
Of recent put in a Zwo 174 for guiding.... love the bigger chip.

Things for future... looking to get a color camera, I kind of like being able to create some results after a single night. CMOS seems to have come of age with the new 26 megapixel offerings from QHY and ZWO tossing up between them, and here’s where the forum is useful, some reviews are out, but it’s not a clear winner either way, apparently the ZWO has some banding, the QHY less so, but their software has been buggy in the past ( I can’t get my 5 filter wheel to stop on 3 for example at the moment) so if anything leaning to the ZWO
Given my G11 is non Gemini I mounted a Aimpoint laser sight from a shotgun on it.... never need a finderscope again.
I’m interested in the new PHD2 with multi star guiding, I think that’s a leap forward, anyone who’s done planetary imaging knows just how much the sky ‘boills’ and how localised that is.
Meh that’s about it I think, honestly I’m not interested in displaying any of my pics, I’ve found the happy enjoyment of just doing what pleases me, and I find the expectations of continually commenting on others work more than I am interested in, it’s a bit like Facebook I’m not interested in having “friends” I’ve got plenty in the real world, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be friendly, it’s just easier to “lurk”
Some of the YouTube channels are good so I find that entertaining I particularly liked Dylan O’Donnell’s last offering on eyepieces, there’s something about Aussie humour that I don’t think the rest of the world gets, having watched his neaf talk, they just didn’t get it, cuiv the lazy geek is good, there’s a whole bunch of good real science stuff too, so that’s probably my electronic Astro fix to some degree,
For those interested in forum activities on a regular basis, enjoy it, lurkers like me still look at what’s going on even if we don’t buy into it much.....

Clive,
I’ve had my ZWOASI2600MC for 6 months now and I don’t know where you read they suffer from banding but none of my countless images have any banding , in fact I don’t even need to take darks with this extremely low noise high QE camera. I’ve imaged through outside ambient 30 deg down to 12 deg nights with it too.
I’d recommend it to anyone !

Cheers
Martin

[jahnpahwa (JP)]

Originally Posted by RB

A lot of people just sign up to buy things.
Posts in Classifieds don't count so that's why you see zero post count but are members for a long time.

RB

Yep, thats exactly what I was thinking.

[Wilsil (Wilco)]

Originally Posted by RB

A lot of people just sign up to buy things.
Posts in Classifieds don't count so that's why you see zero post count but are members for a long time.

RB

That's how I started but now I replying to this topic so my count will go up by 1.

[Tulloch (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by RB

A lot of people just sign up to buy things.
Posts in Classifieds don't count so that's why you see zero post count but are members for a long time.
RB

I only joined for the classifieds, bought my new OTA plus a bunch of accessories (currently looking for a cheap 3x TV Barlow )

I post now and then, but actually prefer the world-wide audience on Cloudy Nights...

[Granada]

Originally Posted by AdamJL

this might be controversial... but forums can also be for uhh... older folks (hey I'm including myself here too!).
The only major place forum where younger people do go, is Reddit. Everything else is social media.

Agree. More generally speaking, I wish this hobby was taken up more equally by men and women of all ages.

[rogerg (Roger)]

I remember when FB groups started taking off and recall a drop in traffic here as a side effect. I'm sure some members would have left and not come back at that point, but probably a minority. IIS is a much better resource for knowledge though, indexed in search engines and outside the control of a monolith like FB.

[Tandum (Robin)]

No facebook here.

I've helped where I could over the years.
I sold everything around 2013.
Priorities tend to change.

A lemon tree in a pot now lives on the concrete pier.

[The_bluester (Paul)]

I still lurk and post on a couple of forums (Two mainly) FB is all about the "RIGHT NOW" and IMO is utterly useless as any sort of repository of knowledge, which is where the better forums still shine. One I am part of is about one particular series of car and has technical knowledge gathered over a couple of decades (Scary, I have been on that forum since 2001) that in a lot of cases is what is keeping what is now an interesting and increasingly rare car on the road. You just can't do that on facebook.

This forum is another example of the same sort of thing. knowledge and experience built up over a long time where you can browse or search back, try doing that on FB, you are lucky to find a post of your own that you made a couple of years ago, unless FB chooses to throw it at you as a "Memory", and your own comments on someone elses threads are even worse, and worse again trying to find something someone else posted.

Regards swathes of zero post members, there have been plenty of times on plenty of forums where captcha has been broken (Or before captcha) wheres spambots slip in and register en-masse. I normally put most of the zero posters down to that.

[AdamJL]

Originally Posted by Granada

Agree. More generally speaking, I wish this hobby was taken up more equally by men and women of all ages.

Yep. Thankfully I see a lot of up and coming younger people on YouTube, which is great. Sadly, most of them are men.

[glend (Glen)]

Originally Posted by AdamJL

Yep. Thankfully I see a lot of up and coming younger people on YouTube, which is great. Sadly, most of them are men.

Utube is nothing like a Forum, and by its nature as a broadcast medium, is no substitute for the wide spread of views you will likely encounter in a Forum.

I agree Forums might be seen by some as a Men's Shed type of environment, but we are also a very inclusive and supportive bunch.