I’m starting to think that the “Board Distribution” percentages will be notably different for those with extremely high post counts (like the OP, Ringo, with almost 10,000 posts!) and those of us who don’t have the time to participate to such a high degree.
Myself (with only 300 posts), I have gotten into the habit of checking on four forums. Since I don’t always check them in a timely fashion, some threads which I may have posted to if it were sooner go un-contributed to.
The first forum I check is always GQ. This is what interests me most (or at least sometimes covers topics which interest me most) and usually when I have actually deigned to start a thread to retrieve some information from the Informed Masses, GQ is the appropriate forum. If someone is asking a question I happen to have some insight into, I will generally offer a contribution.
Second is Cafe Society. I see a lot of movies and watch TV, so I check out threads that will add something to my enjoyment of certain movies or shows. For example, I read all 7 pages of the Matrix: Reloaded thread to try to get a better understanding of WTF that was all about, and read the 24 thread every week. When a thread asks something I can add without just repeating others, I will chime in here as well.
Third is Great Debates. Actually, I started checking this forum when a GQ thread got bumped there, and I wanted to keep track of the posts in that thread. Then once or twice I was actually interested in hearing both sides of a particular issue. I tried posting there a couple of times, but I find it a very frustrating experience. I now realize that you are not going to change anybody’s mind no matter how brilliant or incisive your comments are or how irrefutable your logic is. I now only bother on a particular issue or two, where I feel the OP is genuinely interested in deciding an issue, and therefore may listen to reason. I kind of feel it is my duty to post in this instance, as most other posters are emotionally unable to think logically about any other viewpoint than there own extremist position. Although I’m sure the vast majority do not share their extremist position, those who are not extremist do not bother to post. I’ll not mention the subject, so as not to generate any debate in this forum!
Lastly, I check IMHO. Again, I first started checking this forum when a thread was moved here, but I find it interesting enough to keep checking back.
I just don’t have the time to read more forums than this. Another thread I did read once was bumped to the About This Message Board forum and I checked back for that thread, but just didn’t have the time (or inclination, really) to keep checking it. Never once looked in (or posted, obviously) to the Pit. Maybe I’m missing some great entertainment, but it just doesn’t interest me.