Coldfire, in his OP, said
Then what’s the point of another one. I’ve repeatedly expressed my disgust with the whole “most popular posters” in this thread and elsewhere. I still don’t understand it.
I’m sure I’ll be flamed for being jealous, and only taking this position because I don’t make the cut. But I honestly do not understand the fascination.
Are we that desperate for something to discuss that we must resort to listing the names of the posters who best stick in our head? Do we make decisions about people we encounter in real life on this basis?
Or is this an attempt to bolster the egos of those who consistently make these lists? Do you need this sort of affirmation? Is it that important to you?
Based on my observations, the same set of people are mentioned over and over and over. Honestly, I like most of them (or their posts, which is all I know of them).
But in my experience, their posts aren’t the most intelligent, witty, incisive, urbane or wise. With a couple of exceptions, I never see the people I consider the smartest on the board listed. Why is this?
I understand that we’re looking for the most popular posters, not the smartest or wittiest or suavest or otherwise.
But this is the Straight Dope Message Board. Supposedly, it is dedicated to stamping out ignorance. Why is someone’s mental agility not more of a factor in determining a poster’s popularity on the board?
Is this really a question of the most popular MPISM’s posters? For the most part, regular denizens of the GQ and GD sections are woefully underrepresented. But, in my eyes, these areas are the heart of the SDMB. How can a study which attempts to determine which posters are most important to the board ignore the posters most important in these two vital fora?
Which brings me back to where I started. Coldfire, (and everybody else) why do you care about this issue? I’m not trying to be caustic, I’d really like an answer. Well, OK, maybe I am trying to be a little snarky, but I would actually like some insight here, so an honest response would be appreciated.
Plunging like stones from a slingshot on Mars.