# Birthdays vs Post Count. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 22, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376 "2005-02-22T18:19:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/1 "2005-02-22T18:19:13Z")
Something just occured to me, why is it ok to celebrate birthdays here, but not post count milestones? I have no objection to the policy, I am just curious as to what the difference is. And if this question has already been answered, please accept my apologies for repeating it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/2 "2005-02-22T18:38:09Z")
I wasn’t aware that folks still celebrated birthdays here, but then, I don’t brave the wilds of MPSIMS often. A hunch, though: Celebrating post count milestones casts a high post count as something to be desired in and of itself, which would encourage post count padding (something which the mods wish to avoid). But there’s no way a person can actively try to achieve a birthday quicker. You’ll have the same frequency of birthdays, no matter how much or what you post. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/3 "2005-02-22T19:19:38Z")
Your hunch makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/4 "2005-02-22T19:35:12Z")
If the mods/admin don’t want to support post padding, why don’t they just removie the viewable post count amount? ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/5 "2005-02-22T20:31:05Z")
That has been debated quite a bit, **Duderdude** , and it has yet to be settled. My take on the OT was that since birthdays are actually something that gets celebrated outside of the boards (it’s scary out there, don’t forget your towel), there can be a “party,” much as we would celebrate getting a new job, or getting married, etc. Post counts don’t mean anything on the outside (and, some would argue, in here), so they don’t get the special status. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/6 "2005-02-22T21:14:43Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Post counts don’t mean anything on the outside (and, some would argue, in here), so they don’t get the special status. Everyday I impress my co-workers with my post count. “Up to 2200!” I’ll say. “Gosh!” they’ll say, clearly wowed. “We don’t know how you find time to do any work!” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/7 "2005-02-23T01:22:39Z")
I throw a post-count party for myself at every 500 posts. I invite friends, hire a clown, have punch, pie. It’s really quite the to-do. Intrestingly, I only celebrate my birthday in MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/8 "2005-02-23T02:16:00Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > I throw a post-count party for myself at every 500 posts. I invite friends, hire a clown, have punch, pie. It’s really quite the to-do. I was going to say the same exact thing, but then I realized that would be quite a silly thing for me to say. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/9 "2005-02-23T04:31:33Z")
> [@milquetoast](#): > > I was going to say the same exact thing, but then I realized that would be quite a silly thing for me to say. You hire a clown? Dude, I was just kidding about that. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/10 "2005-02-23T04:37:40Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > I throw a post-count party for myself at every 500 posts. I invite friends, hire a clown, have punch, pie. It’s really quite the to-do. > > Intrestingly, I only celebrate my birthday in MPSIMS. I hire a clown and punch him. Then I eat the pie. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/11 "2005-02-23T07:33:19Z")
For someone that has loudly stated numerous times that you don’t pay attention to post counts and that they don’t mean anything to you, your posting of that thread in the first place and your pursuance of why it was not allowed after it was closed is very curious. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/12 "2005-02-23T12:25:38Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > You hire a clown? Dude, I was just kidding about that. No, see, the thing is… I don’t even have 500 posts. Ergo, such a statement on my part would be silly. Get it now? That’s all. Nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/13 "2005-02-23T17:36:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t brave the wilds of MPSIMS often. Come play with us! We’re very gentle and never bite unless asked first. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/14 "2005-02-23T18:16:23Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > For someone that has loudly stated numerous times that you don’t pay attention to post counts and that they don’t mean anything to you, your posting of that thread in the first place and your pursuance of why it was not allowed after it was closed is very curious. Are you referring to me? If so, you are wrong. I have on many occasions said that post count _does_ mean something. It means that there’s a chance that member has learnt the civility and ettiquete of posting here. A person with a post count of 5000 is far less likely to misbehave and far more likely to be trustworthy and _know_ the boards than a person with a post count of 5. But I am not getting into that debate. I am simply letting you know that you got me wrong. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/15 "2005-02-23T19:54:36Z")
I’d imagine the birthday threads would not be prohibited by the rule that prohibits game threads and post count parties for the following reason: the rule is to prevent the forum from filling up with long multi page threads that only a few members continue posting to. IME, birthday threads get a lot of people who only post once, and they rarely exceed 2 pages. If for some reason they started turning into long drawn out affairs involving only a few posters, then I suppose the Mods might see fit to forbid them too. Another difference is the birthday threads only occur once a month, so there’s usually only one active at a time when any are active at all. Hopefully we can get an official ruling on this one, oh Mods? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays-vs-post-count/291376/16 "2005-02-23T19:58:32Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Post counts don’t mean anything on the outside (and, some would argue, in here) Spoken like a true sub-one-kay-er. 😛