I just checked the memberlist and came up with a curious figure.
Over one fifth of the members of C&F (625 out of 2919) have never posted, ever.
As far as I can tell, the only benefit from being a member is being able to post. You can lurk, and read all the posts you want without being registered.
What’s the deal? Can anyone explain this to me? I knew there’d be some people who never posted. But 625? I was amazed.
Seth
Maybe they just chat and/or subscribe to the newsletter?
You don’t have to be a member of the Forums to do those things.
I see. Thanks, Walden.
Could it be that the members are too shy to post?
Nothing new here, this comes up every few months.
My personal feeling is that some visitors join either because they think they have to do so to read the board and others because they think they might want to contribute but in both cases they lose interest and either return only infrequently or not at all.
So what say ye, shy lurkers all? Good place for a first post, this thread. 
-Paul
It may seem strange, but believe it or not, it’s not all all unusual.
People come in expecting to post, but never do. Some will just always register even if they don’t have to.
Just a little less than 1/4 of the registered users on Gaelic Crossings have never posted either.
From operating mailing lists for years, you can figure that probably less than 25% of the readers will post at all, and less than 15% will post regularly. (These numbers are “off the cuff”)
On boards run by PHPBB there is a very good reason to register even if you don’t intend to post. By logging in the system keeps track of the last time you visited and flags threads that have been posted to since your last visit. I usually log in when I access the board, long before I know whether I’m going to post anything or not, for just that reason.
That could help explain it in the case of those who joined after the software upgrade, anyway. But I suspect that it’s largely just people who signed up, and then didn’t stay around to do any posting.
Sadly, they all died.
One or two of those people could be me. Due to problems I had with my home computer I seem to remember I had to register again and may not have actually posted during the short time those identities existed.
I’m working on my masters thesis on this very topic. I’ll post a link when it’s finished. I have to interview Ralph Sweet and Sara Wisely today.
Fascinating, Jim. What’s your exact topic? Are you doing a case study?
I can only speak for myself, but I don’t feel qualified to post anything as of yet. I only just began the whistle not even a month ago. I was on vacation in Ireland and picked up a whistle there. Thanks to this board, I have learned a wealth of valuable information, and as I progress, hope to be abel to pass on equaly vauable information.
While I don’t post very often, the reason I became a member was so that I the message board would remember which topics I’ve viewed and indicate when new messages are posted. I think its just the bee’s knees that the board remembers me no matter what computer I use.
Slydini,
Ignorance is no excuse not to post. It sure doesn’t stop a number of the board’s members anyway. 
Stick around, you’ll learn a lot.
Mike
What Burnsy said. It never stopped me.
I think it’s simple - the people who don’t post a lot have lives.
:roll:
Arguably so. But let us consider those who lurk and do not post: it’s a matter of degree, yes?
If you say so. 