# What happened to some of the more prominent posters? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 20, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518 "2011-11-20T04:30:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/21 "2011-11-20T16:55:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Time changes everything forever. True, but we had a mass exodus because of P2P. To quote **Tars Tarkas** : [I will be leaving](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4665608&postcount=85) A search of threads from that time shows a lot of people left because of the decision. I’m not judging or throwing blame, simply stating a fact. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/22 "2011-11-20T17:09:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Liberal** stated he was leaving in order to spend time writing a book on “The Esthetical Jesus.” I’m going to wait for the movie version. We can have a drinking game based on the number times we hear the word “ontological”. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/23 "2011-11-20T17:15:43Z")
> [@Suil\_Dubh](#): > > I don’t get it. Clam Chowder If you set your profile to add subscription when you post in a thread, it helps find thread you’ve contributed to. And as suggested above, you can use Thread Tools to add a subscription to any thread you want to follow. You can also set your preferences for how many threads you show, so older threads stay visible for longer. ---
**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 20, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/24 "2011-11-20T17:46:21Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > True, but we had a mass exodus because of P2P. I doubt that many of the people who left at that time would still be posting now, seven years later, even if the policy had never been implemented. The half-life of a poster here is not that long. Certainly we lost some posters then who have never returned even though the board is now free again; but the impact on the overall composition of the board at this late date is trivial. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/25 "2011-11-20T17:52:07Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Dio was banned, He was not. ---
**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 20, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/26 "2011-11-20T18:02:12Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > He was not. [Yes, he was.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=624354&highlight=Diogenes) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/27 "2011-11-20T18:12:20Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > He was not. > [@Colibri](#): > > [Yes, he was.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=624354&highlight=Diogenes) Not in my experience. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/28 "2011-11-20T18:17:12Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Clam Chowder > > If you set your profile to add subscription when you post in a thread, it helps find thread you’ve contributed to. And as suggested above, you can use Thread Tools to add a subscription to any thread you want to follow. You can also set your preferences for how many threads you show, so older threads stay visible for longer. I just realized that the second part of my post was meant for a different thread altogether. :smack: Oy. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/29 "2011-11-20T18:19:19Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Not in my experience. 😉 I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/30 "2011-11-20T18:24:19Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I don’t get it. Yes, you do. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/31 "2011-11-20T18:48:45Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Yes, you do. I hope I don’t get it. Is it catching? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/32 "2011-11-20T18:53:40Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I hope I don’t get it. > > Is it catching? Never happened to me. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/33 "2011-11-20T19:01:23Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I doubt that many of the people who left at that time would still be posting now, seven years later, even if the policy had never been implemented. The half-life of a poster here is not that long. Certainly we lost some posters then who have never returned even though the board is now free again; but the impact on the overall composition of the board at this late date is trivial. I don’t know about that. There is some truth to people moving on, finding other things, but how many active posters do you see running around as Charter Members? How many more could have been if they’d wanted to? How many have join dates in 1999? I’m certainly one who left during P2P - I may have posted a handful of times with my “freebies” - but came back later. Yeah, it wasn’t exactly coincidental with P2P going away, but that was a factor. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/34 "2011-11-20T19:08:09Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I don’t get it. Dio has been accused of contrarianism in debate and they are mocking this attribute here. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/35 "2011-11-20T19:21:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sometimes I wonder about **chowder**. Given the abruptness of his disappearance, I fear the worst. Yeah, me too. I did a few searches on his real name for a while after he stopped posting, but to no avail. I liked him a lot. Also, he didn’t respond to emails to his public address in his profile here, or the one he used when we had an off-board correspondence. ---
**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 20, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/36 "2011-11-20T19:33:11Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I don’t know about that. There is some truth to people moving on, finding other things, but how many active posters do you see running around as Charter Members? How many more could have been if they’d wanted to? How many have join dates in 1999? > > I’m certainly one who left during P2P - I may have posted a handful of times with my “freebies” - but came back later. Yeah, it wasn’t exactly coincidental with P2P going away, but that was a factor. Those who considered the board of special interest to themselves mostly either paid up when it went P2P, or came back when it went free again. We may have lost a certain percentage of people when things went P2P, but those people were (for the most part) those who were less committed and thus less likely to still be posting seven years later, whether the board was free or not. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/37 "2011-11-20T19:42:23Z")
I always wondered what happened to Mr.Cynical…also, I miss Satan ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/38 "2011-11-20T19:45:05Z")
Where are you getting that information? As far as I can tell, no exit surveys were done and there hasn’t been any sort of mass poster investigation to determine board loyalty vis a vis wallet thickness. I don’t think there’s enough info to state categorically one way or the other whether we lost a critical amount of people in P2P. (Although, of course, I lost no one, having not even found the board until 2003-4ish.) But I also question the idea that the poster half life is less than 7 years. If you exclude spambots, trolls, and google necromancers, I think the half life is probably quite respectable. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/39 "2011-11-20T20:07:55Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > but how many active posters do you see running around as Charter Members? Me, me! ahem. Sorry, carry on. ---
**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 20, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518/40 "2011-11-20T20:19:00Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Where are you getting that information? As far as I can tell, no exit surveys were done and there hasn’t been any sort of mass poster investigation to determine board loyalty vis a vis wallet thickness. It’s simply my impression, having been through that period. > [@](#): > > But I also question the idea that the poster half life is less than 7 years. If you exclude spambots, trolls, and google necromancers, I think the half life is probably quite respectable. I’m certain it’s way way less. We get dozens of new registrations every day, yet the number of active members (those who have logged on in the past 60 days) is currently about 7,000. There are a (relative to the entire membership) small number of posters who continue to post for many years. But a large majority of registrants either never post, or post only a few times. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-some-of-the-more-prominent-posters/603518.md?page=3)