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[Dan Honemann]

Well, we can now say we have over 3,500 members.

[George Mervosh]

Well, we can now say we have over 3,500 members.

 

All in good standing? 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Yes, this is the place to be! RONR rules!

[Edgar Guest]

All in good standing? 

 

There are nearly 1500 members with 0 posts.

 

The number of posts per member is about 35. The number of members with more than 35 posts? About 45.

 

The number of members with more than one "identity"? At least 1.

[jstackpo]

All in good standing? 

 

Define "in good standing", please.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

If it means regulars who currently respond to questions, there seems to be not more than about a dozen of those.

[Edgar Guest]

If it means regulars who currently respond to questions, there seems to be not more than about a dozen of those.

 

I would think that members who only ask questions are also "in good standing". We frequently encourage our guests to become members but we certainly shouldn't expect them to become frequent contributors. 

 

What does puzzle me are the 1500 members with no posts at all.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

What does puzzle me are the 1500 members with no posts at all.

 

That doesn't puzzle me at all. I, myself, was one such member. It took me about two months after joining until my first post. And then about a month after that before becoming a regular contributor. It was actually a few private messages encouraging me to contribute that helped.

 

I can understand how intimidating this forum can be. Sometimes people don't want to make mistakes and are afraid to post anything. I have come to learn that the regulars here are rather friendly and try to be helpful. I think we all make mistakes, but we can learn from those mistakes and we can learn from each other.

 

I also want to encourage others to participate. Personally, by being an active member here, I have learned more about parliamentary procedure in the last five months than all my years of meetings and lessons in parliamentary procedure combined.

[Richard Brown]

If it means regulars who currently respond to questions, there seems to be not more than about a dozen of those.

Please define "regulars".

 

And please define "currently responds to questions".  

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Please define "regulars".

 

And please define "currently responds to questions".  

 

Please wait while I'll try to find a citation for you....

[Edgar Guest]

That doesn't puzzle me at all. I, myself, was one such member. It took me about two months after joining until my first post. 

 

That doesn't explain why 1500 people became members but never posted. Never even asked one question (something that thousands of guests have done).

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Calling all members! I want to hear from you! There must be a question that you're dying to get answered!

 

Maybe you want to know when you could use the gavel.

Or when an invocation may be done.

Or what a sergeant-at-arms may do.

 

Just post a question (anything on parliamentary procedure and Robert's Rules) in the general discussion forum and someone will respond to you!

[Edgar Guest]

Calling all members! I want to hear from you! 

 

I suspect you'll have better success encouraging currently active guests to become members than you will trying to get inactive never-active members (the vast majority of which I suspect are long gone) to ask a question.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Good point. I'll keep encouraging everyone.

[Laura Meade]

I don't post much, but I am an active quiet member.  I'm close to completing my goal of reading every post in 2014.  I try to answer the questions on my own and then confirm them with the answers of the more seasoned parliamentarians that post.  Of course, I keep RONR close by for the look-ups and citations.  I have NAP credentials, but not much real world experience beyond my own local organizations, so this forum definitely helps my parliamentary education.  

[Shmuel Gerber]

Being a member has its advantages, including the ability to instantly see which topics you've already read, jumping to the first unread post in a topic, and subscribing to topics. (Also, there have been rumors that members get covert perks such as drinks on the house, silver model Porsches, and the code for the secret knock to gain entrance to unpublished sessions at the next Advanced Seminar, although of course I can neither confirm nor deny any knowledge of such things.)

 

On the old Forum you could just see which links to topics haven't been clicked on yet based on the browser highlight colors, but these days we are much too sophisticated for such simple methods.

[Edgar Guest]

Being a member has its advantages, including the ability to instantly see which topics you've already read, jumping to the first unread post in a topic, and subscribing to topics. 

 

Yes, Thanks. I think I've been taking those advantages for granted (though jumping to the first unread post is a new one for me).

[jstackpo]

 (Also, there have been rumors that members get covert perks such as drinks on the house, silver model Porsches, and the code for the secret knock to gain entrance to unpublished sessions at the next Advanced Seminar, although of course I can neither confirm nor deny any knowledge of such things.)

 

Not to mention the boating trips on the Chesapeake  (not so much fun around Christmas, however...)

[Tom Coronite]

I post far less frequently than I used to.  Mostly I read the questions, try to figure out the answers on my own, and read the replies of those far more knowledgeable than I.  Once in a while I ask something to clarify one of the replies.  But generally I can't see providing the same simple answers to the "low hanging fruit" questions when they're already answered.  In short, I do participate furtively, don't ask a lot of questions, but am not intimidated.  If that makes me not in good standing, oh well...  But I pretty much hit this forum at least once a day.

 

I can understand how intimidating this forum can be. Sometimes people don't want to make mistakes and are afraid to post anything. I have come to learn that the regulars here are rather friendly and try to be helpful. I think we all make mistakes, but we can learn from those mistakes and we can learn from each other.

 

[Richard Brown]

I post far less frequently than I used to.  Mostly I read the questions, try to figure out the answers on my own, and read the replies of those far more knowledgeable than I.  Once in a while I ask something to clarify one of the replies.  But generally I can't see providing the same simple answers to the "low hanging fruit" questions when they're already answered.  In short, I do participate furtively, don't ask a lot of questions, but am not intimidated.  If that makes me not in good standing, oh well...  But I pretty much hit this forum at least once a day.

I think that, although we are holding our collective breaths waiting for Hieu Huynh to give us the definitions of "regulars" and "currently responds to questions" so we can determine who is a member "in good standing", you probably meet the threshold.  

[Tom Coronite]

Thanks.  Wasn't really worried; my comment about standing was tongue firmly in cheek.  :-)

[Gary c Tesser]

...  I'm close to completing my goal of reading every post in 2014. ...

 

Here in mid-December I'm loath to suggest you quit, because, dubious though the merit of the accomplishment may be, like having saved the wrapper from every Snickers (Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.) bar you ever ate, an accomplishment is an accomplishment.  I myslef don't have half my Snickers (Reg. Penna. Dept. Agr.) bar wrappers, though they keep turning up under sofa cushions when I notice I have a McDonalds (TM ExxonMobil Oil Co.) two-for-one Filet-O-Fish (op. cit.) coupon expiring today and I have to put together the $2.50.

 

But I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but frankly, 2014 has been pretty much a slump.   Like Saturday Night Live (Pat. Pend.) from, say, 1983 - 1987.

 

Take a look at 2012.