# Charter Members: Who and how many are left? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 1, 2015, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708 "2015-08-01T06:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/261 "2024-01-21T23:56:44Z")
My member number was 5777. Here’s a nice list of posters who had their posting number higher than their member number as of March 2016: [More posts than member number?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-posts-than-member-number/750696) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/262 "2024-01-22T01:45:08Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I’m user 9680! Still four digits! I’m #535. Look upon me and despair! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/263 "2024-01-22T01:49:17Z")
Thanks, **Ozymandias**! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/264 "2024-01-22T03:29:40Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > > [@Spoons](#): > > > > I’m user 9680! Still four digits! > > I’m #535. Look upon me and despair! Interesting (says Monty at #14). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/265 "2024-01-22T15:48:50Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Interesting (says Monty at #14). I think somewhere and somewhen we had a thread about the first 10 members, but damned if I can find it at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/266 "2024-01-22T15:59:09Z")
While looking for Spoons, I found this gem from Tuba: > [@I am not a number...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-number/605546/8): > > I was originally registration no. 1 = and the file got corrupted. So I’m a little further down the line now. Search for “Dan Kaplan” to find similar discussions. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/267 "2024-01-28T01:23:36Z")
I did not maintain my “charter member” status but I’m a Feb 2000 poster, apparently. I took a long hiatus but recently decided to see what was happening here and jumped back in. Or wading in, slowly. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/268 "2024-01-28T04:23:04Z")
#5807! Woo hoo! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/269 "2024-01-28T04:37:39Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’m still here. I kept paying until they wouldn’t take my money anymore. > > [take my money — Postimages](https://i.postimg.cc/Znzxz6jj/take-my-money.jpg) Ditto. I even paid a year in advance to make sure I never missed a renewal. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/270 "2024-01-28T22:23:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Here’s a nice list of posters who had their posting number higher than their member number as of March 2016: [More posts than member number?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-posts-than-member-number/750696) It appears I was the lowest number of posts on that list by a fair margin. I presume I still am. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/271 "2024-01-28T23:56:56Z")
I think I should be on the list, but am not. Joined in 1999, 35,000 posts. I have no idea what my member number is. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/272 "2024-01-29T00:01:26Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’m still here. I kept paying until they wouldn’t take my money anymore. Thirded . . Or fourthed. . . Or fifthed. . . or something. Been here since May of 2005, and ‘Chartered Up’ while overseas (IIRC, **TubaDiva** helped me reserve a membership while I was incommunicado in the Middle East). But, I’m here! Tripler . . . and you’re not getting rid of me that easily. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/273 "2024-01-29T00:33:17Z")
Joined in July 2000, 7.7k posts. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/274 "2024-01-29T04:41:57Z")
Heh, I technically was a Charter Member, joined in 2003. It lapsed because the renewal message went to my spam folder. The eternally gracious TubaDiva helped me get my status back, but apologized that she couldn’t continue the discount at that point. Nah, it wasn’t about the discount, and I could now afford such luxuries to help keep places I loved alive. I think I actually signed up for 5 years of a custom title after that. It might have been on accident. I’m not 100% certain. I’ve slept, drank, smoked, ate fungi since then. But if I did, it was in 2018. So it’s run out by now. I’d give the SDMB more money, but I’m not angry that they’re unable to take my money unless they disappear for the lack of money. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/275 "2024-01-29T06:09:36Z")
where do i find my member #? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/276 "2024-01-29T06:29:13Z")
In science fiction circles the old-timers behind the scenes that know who is who and what is what are referred to as _SMOFS_(Secret Masters of Fandom). On the SDMB, Charter Members are the Secret Masters of Board-dom. No…wait…that didn’t come out right. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/277 "2024-01-29T07:08:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > where do i find my member #? The Discourse software seems to hide that detail. The URLs for Profiles have usernames, rather than member numbers as they were in VBulletin. And I can’t find anywhere else they’re displayed. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/278 "2024-01-29T07:11:58Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > On the SDMB, Charter Members are the Secret Masters of Board-dom. Meh, it is what it is. I forget where our annual meeting is this year. Is it Hawaii or Las Vegas? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/279 "2024-01-29T07:14:27Z")
I believe we get to choose either one, then hold the meeting via Zoom. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708/280 "2024-01-29T07:27:31Z")
I hate to bring this up in case it’s not welcome knowledge, but the member ID numbers on vBulletin are probably best thought of as primary key ID numbers in a database, and it had holes. Some of the early ID numbers weren’t assigned, they’d been deleted. So… with that in mind, Discourse is a different platform. So it will have its own system for assigning primary key ID numbers. It would probably be possible that it imports from the vBulletin database table top to bottom, so if there was a vBulletin primary key ID of 1 and a Username, that Username would be 1 in Discourse. And 2 would be 2. But let’s say 3 had been one of the ones deleted. Most likely 4 would come in as 3. And everything subsequent to that would be off by (at least) 1. If Discourse could display the ones it actually uses, they wouldn’t necessarily be the same. So yeah, sorry, I mean I was 66, I had a nice low number, long-timer, all that shit, and it seems wrong if my number is different now, but I bet Discourse works as described by me above, and that yes it’s different. And I also suspect they didn’t import the vBulletin Primary Key ID as a plain old data field in order to preserve it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charter-members-who-and-how-many-are-left/726708.md?page=15)