I am surprised with the number od posts some members can build up.
A quick query- does a large posting record make you think
This poster is really knowledgeable, or
This poster is a loudmouth whoi has to say something no matter what?
Or in between.
< stands on sideline with slight interest >
First thing that comes to mind is that the poster with a 5 digit count, say, has put a lot of time into the community here, one way or t’other.
I think it’s pretty good chance that they haven’t ever created a sock of any significance.
Yes.
I look at their start date, too. My post count averages to 2-3 day. Not so much, really.
ETA: Cool! That was my 7000th post, about post counts. 
I don’t think the post count means much. In my case, I probably make 15 posts in the fluffier forums for every one in GQ or GD. The number of posts shows very little and post per day simply show that some of us spend too much time here and enjoy it too much. This is my only active message board and my only internet gaming location at this point.
To choose one of you numbers, I think it varies but I personally qualify closest to #3.
BTW: **ivan **is one of the few posters in my range of posts per day.
Jim
I average 1 post a day, but I’m the quiet sort.
I’ll take “All of the Above” for $400, Alex.
Actually, I think my post count is so high because I’m a lousy poster. I almost always have to come back and qualify, clarify or reword my first response because someone doesn’t understand it or has further questions, so I have 6 or more posts in a thread. I try to be clear and include everything I need to the first time, but that just leads to really long posts, and that’s not generally good, either.
I suppose the more charitable way to say this is that I tend to post in “conversational” style threads, not in simple factual ones.
Think about how much worse it would be if we didn’t manage to posts what each other meant to post before we got a chance to post. 
Good point on the “conversational” style threads. That covers you Least **Original User Name Ever **and myself very well.
I always thought it was a pity that “signal to noise ratios” couldn’t automatically be determined and attached to a poster’s profile, like their post count.
Mine was definitely due to a bout of digital diarrhea a few years ago. I’ve been a member for just under six years and have ~11,000 posts but would say 70% of those were made between 2004 and 2005. I don’t think I’m a Name at all.
[sub]Gawd, I hope that’s somewhere on Jerry’s list. 
[/sub]
Seconded.
I’m almost certain that I’m an egotistical loudmouth.
Same here. I fire up SDMB at the slightest pause in the day’s activities (I work for myself, BTW) and probably 7 out of 8 postings consist of zingers, asides or unasked for trivia.
I’ve spent time in GD and GQ - even started a few threads of a nontrivial nature - but I seldom find myself participating for the full length of any thread. And that is what I think makes community on the Dope, and makes people remember you and seek you out. I don’t go in for that for some reason.
I’m still more of an asshole than you. Your curmudgeonery is but a pale flower of the snarky, conceited, overbearing garden of misanthropy that is my SDMB persona.
I don’t really notice or think about it. Usually I only notice people with a recent join date and low post count who are sounding off about the board, which arouses my curiosity.
I’m always looking at post counts for some reason. I think it’s a good general gauge as to how involved the poster is (that is, if I don’t recognize their username immediately).
It’s also been my observation over the 7 years I’ve been mostly lurking that those with post counts in the teens or twenty-thousands are very knowledgeable individuals.
Of course,Lthere’sOalwaysUtheNusualEexceptions. cough
The OP sets up a false dichotomy.
“Knowledgeable” and “loudmouth” are hardly the only two explanations for a high post count.
Some people do build up a high post count by being generous with sharing their knowledge (Qadgop). Others really are loudmouths who feel like they have to say something about everything no matter what (handy*).
Others enjoy posting on a wide range of topics, from the mundane to the serious, and often make multiple contributions to one thread (WhyNot). Some people make huge numbers of posts in MPSIMS and game threads, but since they confine their less-than-substantive posts to the appropriate threads, they build up high post counts without annoying others. (no particular examples–I don’t frequent those threads!)
Some people who amass very high post counts in a short period of time are major attention whores. They usually flame out fast. Others are just really enthusiastic and/or have a lot of time on their hands for some reason.
And others with high post counts have just been participating in the SDMB consistently over a long period of time and thus have slowly built up some numbers. (Dolores Reborn)
I have a similar post count, length of membership, and post-per-day count as Dolores. I hope nobody thinks of me as a loudmouth, though I do have my moments. I’m also not one of the knowledge powerhouses of the board, though I do share when I can. I’m just a regular Doper with 2.36 average posts per day over 8.5 years.
So the only thing a high post count says to me is that “this person has managed to post a lot without getting banned.”