Growing membership

[Ric]

Hi all,
It's good to see that this group is growing at quite a healthy pace, 1211 last time I looked, thats fantastic.
A big thanks also to the owners and moderator's who no doubt put in a lot of work behind the scenes to make it all possible.
It doesnt seem so lonely now knowing that when my scope is pointing skywards at 2am there are others doing the same.

cheers

[davidpretorius]

yup a great family!

[mickoking]

I feel all warm and fuzzy now

[Jupiter]

Does anyone know why the surge in interest in Astronomy, as a newbie myself to the hobby I am equally amazed at the growth in numbers here, can anyone give any reasons for a spurt in popularity?

[leon]

Yes i know Juipter, that's because the people here know that there couldn't be a better hobby.......

Cheers Leon

[iceman (Mike)]

Thanks Ric, your comments mean a lot, and it's those sentiments that make it so rewarding.. that astronomy doesn't have to be a lonely hobby anymore..

It's so much more fun when you can share it with someone. It opens up a whole new world.. and it's so great to have so many experienced people willing to share their knowledge and experiences with everyone else.

The membership of the site has grown pretty much linearly - in fact at times it's actually going up faster each month.. I think it's a combination of both new interest to the hobby and newcomers finding the site, as well as old hands and experienced amateurs finding the site for the first time, or coming out of the lurking shadows and registering.. either way, it's great.

[tornado33]

Yep, all good people, both to chat to online, and to meet in person at viewing events like Kulnura and Lostock.
Scott

[ving (David)]

i think alot of the success has to do with that darn mars email that continues to plague out inboxes

[netwolf]

Yeah its an amazing place with a great bunch of people and it certainly a home away from home .

I wonder how much guest traffic we get on top of regular users. I would imagine we have maybe double our membership in users who just pop in as guests. I know friends who have not registered but do pass through here often. Still trying to convince them to signup.

Regards

[leon]

Your right Netwolf, i went through this site for ages before i joined up, best thing i ever did.

Cheers leon

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

I don't know if Astronomy 'per se' is gaining in interest, but I know that Astronomy Forums such as this one has brought the loners together. Before joining AO (boring) it felt like there was only a few Amatuer Astronomers in Australia. And then discovering IIS and CN made even more difference. I truly wasn't alone!

I am now discovering (thru our Astro Club) that there are many more people out there who don't even think of looking for Astro forums on the net and continue on their own. On meeting these people I tell them of IIS, CN and SCP. There must be a LOT more hiding out there coz Telescopes always sell, and have been a popular item at D Smiths, Camera Shops etc for many many years.

[Ric]

I think that another reason for more people signing up is because IIS has something for everyone. It caters for the person who just want to look through a set of binoculars at the moon right through to the serious astronomer, whatever the flavour there is a section for everyone.

cheers

[iceman (Mike)]

I am now discovering (thru our Astro Club) that there are many more people out there who don't even think of looking for Astro forums on the net and continue on their own

I think that's definitely true. I was speaking to mojo yesterday about it, and I reckon that half the population of "amateur astronomers" or stargazers in Australia are probably over 50 or 60. It's not usually the demographic that:
a) Has a computer
b) Has an internet connection
c) Looks for online forums

The best we can do is to promote local observing sessions that get people together and observe together. It's just so much more rewarding when you can share it with someone.