# Survival of the fittest... a Darwinian view of post counts. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 6, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838 "2001-11-06T19:17:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [November 9, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/41 "2001-11-09T21:07:19Z")
You hear that, **Colibri**? He said you were horny. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/42 "2001-11-09T23:53:27Z")
Colibri, left out of your equation is the email reply variable. That refers to the fact that my email address is present with all my posts, thus, people can & do write me about questions/comments/flirtations/remind me to check back on certain posts, Etc… Although, it appears a rather brilliant analysis, you know you can’t do that accurately without having the subject in front of you. Otherwise it’s all hypothetical. What on earth is a ‘Colibri’? ---
**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:** [November 10, 2001, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/43 "2001-11-10T00:34:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Although, it appears a rather brilliant analysis, you know you can’t do that accurately without having the subject in front of you. Otherwise it’s all hypothetical. > \*\* My analysis was based on a random sample of the 11,100+ **handies** on the board. Admittedly I haven’t read them all, but it’s still a much larger sample size than most biologists (except entomologists) usually have to work with. > [@](#): > > \*\*What on earth is a ‘Colibri’? \*\* [Colibris](http://www.hbw.com/hbw/volume5/plate506.html) are also known as _picaflores_, _chupaflores_, and _zumbadores_. **Chronos** , since **algernon** is equating post count with antler size, that implies that you are about five times hornier than I am - and **handy** is ten times hornier. The mind boggles. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/44 "2001-11-10T01:27:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Colibri \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*\*What on earth is a ‘Colibri’? \*\* > > [Colibris](http://www.hbw.com/hbw/volume5/plate506.html) are also known as _picaflores_, _chupaflores_, and _zumbadores_. You know, I never picked up on that either. I feel ashamed now for stealing all those hummingbird posts, way back when 😉 . Anyway, oh Mighty Master of the Trochilids, just wanted to say that your earlier analysis made me grin - Yer’ a clever fellow 🙂 . - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/45 "2001-11-10T16:27:28Z")
I knew not a bird could post. They must get a peckerful (websters:1 : one that pecks) & thus. hornier than us all 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/46 "2001-11-10T17:59:48Z")
> [@](#): > > I suppose the metaphor carries over to lurkers who never start threads and only post on others OP’s. We would be Viruses, or Prions. We are not truly life forms that reproduce, but simply parasites living off of others who post. Interesting. **waterj2** was observing that as my shortcoming just the other day. 😉 He determined that my ratio of OPs to posts was less that one tenth of 1%, (although I think he may have exaggerated my OP count). However, I might respond that some of us are simply K-selection species, as noted above. In our case, large post counts may be attributed to simply a long life with a very long reproductive period. Some of us have higher post counts than others, but that does nothing to indicate the quality of the posts. **John W. Kennedy** has fewer than 1200 posts (despite joining in April '99) and gets little recognition from the Teeming hordes (based on the voting of the fun poll that was conducted a year or so ago), but his post _content_ is always excellent. (Hanging out strictly in the two “ **Comments on…** ” Fora, eschewing even **General Questions** , probably reduces both his output and his visibility/recognition–but it does not diminish his quality. It simply indicates that his species niche is narrow.) In general, I’m not a big fan of looking at post counts. We’ve had some folks who have been able to hang out for a long while, without being either banned or chased off the MB, who have generally displayed ignorance and rudeness throughout their posting life. Many sharp people demonstrate their intelligence and wit beginning with their first post. I will admit that someone who attacks the MB in some whiney Pit thread while displaying a post count of 2 is liable to provoke more mirth than consideration, but even there, a person may simply be expressing a long-pent frustration from having lurked awhile, and it is usually a better idea to respond to the content of their post than to their apparent newness. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/47 "2001-11-10T18:25:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*I knew not a bird could post. They must get a peckerful (websters:1 : one that pecks) & thus. hornier than us all 🙂 \*\* [Oxpeckers](http://212.239.123.215/naturalia/ZOO/AN_CIELO/e_bufag_br.html) (one of my favorite bird names) are notorious for getting [horny](http://www.fotos-online.de/english/m/05/5347.htm). ---
**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:** [November 11, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/48 "2001-11-11T21:34:19Z")
Just to complete the discussion, I guess I should provide a comparative analysis of a K-selected Board organism. While there are many potential candidates, the **Collounsbury** may serve as a suitable example. The **Collounsbury** is an excellent example of a K-selected organism. They are often very large: I have seen many 10 or more screens long, and even larger examples are rumored to inhabit some of the more impenetrable threads in GD. They clearly require considerable energy to produce, as they are usually heavily armored with links and citations. Parental care is intense, and if attacked they are defended tooth and nail. **Collounsburies** are notoriously prickly, and if sufficiently provoked by a particularly distasteful troll can become venomous. They are relatively specialized, pursuing their preferred prey, the Boneheaded Racemonger (_Bigotus osteocephalus_) mainly in threads in GQ and GD.[sup]1[/sup] (However, if a **Collounsbury** encounters a particularly slippery prey item that is too difficult to deal with in the restricted confines of these forums, it will drag it off to the Pit, where it can be dismembered more vigorously - eventually leaving only a few well-gnawed fragments of the larger bones.) **Collounsburies** have very a high carrying capacity, and can reach densities of dozens in threads with a heavy infestation of Racemongers. The **Collounsbury** has only two known weaknesses: a fondness for cheese and the inability to use the subjunctive correctly. [sup]1[/sup][sub]They do seem to be expanding their niche however. Just last week, to my surprise I spotted one in Café Society. Predictably, though, it was on _The Battle of Algiers_ rather than on the _Powerpuff Girls_ as I had hoped.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![completely-knackered](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@completely-knackered](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/completely-knackered)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/49 "2001-11-11T22:26:05Z")
I think you have your Darwin backwards. Life’s losers are here every day, to shrivel up. The winners go out where people are, to live and prosper. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/50 "2001-11-11T22:31:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by completely-knackered \* > \*\*I think you have your Darwin backwards. > > Life’s losers are here every day, to shrivel up. > > The winners go out where people are, to live and prosper. \*\* Hey, **Collounsbury** , care for a little snack? ---
**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:** [November 11, 2001, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/51 "2001-11-11T22:42:58Z")
Perhaps an even better example would be the **David B** , which was, at last count, the second-most populous species on the board (does anyone know if this is still true?). While having a rather more varied diet than the **Collounsbury** , preying on both fundies and pseudoscientists, the **David B** nonetheless has a far more restricted habitat, appearing almost exclusively in the jungles of GD. Like other K-selected organisms, the individuals are large and well-protected, both by family and by an assortment of barbs, armor, and venom. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/52 "2001-11-11T23:01:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > **David B, which was, at last count, the second-most populous species on the board (does anyone know if this is still true?)** Yes, the **David B** is indeed a formidable organism. However, it has been overtaken in population by the **Coldfire** , the **tracer** , the **SPOOFE** , the **Ukelele Ike** , and (barely) the **Guinastasia**. I leave it as an exercise for the student to determine if these creatures are r- or K-selected. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/53 "2001-11-12T15:30:41Z")
**handy** ’s response to **Colibri** suggests the possibilities of disguise and plasticity. Whilst overt spinyness may deter, it can also exhaust. In this environment it can pay to appear fluffy whilst remaining prepared to strike. To bring it back to **Collounsbury** , Kurds don’t get time to make curds. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2001, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/54 "2001-11-12T20:58:23Z")
Psst, **Colibri** , how’d you get that info? Did you just think of some likely candidates and check their numbers? I can’t think of any easier ways… ---
**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:** [November 12, 2001, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838/55 "2001-11-12T21:19:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Psst, **Colibri** , how’d you get that info? Did you just think of some likely candidates and check their numbers? I can’t think of any easier ways… \*\* Easy: I have been carrying out a long-term mark-recapture study of Board organisms, and simply used the Cormack-Jolly-Seber estimator to calculate expected population sizes from the data . . . [sub](Actually, **Kamandi** provided most of the data [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=94344).)[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-fittest-a-darwinian-view-of-post-counts/91838.md?page=2)