Topic replies and views

[Animation]

Has anyone noticed that on many occasions a topic is viewed by 1000's of folk yet not replied to by very many.
At other times, very few view a topic but the replies are numerous.
Wonder what will happen to this one?
Albert.

[jonra01]

Partly, it depends on the topic. Some are simple questions that only require one answer. Others are more complicated and require several back and forth posts and contributions from more than one person. Then there are the ones that seem to solicit comments like the post I made about weekend stats or the one congratulating chrisooc on becoming a moderator.

I'm not sure how this one will do. I suspect it will get several comments.

[JWJ]

What we don't know is how many of the viewings are by non-statcounter members simply running into threads as they browse/search the net. I wonder therefore if the nature of the content has a relevance just as it does in any other SE situation. For sure a thread doesn't have to be 'sensible' to attract readers. My stupid post "Google is a Woman" from a few months ago is still being viewed and has now been seen 13715 times .... about twice the number of registered users.

[westmoors]

I try to view all threads (well those that started since I joined!) but only reply when I think I have something of consequence to add.

Ooops I think this is the exception to prove the rule

[Arne]

There are over 6200 members on this forum at this very moment, and I'll guess most of them is only lurking occasionally. At least it's at very rare times I see a posting member that I don't recognize if it's not a new member. Lurking is very common on most forums and newsgroups, and nothing wrong with that. Hope they learn something from all the posts they read I do a lot of lurking my self, even in this forum

[webado]

Don't forget all the bots and spiders. The forum uses php to detect visitors, and it will detect any visitors to the forum, ragardless of javscript or image enabling. At any one moment there will be several spiders lurking. heck, I even have MNSBOT, and GOOGLEBOT and others in my dead forum practically at all moments when I look.

[Arne]

Originally Posted by chrisooc

Don't forget all the bots and spiders. The forum uses php to detect visitors, and it will detect any visitors to the forum, ragardless of javscript or image enabling. At any one moment there will be several spiders lurking. heck, I even have MNSBOT, and GOOGLEBOT and others in my dead forum practically at all moments when I look.

Oh, yes that's true of course and they represent a notable part of the "hits" on every thread. But I was thinking only about human lurkers really, made of flesh and blood.

At one moment recently, in the bottom of the forum front page, there was 18 users online :: 1 registered, 3 hidden and 14 guests. Wonder how many of the "guests" was bots and how many was human guest lurkers, and not even registered members to the forum?

[trackerm]

Originally Posted by Animation

Has anyone noticed that on many occasions a topic is viewed by 1000's of folk yet not replied to by very many.
At other times, very few view a topic but the replies are numerous.

This is what I am trying to preach to the world of web site owners. If someone browsing a forum can determine if they want to read a thread by the subject box then your whole website should sell in 5 words or less.

Those 5 words will hook them in then the content of you site has to be great, or they will go / not buy / not revisit etc.

If the subject is "Long boring text on highest level HTML admin" I can guarantee you there will only be a couple of viewers (I know who they will be too! :P ). But a subject box: "I hit Google Page Rank 10. Here's how!!" there will be quite a number of viewers.


Remember: A executive makes a decision afer reading a proposal for 22 seconds.
Remember: Sell the sizzle, not the sausage.

Mark