# SDMB has 44,000 members and 20,000 readers, so why the... **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 25, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182 "2004-02-25T22:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/1 "2004-02-25T22:46:34Z")
I see at the bottom the home page that SDMB has 44,000 members. A thread I saw earlier spoke of the site having 20,000 readers. So why do I keep seeing the same relatively few posters all the time? It seems that the regular posters I see probably number 50 or less, and that the total overall is probably around 200. Are there different boards under the SDMB umbrella, or what? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/2 "2004-02-25T22:49:12Z")
Probably around 43,800 signed up just for the “What if the Lord of the Rings were written by someone else?” therad. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/3 "2004-02-25T22:56:02Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Probably around 43,800 signed up just for the “What if the Lord of the Rings were written by someone else?” therad. 😃 Too damn funny! I literally laughed out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/4 "2004-02-25T23:01:44Z")
A very large number of the registered members have never posted even once, and many others post only a few times and then quit. Some post prolifically for a few months, and then also leave. Previous analyses have suggested that the number of “active” posters (those who have posted in the last three months) at any one time may be only a few thousand, if that. And of those, a small number of posters contribute very disproporionately to the total number of posts. I don’t know what the “20,000 readers” estimate is based on, so I can’t comment on that. But many people no doubt read the board without registering. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/5 "2004-02-25T23:19:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Some post prolifically for a few months, and then also leave. I’m afraid I am probably going to be one of these. This board is just taking up \*too much \* of my time! :rolleyes: > [@Colibri](#): > > Previous analyses have suggested that the number of “active” posters (those who have posted in the last three months) at any one time may be only a few thousand, if that. And of those, a small number of posters contribute very disproporionately to the total number of posts. > > I don’t know what the “20,000 readers” estimate is based on, so I can’t comment on that. But many people no doubt read the board without registering. Thanks for the explanation. I was wondering if there were other boards where I could go when nothing was happening on this one so I could give up \*even more \* of my time. Jeez!!! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/6 "2004-02-26T00:25:40Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > So why do I keep seeing the same relatively few posters all the time? It seems that the regular posters I see probably number 50 or less, and that the total overall is probably around 200. Eh. Some of us don’t post all that much, but read a lot, or take long breaks between “active” periods. Believe me, you can spend as much time just reading as you can posting _and_ reading. 🙂 ---
**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 26, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/7 "2004-02-26T01:59:25Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > It seems that the regular posters I see probably number 50 or less, and that the total overall is probably around 200. Heh. It’s waaaaaaaay more than that. I made a list not too long ago, _from memory_, of Doper names… it took me a day and a half but I stopped at 300. (I won’t post it because it wouldn’t be fair to the 200 or so that I forgot to include. ;)) Anyway, if you actually counted the number of familiar usernames, you’d find that there are a lot more than you expected. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/8 "2004-02-26T02:59:08Z")
I don’t know how many other readers are out there, but I know that I lurked here for at least two years because I thought that posting would take up _way_ too much of my time. Right again. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Call\_me\_Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Call\_me\_Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Call_me_Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/9 "2004-02-26T03:59:51Z")
I know what you mean, **Starving Artist**. I think what most people have posted to this thread is accurate…that there are a lot of inactive and semi-active members. But you should also consider the impact of your tastes, in this matter. Unless you read every thread, you’re only going to be exposed to the threads that interest you and I think it’s logical to assume that if you keep running into a lot of the same people, at least some of those people have similar thread-tastes to your own. I think it also depends on the forums you peruse. I keep my butt out of GD and the Pit and I believe that there are some people who primarily reside in those forums…so I won’t run into their posts so frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/10 "2004-02-26T04:33:44Z")
I think like a lot of other registered members, I read the board a lot more than I post. Most of the time in GQ the question has already been answered better than I could do it, or I’m just to lazy to type a reply out. I’ll construct entire replies in my head but decide not to post them for whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/11 "2004-02-26T04:50:59Z")
there’s a lot of us lurker types… personally, myself and Mrs. The Magnificent both average at least an hour a day reading the boards, but we rarely post. I, at least, tend to post in spurts, depending on how crazy the rest of my life is. It’s a heck of a lot easier to browse and read the threads than to actively engage in posting. But that’s just cause I can’t stand drive by posting; I’d rather actively be engaged in the discussion and often my life is too hectic to sustain active thread involvement. That said, there’s a lot of us out here, I’m sure. **Hey lurkers! Why don’t we all pop in and say hi?** _lurches back into the shadows giggling…_ ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/12 "2004-02-26T11:05:00Z")
Like (let’s call him) **Frank** says. You won’t see me in the pit or GD, or at weekends, or at the busiest times of day (I’m in the wrong country). Generally you’ll see the same folks in similarly themed threads - go ask a maths question and see who turns up… ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/13 "2004-02-26T11:16:34Z")
Count me in as a lurker for about three years before I actually registered. Perhaps that made me one of the ‘readers’. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/14 "2004-02-26T14:15:57Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Probably around 43,800 signed up just for the “What if the Lord of the Rings were written by someone else?” thread. For me, it was the 1920s-style death-ray. . . ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/15 "2004-02-26T14:23:39Z")
**VernWinterbottom** again with the early 20th century style death ray (was that hyphenated or not?) Me too. And I got the 1000th post Yay! I thought all threads would run and run but some just go: Question: Answer: stop. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/16 "2004-02-26T16:30:42Z")
Moved to ATMB. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/17 "2004-02-27T00:44:26Z")
Related question: Does that tally also include banned members? (Just 'cause if a real jerk and his/her five socks were banned, that would be six right there… Know what I mean?) ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/18 "2004-02-27T01:13:37Z")
Count me as semi-active. I read a lot more than I post, mainly because I rarely have anything to say (or at least, nothing worth posting) due to my rather weak knowledge of everything. I’m in here a lot (easily a half-dozen times a day when I don’t have class), I just don’t say much. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/19 "2004-02-27T15:30:05Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Related question: Does that tally also include banned members? > > (Just 'cause if a real jerk and his/her five socks were banned, that would be six right there… Know what I mean?) “Registered users” includes names that have been banned. User names are not recycled after a poster has been banned. I have no idea what percentage of total registered users this may be, but I doubt it is all that large, considering that around half of all registered users have never posted at all. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Eumenes\_II\_of\_Pergamum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@King\_Eumenes\_II\_of\_Pergamum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Eumenes_II_of_Pergamum)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182/20 "2004-02-28T04:09:09Z")
Sure I’ve been reading a long time, but only come by every few months, so don’t count people like me as active. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-has-44-000-members-and-20-000-readers-so-why-the/231182.md?page=2)