Beerguy please answer my question before closing

[Joboo]

I had asked some follow-up questions in a thread that was closed recently. Instead of closing the thread could you please provide the answers to the follow up questions I had asked? I see that someone posted some information that may be inaccurate. Instead of closing the thread maybe you can provide accurate information?

Thanks


The thread you closed is here.

[beerguy]

Sorry John, I never noticed that you asked another question.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6722266#post6722266 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Joboo
I was thinking the same thing. Even though Premium membership makes up only 3 percent, I would have to believe there is a large percentage who create a username and maybe log on once or twice and then never log on again. Do you periodically sweep the user database for inactive users? How many active users are there? I guess what is considered "active" can be a subjective topic but lets say a user who logs in at least once a month?

Thx
JOhn

We do not purge accounts. We actually have quite a few users who almost never post but still browse the board. Because of that it's difficult to determine what "active" really means. Most of that information is available but would require queries that wouldn't be very welcome while the board is up and running.

An example of what is wrong with the previous post:

70 current über posters (5000 posts with post in last three months)

For starters, we only have ~70 users with over 5000 posts and they've all been members for well over 90 days....(some of them have been here since day one back in 1999)

[Joboo]

Thx BeerGuy,

I think the Guy who posted those numbers was just trying to give people some insight into the advanced search in the members area(which I should of found myself).

Thx Again.

[beerguy]

The problem is that tool doesn't really answer the questions that you're asking....

[nickb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6795294#post6795294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
An example of what is wrong with the previous post:

70 current über posters (5000 posts with post in last three months)

For starters, we only have ~70 users with over 5000 posts and they've all been members for well over 90 days....(some of them have been here since day one back in 1999)

I didn't realize that search option was there. Interesting.

I think you have misinterpreted what he was saying though. This comment was that there are 70 users with 5,000 or more total posts and that all of them have made at least one post in the past three months. Which I think is accurate.

I think it is interesting that there are as many accounts with '0' posts as have made at least '1' post. No idea how to interpert it but it is interesting. It does suggest a need to be careful in interpreting global board statistics. This type of pattern (a small cadre of heavy users with lots of browsers or light posters) is fairly typical of many group participation phenomena like this board. It also might help explain why the 'search' issue keeps coming back - when a new 'light' user tries to search and can't do it.

[tatuvaaj]

I did those queries some time ago due to a private discussion about the "usage pattern" of some of the reefkeeping boards. I wanted to show that usually these kinds of discussion sites are kept active by a relatively small number of users and also that in order to increase the activity it might be more effective to try to get "inactive"(*) people to post rather than to worry about getting new members.

I find the number of "inactive" members to be quite low when you consider that RC does not purge old accounts. It is also probably affected by the fact that you have to be a registered member to read the expert forums (at least that was the case some time ago?).

nickb is correct about my definition of "active" member. I thought the requirement of a post in last 3 months was actually quite conservative for members who usually post many posts per day

*) "inactive" defined as a read-only member