Interesting statistics regarding WTM forums...

[Stacy in NJ]

There are 30,532 members of the WTM forums. 1262 individuals are currently logged on with 507 of them actual members and 755 as guests (lurkers).

 

:001_smile:

 

ETA: As of 2:47 pm this thread had 15 responses but 351 views. :-)

Edited May 17, 2011 by Stacy in NJ

[bookfiend]

Any idea what percent of members are zero count posters?

[Stacy in NJ]

:001_smile:

 

Any idea what percent of members are zero count posters?

[Sputterduck]

Kinda gives you the fish in a fishbowl feeling.

 

Hi... lurkers. Why don't you step in and say hi? We're not that scary. Well, most of the time anyway.

[beaners]

The members tab lists 23012 members, but that usually only includes members who have logged in within a certain time frame. 411 out of 768 pages were posters with at least 1 post.

[Perry]

There are 30,532 members of the WTM forums. 1262 individuals are currently logged on with 507 of them actual members and 755 as guests (lurkers).

 

:001_smile:

 

Where did you find that number? When I go to the members list, it says 23011. Is there another list somewhere?

 

Any idea what percent of members are zero count posters?

10729 of 23011 (47%) have 0 posts

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I try to remember this when there is a hot thread. A lot of looks or even a lot of posts doesn't mean that EVERYONE or even the majority of the board has weighed in on the matter. Or cares. Or even noticed it.

 

I'm always amused when I see someone who has a couple thousand posts and I've never even noticed them before. There are so many different layers and paths on the board. It would be quite possible to spend plenty of time on the board and not have the same experience as other members.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Where did you find that number? When I go to the members list, it says 23011. Is there another list somewhere?

 

 

10729 of 23011 (47%) have 0 posts

 

And how many more have only posted about handbags, tennis shoes or Armenian brides?

[Hannah]

10729 of 23011 (47%) have 0 posts

 

What is the point of being a member if you don't post? You could just lurk.

[Samiam]

Not all lurkers are non-members.

 

I read WTM several times a day, pop in here and there, 5-10 minutes at a time.

 

I have been a member for a while, 2-3 years, I think.

 

I don't always log in when I stop in to catch up. I wasn't going to log in just now, until I read this post.

 

So I would be a "non-member" AKA "lurker" by those statistics posted. Doesn't mean I am a "LURKER" aka a weirdo trolling for information.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Samiam

[Gooblink]

I'm lurking today. :) HI ALL!

 

I post in fits and spurts, but have only been a member for a little over a year.

 

I lurked for a while before joining, as there is a wealth of information here that could keep one busy for a really long time, without ever posting.

[[email protected]]

And how many more have only posted about handbags, tennis shoes or Armenian brides?

 

Far too many.

[Crissy]

The members tab lists 23012 members, but that usually only includes members who have logged in within a certain time frame. 411 out of 768 pages were posters with at least 1 post.

 

Not all member are listed. I don't know why that is, but my name is not there. I don't imagine I'm the only one.

[mmasmommy]

Wow. Makes one (at least this one) think twice about the personal info one is putting out there.

 

:leaving:

Maybe being invisible isn't such a bad thing...

[Stacy in NJ]

http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/index.php

 

Page down to the What's Going On? and The Well-Trained Mind Forums (aka Hive Mind) Statistics sections and you'll see the numbers.

 

 

The members tab lists 23012 members, but that usually only includes members who have logged in within a certain time frame. 411 out of 768 pages were posters with at least 1 post.

[Stacy in NJ]

This board is not as intimate as it may feel sometimes. It is in fact very public. Instead of a cafe it's more like a stadium.

 

Wow. Makes one (at least this one) think twice about the personal info one is putting out there.

 

:leaving:

Maybe being invisible isn't such a bad thing...

[KnitWit]

Yep...a stadium.

 

...A stadium that has a jumbo-tron that shares everything with the world.

 

Threads on the WTM board have shown up when I google.

[Jane in NC]

This board is not as intimate as it may feel sometimes. It is in fact very public. Instead of a cafe it's more like a stadium.

 

Between cookies and data mining, we are all being stalked within the stadium. That to me is the scary part.

 

eta: I see the Internet in general as a stadium. Not that the owners of this board are mining our data!

Edited May 17, 2011 by Jane in NC

[Socalmom]

I lurk quite a bit. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have much interesting to add to the discussion. I know that both my DD and I have benefited from what I have learned about homeschooling from these forums. I have also had my horizons expanded reading about points of view that I wouldn't be exposed to in my everyday life. I always have stacks of books from the library that I pick up because of a discussion on the boards. The number of orders from Amazon have also increased greatly. :001_smile:

 

I'm not scary. Just kind of shy.

 

Margie

[rootsnwings]

all those "guests" are not actually people. Most of them are web-bots out fishing for info for google and other search engines...

[Rene Austen]

I lurk quite a bit. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have much interesting to add to the discussion.

:iagree: This is me, too. I often think I have something fabulous to say on a thread, only to discover that someone has already said it!

 

But I love these boards, and I visit almost daily--this place is a huge blessing to me.

[Carol in Cal.]

This board is not as intimate as it may feel sometimes. It is in fact very public. Instead of a cafe it's more like a stadium.

 

Yup, a stadium. With mikes on each person.

[Scarlett]

Yep...a stadium.

 

...A stadium that has a jumbo-tron that shares everything with the world.

 

Threads on the WTM board have shown up when I google.

 

Yep. My identity was discovered by a local hs mom the other day. Although I don't think SHE has any bad motives it really freaked me out that she was able to identify me. But what did I expect when I posted my wedding pics!

 

:banghead: I deleted that link not long after I posted it, but she figured me out. LOL

 

As I said, she is no threat to me...she is mostly a lurker herself....the ones to worry about are the ones who have identified me and don't let me know. It has really made me double check my posts for personal information that I don't want 'out' there.

[Carol in Cal.]

There are 30,532 members of the WTM forums. 1262 individuals are currently logged on with 507 of them actual members and 755 as guests (lurkers).

 

:001_smile:

 

ETA: As of 2:47 pm this thread had 15 responses but 351 views. :-)

 

This is the kind of thing that we need to keep in mind about these boards.

 

:001_smile:

[Heather in WI]

Very interesting stats, Stacy!

 

This board is not as intimate as it may feel sometimes. It is in fact very public. Instead of a cafe it's more like a stadium.

 

:iagree:

 

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like there has been an increase in over-the-top TMI-type posts and venting about {fill-in-the-blank} posts. I don't share most of that information IRL, I can't imagine sharing it here. But, obviously, that's just me. :D

 

Maybe because there are so many people here posters feel a certain amount of anonymity?

 

I had that notion shattered when I linked to an acquaintance's web page (nothing bad, just providing information!). It didn't occur to me that they would click back through their referrals to my post and see my recommendation. It was rather startling when they called me "Heather in WI"!

[AngelBee]

Kinda gives you the fish in a fishbowl feeling.

 

Hi... lurkers. Why don't you step in and say hi? We're not that scary. Well, most of the time anyway.

They could be members too. Sometimes I get logged off by my computer and don't sign back in until I post.

 

Crap.....I just proved I am a troll! :D

[Jane in NC]

all those "guests" are not actually people. Most of them are web-bots out fishing for info for google and other search engines...

 

A lot of people get disconcerted when someone they know stumbles across their Internet identity, but the fact that Amazon, Google and these other large entities stalk us constantly for our information does not bother people. And don't get me started on Facebook!

[LisaMarie6]

I lurk quite a bit. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have much interesting to add to the discussion. I know that both my DD and I have benefited from what I have learned about homeschooling from these forums.Margie

 

This is me too. I have learned a lot on this forum and it has become the first place I come when I have a curriculum question. Like, where to go after Singapore 6 (I've found a lot of great answers too!)

[Night Elf]

This board is not as intimate as it may feel sometimes. It is in fact very public. Instead of a cafe it's more like a stadium.

 

I think that some people think a board like this is safe because you have to register to be a member. Perhaps they don't think through the next step that anyone can register and registration doesn't mean much in the long run?

[Stacy in NJ]

being helpful to our fellow homeschoolers is the primary goal of most of the posters on this forum and, I think, SWB's primary goal as well.

 

This is me too. I have learned a lot on this forum and it has become the first place I come when I have a curriculum question. Like, where to go after Singapore 6 (I've found a lot of great answers too!)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Very interesting stats, Stacy!

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like there has been an increase in over-the-top TMI-type posts and venting about {fill-in-the-blank} posts. I don't share most of that information IRL, I can't imagine sharing it here. But, obviously, that's just me. :D

 

Maybe because there are so many people here posters feel a certain amount of anonymity?

 

I had that notion shattered when I linked to an acquaintance's web page (nothing bad, just providing information!). It didn't occur to me that they would click back through their referrals to my post and see my recommendation. It was rather startling when they called me "Heather in WI"!

 

Even using a nom de cyber that has no relationship to my real name, I've had friends figure out who I am.

 

I guess there aren't that many military moms with my particular CV.

 

But that is the reason why I don't use my kids' real names, don't put their photos on the open internet and generally don't vent about them or dh. Nothing on the internet dies.

 

One of the better lessons for the scope of the internet is to read some of the email chains from the Alaskan Assassin email. I don't know if the original email was real, but I remember having it forwarded to me when it was current - from several different people, all with a different chain of forwarding emails. Here's one version of the email. Start at the bottom and read up. (For those who need an interpretation, this is an Air Force Doolie (freshman) who sends a classmate the first email. She then forwards it to ALL the other freshmen, who forward it to friends in other classes, who forward it . . .)

 

Wasn't it Ben Franklin who said that three men can keep a secret if two of them are dead?

[BeckyFL]

I lurk quite a bit. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have much interesting to add to the discussion. I know that both my DD and I have benefited from what I have learned about homeschooling from these forums. I have also had my horizons expanded reading about points of view that I wouldn't be exposed to in my everyday life. I always have stacks of books from the library that I pick up because of a discussion on the boards. The number of orders from Amazon have also increased greatly. :001_smile:

 

I'm not scary. Just kind of shy.

 

Margie

 

Hi, Margie! So glad you said something to us.

 

I think there should be some sort of difference in terms here. Obviously Margie is a warm and fuzzy lurker, the kind we like. LOL

What can we call the more sinister variety?

[Virg]

I lurk quite a bit. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have much interesting to add to the discussion.

:iagree:

 

I spend WAY to much time on here every day but by my post count no one would ever know :) I have been reading this forum for about a year. It inspired me to switch from traditional to classical. It makes me laugh all the time. It makes me feel like I am not alone in a place where I know no one. I don't usually post for 2 reasons: 1. I am VERY opinionated but also sensitive and I don't want anyone to "yell" at me lol. 2. Usually someone already said what I wanted to say. I also do a lot of typing and deleting :)

 

I think someone would have to know me IRL to figure me out since even my FB is completely blocked and I am unsearchable, even with my email and full name, fb's search engine says there is no one with that information. You have to be a friend of a friend to even be able to ask to "friend" me and I keep that pretty narrowed down. (Please no one prove me wrong by finding me! :tongue_smilie: )

[mmasmommy]

:iagree:

 

I spend WAY to much time on here every day but by my post count no one would ever know :) I have been reading this forum for about a year. It inspired me to switch from traditional to classical. It makes me laugh all the time. It makes me feel like I am not alone in a place where I know no one. I don't usually post for 2 reasons: 1. I am VERY opinionated but also sensitive and I don't want anyone to "yell" at me lol. 2. Usually someone already said what I wanted to say. I also do a lot of typing and deleting :)

 

I think someone would have to know me IRL to figure me out since even my FB is completely blocked and I am unsearchable, even with my email and full name, fb's search engine says there is no one with that information. You have to be a friend of a friend to even be able to ask to "friend" me and I keep that pretty narrowed down. (Please no one prove me wrong by finding me! :tongue_smilie: )

 

How do you do that on FB?

[Penny from Tenny]

I, too, spend more time on here than my number of posts indicate. I was on the old forums before they even moved here but you would never know it! My home and school situation have changed considerably and I just don't have the time like I once did. I do appreciate the wealth of information I have gained on here and being able to occasionally find an answer to my many homeschooling conundrums! I hope that when I do post that it is somehow helpful to someone else, BUT, since I am a thread killer I have become somewhat paranoid to post....

[Virg]

Account (top right hand with a down arrow)- Privacy setttings- Connecting on Facebook (very top choice click on the "view settings")- Search for you on Facebook (very top choice again) and choose friends only.

 

 

The only down-side is if I want to be friends with someone I can't ever tell them to request me, I always have to find them. If we are both blocked, one of us will have to un-block ourselves for a few minutes so we can request the other :)

Edited May 17, 2011 by ds4159

[tadah]

I too log in only to post, which means most of the time the stats would show me as a lurker. I enjoy the the WTM boards very much. I'm cautious about internet privacy - that's just my nature - and don't have a lot of expertise to add, so I rarely post. But I appreciate all of you!

[elegantlion]

We're all just part of the matrix. Which pill did you choose? :D

 

My post count indicates just about how often I'm here. I tend to post what I would be comfortable sharing with a friend. I've had some IRL friends who share way more than a google bot, so I learned to filter most conversations.

Edited May 17, 2011 by elegantlion

[CourtneyMI]

OKay I am a total newbie, as seen by my post count, and I am like Margie, I usually have nothing to add. I have more questions than answers because I am SO new to this whole thing. I am honestly just trying to figure things out!

 

But you all have been wonderful with all of your expertise in homeschooling little ones! Thank you for that!

[Crissy]

OKay I am a total newbie, as seen by my post count, and I am like Margie, I usually have nothing to add. I have more questions than answers because I am SO new to this whole thing. I am honestly just trying to figure things out!

 

But you all have been wonderful with all of your expertise in homeschooling little ones! Thank you for that!

 

I hope you and that adorable avatar will be sticking around. :D

[Heather in WI]

One of the better lessons for the scope of the internet is to read some of the email chains from the Alaskan Assassin email. I don't know if the original email was real, but I remember having it forwarded to me when it was current - from several different people, all with a different chain of forwarding emails. Here's one version of the email. Start at the bottom and read up. (For those who need an interpretation, this is an Air Force Doolie (freshman) who sends a classmate the first email. She then forwards it to ALL the other freshmen, who forward it to friends in other classes, who forward it . . .)

 

 

:lol::rofl::lol:

 

Oh my! From AFA to USNA to USMA to Active Duty enlisted and officers? LOLOLOLOL! The poor guy!

[julesmama3]

:iagree: This is me, too. I often think I have something fabulous to say on a thread, only to discover that someone has already said it!

 

But I love these boards, and I visit almost daily--this place is a huge blessing to me.

 

 

 

:iagree:What they said.

[ChristusG]

Yeah, those numbers aren't totally accurate. I, too, appear to be a "lurker" because my computer logs me off each time I close the page and I only log back in when I'm posting something.

[mom2denj]

I do not always log in either. Sometimes I only have a minute or two to check in.

[actuary]

I felt a need to delurk just to introduce myself and say that I'm not one of those sinister lurkers, just really shy. Plus I don't have kids so I feel like usually I have nothing to add. I first found the forums because I was interested in learning more about self-education. I want to fill in the gaps of my own education and would like to become more well rounded as well. As my screen name suggests I am an actuary and I also haven't done much reading since high school, so I am inspired by the high school boards in trying to maybe make myself a little more of a reader of literature.

 

Then after coming to the boards to learn more about self-education, I was intrigued by homeschooling. And so I like to hang out here sometimes and read about homeschooling too because I'm curious and it seems like this cool idea. But, again, I don't have children yet (although I want kids) and so I feel like a total nerd reading about homeschooling methods and curriculum when I have no idea whether I'll even homeschool or when I'll have kids. But what can I say, I like to learn about random stuff and I've always been interested in education theory and pedagogy.

 

So hi there :)

[Barb_]

 

So hi there :)

 

You will be assimilated. :coolgleamA:

[Heather in WI]

I felt a need to delurk just to introduce myself and say that I'm not one of those sinister lurkers, just really shy. Plus I don't have kids so I feel like usually I have nothing to add. I first found the forums because I was interested in learning more about self-education .... I feel like a total nerd reading about homeschooling methods and curriculum when I have no idea whether I'll even homeschool or when I'll have kids. But what can I say, I like to learn about random stuff and I've always been interested in education theory and pedagogy.

 

So hi there :)

 

Hi! I loved your post. Hooray for de-lurking and welcome to the boards as a poster! :)

[Heather in WI]

You will be assimilated. :coolgleamA:

 

:lol:

[Socalmom]

Hi, Margie! So glad you said something to us.

 

I think there should be some sort of difference in terms here. Obviously Margie is a warm and fuzzy lurker, the kind we like. LOL

What can we call the more sinister variety?

 

Thank you! :001_smile:

 

Margie

[Sugarfoot]

We're all just part of the matrix. Which pill did you choose? :D

 

My post count indicates just about how often I'm here. I tend to post what I would be comfortable sharing with a friend. I've had some IRL friends who share way more than a google bot, so I learned to filter most conversations.

 

You know, I think I just tend to not worry about stuff.:lol: Especially here. Paula is my WTM friend who grew up near where I did and vacationed in the same spot that I did as a child. We were both lucky not to fall into the fish hatcheries. :D Someday we WILL get to meet IRL!;)

 

 

I felt a need to delurk just to introduce myself and say that I'm not one of those sinister lurkers, just really shy. Plus I don't have kids so I feel like usually I have nothing to add. I first found the forums because I was interested in learning more about self-education. I want to fill in the gaps of my own education and would like to become more well rounded as well. As my screen name suggests I am an actuary and I also haven't done much reading since high school, so I am inspired by the high school boards in trying to maybe make myself a little more of a reader of literature.

 

Then after coming to the boards to learn more about self-education, I was intrigued by homeschooling. And so I like to hang out here sometimes and read about homeschooling too because I'm curious and it seems like this cool idea. But, again, I don't have children yet (although I want kids) and so I feel like a total nerd reading about homeschooling methods and curriculum when I have no idea whether I'll even homeschool or when I'll have kids. But what can I say, I like to learn about random stuff and I've always been interested in education theory and pedagogy.

 

So hi there :)

 

When I was in college, I worked in a credit union. There was a retired man there who's grandson went to college to become an actuary. My psychology- majoring Shakespeare-loving self found it fascinating.:D

 

You will be assimilated. :coolgleamA:

 

Sooner or later, they all are...:lol: