How Many New Members

[dusty]

joined the forum during the month of March 2013?

There has been a bunch.

[fredsheldon]

Yes, the word is out that this is the place to come if you want to observe some lively debates

[dusty]

Yes, the word is out that this is the place to come if you want to observe some lively debates

I am hoping that the debates are over and I will be doing what I can to help ensure that they are!

Several members here have expressed their displeasure with some of those goings on and that is something we don't need. Especially when we don't know how those who have not spoken feel.

If a debate is what all those people are signing up for, the membership numbers just may go in the tank:rolleyes:.

[robinson46176]

joined the forum during the month of March 2013?

There has been a bunch.

I just hope they are not mostly spammers hacking on.


.

[reible]

joined the forum during the month of March 2013?

There has been a bunch.

Last count is 2649 but we have a few days left in the month. Given the average of almost a 100 per day and 4 days left puts us somewhere in the area of 3041 "guestimation".

Ed

[mrhart]

I just hope they are not mostly spammers hacking on.


.

A large protion Have to be, look at their user names. There will be alot of first names with 2-3 letters afterwards and Alot og female names. I like to share hobbies with girls, but there is No way there is that mant SS owners who are female. Check it out.

[rickm808]

Last count is 2649 but we have a few days left in the month. Given the average of almost a 100 per day and 4 days left puts us somewhere in the area of 3041 "guestimation".

Ed

Thanks for the data Ed. Has the forum seen numbers like 100 per day before? If not I can't think of any other explanation than spammers. Can someone explain to naive me why a wood working/tool forum would be a worthwhile target?

Rick

[fredsheldon]

I heard a rumor, and it's just a rumor, that there is a company that is collecting all forum sites visit information and they have to be a member for the software to do it thing. They then sell that information to companies who want to know where their employees are visiting and if so are they doing it on company time

[dusty]

By my count the magic number is 3,469 new members in the month of March 2013.

January was 2,332 and

February was 2,184

[algale]

By my count the magic number is 3,474 new members in the month of March 2013.

January was 2,328 and

February was 2,184

I hope I am wrong, but I remain suspicious that this membership surge reflects reality.

In another related thread Admin stated that the new members look real because these new members have been validated by responding to an email sent to them at their registered email account. http://shopsmith.net/forums/showpost.ht ... stcount=18

I understand Admin's rationale, but I have to wonder. If these are real new members, why aren't we seeing correspondingly large numbers of new members posting with questions? Of course not everyone who is real will post, but by my unscientific sense of things we are seeing roughly the usual number of new members every month who make at least one post while the membership roll is swelling at an unprecedented pace. That means the proportion of lurkers to active members is suddenly increasing without any obvious explanation.

Another hint (and one I don't expect to be told about) about the reality of these new members would be whether Shopsmith has experienced a surge in the sale of parts and consumables that corresponds with recent rapid membership growth. It is one thing to lurk on the forum, but at some point if you are real, you need to buy repair parts and consumables.