# "Who posted" information - how are posters' names arranged? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 18, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205 "2006-05-18T01:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/1 "2006-05-18T01:44:06Z")
A completely minor and irrelevant issue that has piqued my curiosity: If you click on the number of replies against a thread, you get a list of all those who have posted to the thread. Posters are listed according to the total number of posts they have made to that thread: those with only one post at the bottom, then those with two posts higher up the list, then those with three etc… But within the group of those who have made only (say) one post, how are the posters’ names arranged? It’s not alphabetically. Is it just a random arrangement? ---
**Author:** ![Spongemom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Spongemom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spongemom)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/2 "2006-05-18T01:47:27Z")
The order they made their posts in, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/3 "2006-05-18T01:51:37Z")
> [@Spongemom](#): > > The order they made their posts in, maybe? No, I’ve just had a look at a couple of threads and that doesn’t seem to be the pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/4 "2006-05-18T02:10:46Z")
I have never ever clicked on that before. Interesting. It is not the order they posted in that thread, nor does it seem to be by total posts, or even their join date. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/5 "2006-05-18T04:10:02Z")
By the poster’s IQ, lowest to highest. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/6 "2006-05-18T15:22:52Z")
> [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > I have never ever clicked on that before. Me, neither – that’s kinda cool! ---
**Author:** ![Can\_I\_change\_my\_answer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Can\_I\_change\_my\_answer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_I_change_my_answer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/7 "2006-05-18T15:49:50Z")
So are there more Easter eggs in this system 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/8 "2006-05-18T15:51:54Z")
Sorry for being dense, but where are you guys clicking? ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/9 "2006-05-18T15:54:14Z")
:smack: Found it. Move along, nothing to see here. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/10 "2006-05-18T17:27:14Z")
> [@Can I change my answer?](#): > > So are there more Easter eggs in this system 😕 It’s not an easter egg: when you’re looking at a page of threads, between “last post” and “views” you see the number of replies. Click on that number and you see the list the OP is talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/11 "2006-05-18T18:29:48Z")
> [@Santos L Halper](#): > > By the poster’s IQ, lowest to highest. No, it’s penis length/breast size. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/12 "2006-05-18T18:55:10Z")
Ascending or descending? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/13 "2006-05-18T19:03:18Z")
First sort is by # of posts to the thread, after that . . . not sure. Not ID# or join date or alpha. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/14 "2006-05-18T20:42:33Z")
So far as I can tell, and this is after just a couple a quick checks, it’s based on last board activity with the most recent at the bottom. ( From least to most recent.) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/15 "2006-05-18T20:53:30Z")
I should have known that was wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/16 "2006-05-18T20:56:34Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Ascending or descending? My penis is ascending at the moment. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/17 "2006-05-19T00:05:41Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > First sort is by # of posts to the thread, after that . . . not sure. > > Not ID# or join date or alpha. Hmm. Actually I’m rather pleased that you’re baffled too **TubaDiva**. I thought there might have been an obvious pattern that I just wasn’t seeing. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/18 "2006-05-19T01:32:59Z")
Could it have something to do with time logged in to the board? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/19 "2006-05-19T01:36:13Z")
Hmm. The list put me ahead of **Can I Change My Answer?** but behind everybody else. I rarely log off although I did recently dump cookies and had to log in again, say, two weeks ago. When did everybody else log in last? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205/20 "2006-05-19T01:36:39Z")
It may just be whatever order the database returns them in. I’m kinda surprised that’s not by user ID, but I’m not really familiar with the guts of MySQL, so I don’t really have any basis for that surprise. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-posted-information-how-are-posters-names-arranged/357205.md?page=2)