I checked the member list...out of 45 pages, with 50 members per page, there are abut 20 pages with no-post members.
There are only 50 members with over 70 posts. I didn't say I expected more.
But almost 1000 "members" w/o posts is really saddening and depressing...

You can see the glass as half full. Alternatively, you can ignore them as being accidental members, and look at the fact that 30,000 posts have been written spread over a thousand people, and that a hundred or so people are pretty active. This is a typical activity level. Think of that other thousand as being ships passing in the night and the single-post people as strangers that stopped by to say 'hi'.
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Forming opinions as we speak

Well, we've been through this before... the stats are nothing unusual for a forum and you can't make people post. Sometimes people sign up for stuff and then forget about it or find they don't have time to get actively involved. Other people, sign up but don't get involved for some time.

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"The stars are my home"
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark, near the Tanhauser Gate... all those moments will be lost, in time... like tears in the rain..."

It makes me sad too. I'd love everyone who comes here to strike up numerous intelligent conversations, but the demographics are absolutely normal. That's just the way things go with online communities.

If anyone had suggestions on how to get more people to come, stay longer, and post more often, I'm all ears.

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Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today - Free space news delivered by email every weekday.

Here's a bad idea:
For every new guest from now on, if they wanna become a member they gotta make five posts as a guest, and then they can subscribe for membership. It's just an idea. And it's a horrible idea. Sorry.

You're right it is a bad idea. Most people (especially the sort of intelligent contributors we want) are too busy to stuff around with trial schemes like you suggest.

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Climate Change Chronicles

Climate Change Forum

I agree with Kashi. The people who have 0 posts now might post in the future- it took me a couple months to make my first post after joining.

It's hard enough to keep up with all the posts now, if there were more....never mind.

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The Force that through the green fuse drives the flower...drives my green age!
It is only with the heart that things can be seen clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye!

For me at least, I feel somewhat uncomfortable posting, as I just don't know about astronomy as much as the pro's do here. Who wants to look like an idiot by asking a question that to others seems obvious? Especially when they get condescending replies that have a tone of weary patience on the part of the responder. It takes courage to jump in the pond with the big fish. Sometimes I'll ask a question or join in one of the fun topics, but its hard to get involved with all the technical stuff when its way over your head. I imagine that causes alot of others to be infrequent posters too. However to be positive, Universe Today forums are a terrific resource, absolutely full of fascinating info to learn from, and I really do enjoy hanging out here even if I don't feel like I can participate in an issue.

That's why I didnt start posting much when I registered, but as I did, I realized that everyone here is just so kind. Dont be ashamed to ask a question because most likely there are others who were wondering the same thing. The 'pros' on this forum are here to spread their knowledge of space and dont mind answering other people's questions. So read, post, and enjoy.

I don't mind asking questions that make me look like an idiot. It is the only way I will learn. So don't worry, ask away.

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

Ah AmateurSpaceCase, as everyone has said, don't let that put you off... none of us are experts and we're always looking to learn but there are just some things that go right over everyone's heads LOL Personally, I have no clue about the Iron Sun discussion LOL

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"The stars are my home"
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark, near the Tanhauser Gate... all those moments will be lost, in time... like tears in the rain..."

Some of us bite, but, you can bite back

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My Webpage

As one of those members who is here, but doesn't post much...I'd like to state a few things.

I don't often have time to post my own views or comments on a subject topic. I already know what I think...and frankly, I'm more interested in what all of you think! I realize it goes both ways...but hey, I'm the one reading alright? Hah.

I enjoy being one of the lurkers, I read the posts and learn something new every day. And I would much rather not flood the board with "Yep, I agree" or worse yet "What does that mean?". I'll most likely continue my quiet reading, and I'll only post when something moves me to. Or I'm prodded into it. But certainly don't be sad about it. Or feel that the numbers indicate a problem. Most, like me, are quite happy listening to the masses (or the minority, as the case may be) discuss.

And we're quite smug in knowing that whatever you all may post....we're right.

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...I think we're alone in the universe tonight...

Well, if you strongly believe in something, and believe we're wrong, you can always post your thinking and get feedback....who knows, maybe your "brilliant" idea just turns out to be a fluke? Then again, you might hear a lotta support. Either way, we all wanna hear what you all gotta say! B)

I'm sorry that the forum statistics page depresses you, but if that's the worst of your problems then you're living a very happy life indeed.

Good day.

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Climate Change Chronicles

Climate Change Forum

ESAA, an outside group on Yahoo into stardrive research at one time had around a couple of hundred members. Of those only about 20 ever posted messages. Of those twenty only about 10 were members with honest research. The reorganized group has faired far better. I'd say about 75% of the current members actually post and all of them are honest researchers. But do not overlook the lukers either. We discovered some of them are people with credientials. We ended up with emails from Caltech, MIT, etc all from some of those lurkers in the background. Even discovered after a point that the old ESAA group had a couple of Natario's own students looking on.

You never know who's out there sitting in the wings. Some of the big guns out there are too buzy most of the time to reply to everything. But they do watch and they do listen. I myself belong to a lot of groups. Some of those groups I make replies in and some I do not. But I watch them all. Of those groups there are plenty I do not agree with on a lot of subjects. However, you get a feel for how people believe not by avoiding the groups you disagree with, but by listening. You also sometimes get a bit of insight to a problem by that same listening. Stats, etc tend to tell you nothing except that you're group is normal. Also, a bit of note here. Profiles seldom tell you anything either. Some of the biggest names out there run under ID's that hold little in common with their real selves. Some also have multiple id's.

I think asking questions is the tenet of a curious mind, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, it should be encouraged as much as possible.

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BugMeNot A portal to bypass free-site registration.

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer - renowned 19th Century German philosopher.

I believe that after 6 mo. of inactivity that accounts should be deleted with notification because it is ridiculous how many names are taken for such a reason. Why take the time to create an account and never use it?

There's a perfectly good reason to have an account without posting, as that allows you to keep track of read posts.

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An emperor without enemies, a king without a kingdom, supported in life by the willing tribute of a free people.

I'd like to add: many users have registered here without posting just to view the attachments in the Astrophotography section.

Oh, so you need to be a member in order to see attachments? that seems kind of silly, what is the need for that?

(Oh, and my inactivity I mean that they are not using the account to log in to the boards, so I still stand by my idea)