Active members

[TrevorW]

Just a question the front page shows 10407 members however the members list shows 385 pages with 30 members per page which equates to 11550 members or thereabouts

However on a random check of the members listing total members per page with 2 or less postings account for around 20 members per page

Example:
Date Postings
25-06-2007 0 ambroseliao Registered User
01-10-2007 1 amcanes Registered User
25-11-2008 0 amcbelladonna Registered User
05-01-2012 0 AmerniGK73 Registered User
05-05-2011 0 amhatcher Registered User
16-09-2009 0 amillego Registered User
14-12-2010 0 amine Registered User
25-08-2007 0 amishra Registered User
17-01-2011 0 Amity Registered User

Most of the above have no postings and registered years ago

I would consider it more prudent that the total only reflects the total membership of active members say those with 1 or more posts monthly in a 6-12 month period and those members who have not posted regularly drop off.

Based on my rough calculations the active member numbers are more likely to be around the 2000 mark

[iceman (Mike)]

So members that don't post don't deserve to be members?

I'm sorry that's not the way it works here. I know of many members who have been members for years and don't have any posts, or haven't posted in a long time.

People register for different reasons. Some like to post and ask questions or answer questions, others sit in the background and read, others receive the e-newsletters and probably don't read the forums much at all.

An online community is no different than any other group of people that you'd put together in a room. Some will want to be the centre of attention and do lots of talking, like-minded folk would group together, and you'd have those that sit in the back of the room just watching and listening. Should they be kicked out? I think not.

While we celebrate the milestones the numbers don't mean that much on its own - it's just a way to mark the continued growth of IceInSpace.

[TrevorW]

The problem is that it's not a true reflection of the the member base and is in someways misleading

I doubt someone who registered in 2007 and made 1 post would return or even warrants being called a member and any DB manager would say you are cluttering up your database. There is no perceivable reason to keep them recorded other than to boost the membership figures.

A lot of sites allow non registered members to make a post or remark as a guest and in fact you don't have to register to view other posts.

Celebrating a milestone IMO would be 10000 active members.

We will beg to differ on this one

[gel]

joined in 2006 with 72 posts and i still love this site,i view it nearly every day,please dont put caviets on them,regards a very loyal member.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

If someone takes the time to register, that makes them a member in my eyes. It shows they've taken enough interest in the site to want to "own" it.
Young Josh (Nortilus) who joined before I did, lurked for 5 years before becoming an active member. During that time he spent his time following threads and learning.
You can't deem non active members as non members.

[TrevorW]

The stats are wrong plain and simple coming up with exceptions is not the rule

I'm talking of over 70% of the total listed membership having 2 posts or less

Cheers

[erick (Eric)]

Trevor, and the problem is......?

[iceman (Mike)]

But so what, Trevor?

What are you comparing it to?

Other astro sites? Whatever measure you use to compare, it makes no difference.

The 'total membership number' is exactly that. Just like CloudyNights have probably 50000+ members (the site is down now so I can't check), BAUT forum has 111,000 members, and Facebook have 7 gazillion members.

It's just a total membership count. None of them report 'active members' by whatever measure YOU choose.

[gts055 (Mark)]

hmmm, I joined 1-6-2005 and have made a grand total of 129 posts. I read here nearly every day. I am just a quiet person who enjoys this site. I guess there r hundreds and hundreds of people here who like to browse posts and look at the for sale columns, they r active in the background like me

[Forgey (Paula)]

Im am member on the cloudynights forum and although ive never posted on there I visit it regularly for information.

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by erick

Trevor, and the problem is......?

I'm a stickler for accuracy, meaningful figures and good database management.

Just because other sites may do it does not make it right.

I'm not referring to people who have posted several times or more but you all obviously have missed my point

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by Forgey

Im am member on the cloudynights forum and although ive never posted on there I visit it regularly for information.

You are often not required to register to view a forum post.

[erick (Eric)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

I'm a stickler for accuracy, meaningful figures and good database management.

I am as well, but don't see the need for it on this forum.

[Ausrock (Chris)]

You encounter this on virtually any internet forum, people who for what ever reason, register a membership, then either don't "post" or "post" very little, thing is THEY ARE STILL FORUM MEMBERS..................then there are those who choose to nit-pick when the "forum norm" doesn't fit into their little picture of the world

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Hi Trevor, just drawing a parallel - if I'm a member of a society or club or whatever however don't attend meetings or vote or "actively" participate except to enjoy the privileges of membership (in whatever form that may take), does that mean I shouldn't be counted on the membership roll or be accounted as a statistic of that club's membership? I'm struggling to understand what the issue is to be honest

[iceman (Mike)]

Threads like this is where we usually get haters like Bert Candusio and other popping up.. Always good to bring those NON MEMBERS out of the woodwork, right?

Good database management? Please.. This forum is so big a few thousands records in a users table makes 0 difference.

[2stroke (Jay)]

lol this thered an the op are a joke, talk about a forum troll.

Troll (Internet)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...silver.svg.png
"Do not feed the trolls" and "DNFTT" redirect here. For the Wikipedia essay, see Wikipediaeny recognition.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...llface.svg.pnghttp://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.19...gnify-clip.png
The "trollface", first appearing in 2008, is often used to indicate trolling in contemporary internet culture.[1] Modern usage of the word itself dates from 1980s.


In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4] The noun troll may refer to the provocative message itself, as in: "That was an excellent troll you posted".
While the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, media attention in recent years has made such labels subjective, with trolling describing intentionally provocative actions and harassment outside of an online context. For example, mass media has used troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."[5][6]


Please GET HELP or medication, your fellow iis acitve member 2stroke

[Octane (Humayun)]

I was going to say, that database management is the least of this site's worries.

The traffic on here (not network) wouldn't even raise a blip on CPU usage reports.

The thrust of your message is that the numbers are misleading. Even if they were, who would it effect? This is not a commercial enterprise that needs to answer to a board or shareholders.

Get out and capture some photons, Trevor.

H

[Barrykgerdes]

This site will have the same % of active members as any others and there are not many specialist enthusiast boards that go anywhere near the numbers on this site and grow at the same rate.

Barry

[Bassnut (Fred)]

I'm with Trevor all the way on this one, those stats are friggen shocking, makes me sick just thinking about it. What does the goverment do about it?. NOTHIN. They buy all those Tasers, use em already, I'm sure they work out of Mikes karate-chop range.