In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participa ... ality.html
Are you one of the 90%, the 9% or the 1%? I don't just mean on this forum... how about on the internet as a whole, or in life generally?
Participation Inequality
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I rarely look at other forums, and if I do, incidentally, only lurking. If the forum is not strictly restricted to one topic (like this one), almost everywhere I find mumble and rubbish, especially if the talks get touch with politics. Since there are lot of frustrated idiots on the net mumbling mostly about sex and politics, I don`t have a time and nerves to correct them. Things like that happens on the big forums, with thousands of people. Little, specialized forums are rather quiet and you can usually find reasonable people there.
But yes, these numbers (90%, 9%, 1%) might be thrue.
Yet I never found any trolling and offence on DM forum (that`s maybe because Gambit had quickly kick`em off
)
But yes, these numbers (90%, 9%, 1%) might be thrue.
Yet I never found any trolling and offence on DM forum (that`s maybe because Gambit had quickly kick`em off
)Spoiler
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(@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@) (@.@)
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(>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<) (>s<)
At first I was a 90%, only lurking. Was all new forum, posting you know, and registering seemed ominous. Then, gradually you become more postivious. Sometimes you write bullsh*t, but
that is not bad if the community is allright
About the ass kicking:
I have a monster concept for Gambit's last avatar (chaos' face)!!
that is not bad if the community is allright
About the ass kicking:
I have a monster concept for Gambit's last avatar (chaos' face)!!
How do you measure the "lurking" ?
When I just read, I consider I'm lurking, but in other case, the definition is rather ... undefined.
Do you consider posting as going from category 3 (lurker) to category 2 (contributor) ?
How many posts are necessary to "level up" ?
When is someone considered a category 1 (major contributor) ?
If the definition is : "making a dungeon" or even "making a DM clone", you rapidly narrow the 1% ...
I'd say it that way :
1- We're an individualistic society, with a lot of different possibilities in life, that require a high degree of specialization
2- Each person specializes, a very little fraction of people does not specialize at all (parasites), a small fraction of people have "multiple specialization"
3- For needs that are outside its specialty, a person lurks at the people of the corresponding specialties
4- On a global point-of-view, the mutual "help" is very high
5- On a local point of view, every one is a lurker for someone
(you're probably a lurker to your mum who made all your meals until you were 20 and you didn't even give her a cent )
That's the way an economist like Adam Smith advocates freedom of trade.
It's characteristic that a system that would look more satisfying on a local point of view
(communism, in the original sense, not stalinism) because of high altruism,
give WORSE results on a global scale, because the high degree of altruism in the local group
is compensated by the low degree of altruism between groups,
which in the end tends to lower the total result.
When I just read, I consider I'm lurking, but in other case, the definition is rather ... undefined.
Do you consider posting as going from category 3 (lurker) to category 2 (contributor) ?
How many posts are necessary to "level up" ?
When is someone considered a category 1 (major contributor) ?
If the definition is : "making a dungeon" or even "making a DM clone", you rapidly narrow the 1% ...
I'd say it that way :
1- We're an individualistic society, with a lot of different possibilities in life, that require a high degree of specialization
2- Each person specializes, a very little fraction of people does not specialize at all (parasites), a small fraction of people have "multiple specialization"
3- For needs that are outside its specialty, a person lurks at the people of the corresponding specialties
4- On a global point-of-view, the mutual "help" is very high
5- On a local point of view, every one is a lurker for someone
(you're probably a lurker to your mum who made all your meals until you were 20 and you didn't even give her a cent )
That's the way an economist like Adam Smith advocates freedom of trade.
It's characteristic that a system that would look more satisfying on a local point of view
(communism, in the original sense, not stalinism) because of high altruism,
give WORSE results on a global scale, because the high degree of altruism in the local group
is compensated by the low degree of altruism between groups,
which in the end tends to lower the total result.
What Is Your Quest ?
Lurker - does not post, but keeps browsing the forum
-------------------------------------------------------
One time poster - might have been a lurker, posts once with a question or comment then never comes back, or does not come
Short term poster - an enthusiastic entrant to the forum who leaves after a few posts/few days of posts
- the above will make up some of the content and feel of the site, more add to the feeling of noise or traffic on the site, making the forum seem bigger, but sometimes also cluttered or facile
Small but consistent/major contributer then gone - either someone who lurks alot or is busy, but are well known or contribute enough to be well known and liked in the community and welcomed if they enter a debate or make a post
-------------------------------------------------------------
All the action people - the stalwarts, who either post alot at either one time before having to go on reduced posting, contribute a project, or keep reacting to new posts, posting random stuff, and consider themselve part of the furniture
I guess that's how I would see people who contribute to firums, banded into the three bands. You can look at the post count sorted members list to see this in action. There is a depressingly small amount of high level posters, and some of them are now sadly gone. They certainly set the feel of the site. Then as you get slightly lower, there are the lower post counters. Those who burned brightly for a while then left, or stick around, but don't post often. The provide the rich flavours of the site.
I think that while the last group, the large number of single post posters haven't contributed en masse as much as a single high level poster, they provide the 'bulk' (or bloat) of the site, which makes it seem as large as it undoubtedly does!
I do think that, as many of these spun simple articles, they do capture the imagination enough, for you to see the simplification and say yes to it. It's hard to say when it happens, but there is a feel and some tipping point which turns a new poster from a new poster to an accepted member. Similarly, there is a time between post level that floats from occasional contibuter to lurker who posts once in a blue moon
-------------------------------------------------------
One time poster - might have been a lurker, posts once with a question or comment then never comes back, or does not come
Short term poster - an enthusiastic entrant to the forum who leaves after a few posts/few days of posts
- the above will make up some of the content and feel of the site, more add to the feeling of noise or traffic on the site, making the forum seem bigger, but sometimes also cluttered or facile
Small but consistent/major contributer then gone - either someone who lurks alot or is busy, but are well known or contribute enough to be well known and liked in the community and welcomed if they enter a debate or make a post
-------------------------------------------------------------
All the action people - the stalwarts, who either post alot at either one time before having to go on reduced posting, contribute a project, or keep reacting to new posts, posting random stuff, and consider themselve part of the furniture
I guess that's how I would see people who contribute to firums, banded into the three bands. You can look at the post count sorted members list to see this in action. There is a depressingly small amount of high level posters, and some of them are now sadly gone. They certainly set the feel of the site. Then as you get slightly lower, there are the lower post counters. Those who burned brightly for a while then left, or stick around, but don't post often. The provide the rich flavours of the site.
I think that while the last group, the large number of single post posters haven't contributed en masse as much as a single high level poster, they provide the 'bulk' (or bloat) of the site, which makes it seem as large as it undoubtedly does!
I do think that, as many of these spun simple articles, they do capture the imagination enough, for you to see the simplification and say yes to it. It's hard to say when it happens, but there is a feel and some tipping point which turns a new poster from a new poster to an accepted member. Similarly, there is a time between post level that floats from occasional contibuter to lurker who posts once in a blue moon
/gothmog.png)
I'd say lurker at all these forums except maybe custom dungeon and barely doing "help a little". I try to aim for that 1%, fail that quickly and then try to get as close to that 9% as i can, and maybe do that once "a life time".
BTW as for how idle is idle? leveling up? you might be interested in IRC "IDLE rpg" which as it suggests you gain levels and powers by remaining idle. I've personally never been interested in it so never tried but again your questions about what is idle seems like a good place to ask that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idle_RPG
BTW as for how idle is idle? leveling up? you might be interested in IRC "IDLE rpg" which as it suggests you gain levels and powers by remaining idle. I've personally never been interested in it so never tried but again your questions about what is idle seems like a good place to ask that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idle_RPG
I think that our community, though it could be larger,
is close to the ideal size : everyone can "know" everyone,
a small amount of moderators are enough to watch the spam,
not much troll or flaming etc.
By comparison, I'd say that "big" forums, are cluttered with so many people, that an intelligible discussion is impossible :
- it's impossible to read all posts, or to "know" a person
(e.g. by chatting or sharing on a common discussion forum)
- an interesting/debatable subject is immediatly transformed
in a heated conversation or troll by 10+ posts an hour,
and the few unavoidable morons that end up browsing it
because it has a high page rank on google.
As a conclusion, let's have a minute of self-congratulation:
our forum is actually quite pleasant and friendly.
is close to the ideal size : everyone can "know" everyone,
a small amount of moderators are enough to watch the spam,
not much troll or flaming etc.
By comparison, I'd say that "big" forums
Spoiler
Dwarf Fortress (e.g.)
- it's impossible to read all posts, or to "know" a person
(e.g. by chatting or sharing on a common discussion forum)
- an interesting/debatable subject is immediatly transformed
in a heated conversation or troll by 10+ posts an hour,
and the few unavoidable morons that end up browsing it
because it has a high page rank on google.
As a conclusion, let's have a minute of self-congratulation:
our forum is actually quite pleasant and friendly.
What Is Your Quest ?
-
Mon Ful Ir
- Adept
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2006 1:54 am
- Location: Britain
I'm a 9%. I don't participate in the forums much (and when I do it's usually cos I'm on the scrounge for something).
I thought about what I wanted to contribute to this community, and it was a small, complete custom dungeon. Not an endless work-in-progress, but a finished thing that re-creates the Dungeon Master experience for a grown-up with a busy life--which means it has to be completable in one evening for a hardcore player and in a few evenings for a casual one.
I released my first attempt at that in 2006, and I was lucky enough to get some positive feedback so I've stayed and returned sporadically ever since. When the stars are right (i.e. I have both time and enthusiasm), I do a bit more revising.
I'm never going to be a Zyx, but with luck, some of the people who might be a bit daunted to tackle a fiendishly difficult magnum opus like Conflux off the bat could be encouraged to take their first baby steps towards it by a mini-dungeon.
(Incidentally, I'm pleased and proud to say that I've recently made major progress through Conflux! Yes, that's right--my little party are now the proud owners of their very own flask.)
I thought about what I wanted to contribute to this community, and it was a small, complete custom dungeon. Not an endless work-in-progress, but a finished thing that re-creates the Dungeon Master experience for a grown-up with a busy life--which means it has to be completable in one evening for a hardcore player and in a few evenings for a casual one.
I released my first attempt at that in 2006, and I was lucky enough to get some positive feedback so I've stayed and returned sporadically ever since. When the stars are right (i.e. I have both time and enthusiasm), I do a bit more revising.
I'm never going to be a Zyx, but with luck, some of the people who might be a bit daunted to tackle a fiendishly difficult magnum opus like Conflux off the bat could be encouraged to take their first baby steps towards it by a mini-dungeon.
(Incidentally, I'm pleased and proud to say that I've recently made major progress through Conflux! Yes, that's right--my little party are now the proud owners of their very own flask.)
