10-1 ratio of lurkers to members seems to usually hold steady

Every once in awhile I'll check out how many members are logged on and how many lurkers are watching us over our shoulders, and there are usually almost exactly 10 to 1 (10 lurkers to every user logged in). As I type this there are ( I'll check now and be right back with the totals, here you go: 3,972 guests visiting right now. 393 members logged in right now ), the numbers can be found on the main forum page.

This thread isn't really for anything other than to let people know this ratio if they're not aware of it. The poor lurkers, why do they do that without signing in and playing?

a reply to: Aleister

Not everybody has the gift of the gab

Me it my very bad speeling and use a differant work
it to the point where the sentance menning has totaly chance

Watching You

originally posted by: Aleister

This thread isn't really for anything other than to let people know this ratio if they're not aware of it. The poor lurkers, why do they do that without signing in and playing?

I guess it's because what we post is so fascinating.

Kind of flattering, really.

Yay lurkers!

I never have understood lurking here,especially for years. ATS was my first introduction to online forums,and I lurked for a mere three days. That was long enough for me to realize this was the place for me. Seriously folks,if you are lurking daily,might as well join in!

a reply to: Aleister
I might not post a whole lot, but I try to make it a point to at least be sign in when just looking around. Don't really no why, maybe fewer ads?

a reply to: Spader

There are many more fewer ads, I think. I lurked for maybe two minutes, hated the ads between every fourth or fifth post, signed in as a member using my name from another site, and saw all the great avatars. Then, in exploring the threads, found many I really liked (Space data, ancient civilizations, science) and started writing posts. So my time as a lurker was counted in seconds.

And I agree with the poster above, if anyone is reading this (10 to 1 at least a few of you are), sign up and come in, the waters (Jon Waters if you must know) fine (and yes, Larry Fine).

We are the 10%

a reply to: Domo1

10 to 1 is really amazing IMO. As far as people not logging in I figure the more paranoid or better read feel they might get on a list somewhere that might be used against them at some future date? No guts no glory !

not saying even 50% are put off but puncuation junkies can put alot of people off,i still get it but i don,t give two hoots what they think about how i post.

i post threads hoping people don,t care how its posted but as long as its readable.

the crap i,ve took i,m not surprised people lurk and don,t want to post.

all i can say is ignore it,post away and don,t worry about it,the ones that are really interested in what you have to say won,t care.

a reply to: sparky31

totally. people who expect every word and turn of the idea wheel to be perfect should throw the first stone only when everyone else has run out of stones. a thought is not in the words used, it's in the feeling of the post, the idea which is being relayed to the reader or to the individual that the post is addressed to.

as for being nervous about being on a list, i'd be more nervous about seeing all those ads...and missing out on the avatars. ats has the largest avatars on the net that I've seen, and the most creative. my present one is of a great american baseball player, one of my favorites in the history of the game. tomorrow i may use a different one...or not.

e.e. aleister

I lurked for a year and a half before joining. At first I held off joining because there are some very vocal posters I don't agree with in certain topics, and I figured I'd be banned within a month lol

Then when I decided to go ahead and jump into the convos, I discovered that I couldn't create an account from my phone or tablet - the two main ways I enjoy ATS. I use my computer for work and school and rarely want to be near it for any other reason. In the end it was my own laziness that kept me being a lurker

a reply to: Aleister

I don't what to say about that (Grin), but logged in I is.,,,,,,,Star for taking such trouble .

a reply to: steaming

thanks. great user name by the way.

a reply to: halfpint0701

Yes, some people like to egg others on, and that's why one of the basic rules here is to address the post and not the poster. As long as people know that ATS has pretty high standards of not attacking each other personally (at least everywhere but that new political mud pit forum I guess), they can ignore those who try to engage in personal attacks (I notice that many of those users don't last too long, but people should have learned some civility by being on the net - or just the opposite!)

Wow that's a pretty big ratio. Never knew that number was there as I bypass that page for some reason.

Anyways...waves to lurkers (particularly those with the alphabet agencies

Come on in...the water's fine and it's really not that scary. Well not usually. Well sometimes it is. And also you get to see cooler, more secret stuff if you log in.

I'm just shocked that, in 2014 - with wall to wall social media sites as well as the MSM getting their outlier talking points from ATS - so many can hold their tongue.

If I didn't log in and chime in - I was going to burst.

a reply to: Aleister

Interesting/cool stats.

Anyone know how often they're updated? I just checked and the numbers are the same now as when you posted which was a little over an hour ago.

It would seem to be the kind of stat that would be updated every time the page loads or refreshes but that's obviously not the case...

Just curious.

Come on Lurkers, join on up already, we are waiting for you.

I expect one person may possibly join because of this post. Who is it going to be?

I lurked for nearly a decade before joining. Simpliy because I didn't feel I had anything worthwhile to add. I still don't feel I add much, but after THAT much time checking in, I figured it didn't matter.

Read this post and decided to join! Going all in I guess! I enjoy reading what all of you have to say.