# Replies v. Views



## The Shaman (Feb 15, 2005)

A little something I've noticed on bulletin boards that track posts and views - there seems to be a consistent ratio of somewhere around 10 views: 1 reply.

If you look up and down the columns on most of the boards, I think you'll see that this holds true in most forums. It's true on half-a-dozen different VBBs that I watch, gaming related or otherwise. Sometimes it's 9:1, others it's 11:1, but they all seem to average out to around 10:1

What's funny are the exceptions. For example, the Counting Posts thread is more like 6:1 - most people who view the thread are posters, padding their numbers in all likelihood. 

The ENWorld Women thread on the other hand has a views-to-posts ratio of more than 20:1 - lots of guys curious about what the womenfolk are up to, perhaps?   

I've found that this ratio is also a fairly reliable predictor of threads that are of general interest: a thread with only two or three replies but 50 or 60 views (say 25:1 or 30:1) might be a specific question answered quickly by one of the initial respondents. On the other hand, a thread with 40 replies but only 200 views (5:1) is probably banter between just two or three posters on a topic near and dear to their hearts and minds. That 10:1 ratio is a good shorthand for picking out ineresting threads.

The Shaman: putting the "anal" back in "banal"... :\


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 15, 2005)

If you want to see some really crazy ratios, check out the SH forum


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## The_lurkeR (Feb 15, 2005)

It is interesting, there's probably a good social studies paper in there somewhere...


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## ph34r (Feb 15, 2005)

I didn't intend to reply to this but I will for the sake of the ratios!


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 15, 2005)

ph34r said:
			
		

> I didn't intend to reply to this but I will for the sake of the ratios!



That's a very good point, but I wont help out.

... Wait.


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## Turanil (Feb 15, 2005)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> The Shaman: putting the "anal" back in "banal"... :\



Hey, that would make a great sig.!


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## MonsterMash (Feb 15, 2005)

Probably you get a high views : posts ratio on things like rules forums when somebody is able to give a definitive answer in one of the first reply. Of course off topic threads really lend themselves to people bulking up their post count (like this).


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## Ashwyn (Feb 15, 2005)

That's interesting.


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## Pinotage (Feb 15, 2005)

Would it skew the numbers if I posted now and did not view this thread again?

Pinotage


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## MonsterMash (Feb 15, 2005)

Pinotage said:
			
		

> Would it skew the numbers if I posted now and did not view this thread again?
> 
> Pinotage



Quite possibly.


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## Hand of Evil (Feb 15, 2005)

some topics get more replies I think about the same ratio as CS to Non-CS members.  Then there is the great Crothian of posting that will throw all stats out the window.    



The funny thing about the counting post count thread is that none of the post in off-topics count to post count.


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## Pinotage (Feb 15, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Quite possibly.




Oops!   

Pinotage


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## MonsterMash (Feb 15, 2005)

Hand of Evil said:
			
		

> some topics get more replies I think about the same ratio as CS to Non-CS members.  Then there is the great Crothian of posting that will throw all stats out the window.
> 
> 
> 
> The funny thing about the counting post count thread is that none of the post in off-topics count to post count.



Actually they do at the moment Hand of Evil.


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## MrFilthyIke (Feb 15, 2005)

Hand of Evil said:
			
		

> _*Crothian of Posting*_




What are the Craft requirements for this device?


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## Hand of Evil (Feb 15, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Actually they do at the moment Hand of Evil.



do they, my-ph-my!


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## Hand of Evil (Feb 15, 2005)

MrFilthyIke said:
			
		

> What are the Craft requirements for this device?



Wisdom and Intelligence of at least 17
Hong Fu +5 Ranks
Typing +8 Ranks


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## Piratecat (Feb 15, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> If you want to see some really crazy ratios, check out the SH forum




Yep, they're nowhere near normal. That's skewed even farther when story hour authors delete commentary from their thread.  After three years of removing posts, my story hour is at 650 views: 1 reply. That's skewed! A more normal ratio there is 50 - 100 views to 1 reply, which is roughly where I'd be if I weren't removing posts.


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## Greylock (Feb 15, 2005)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> What's funny are the exceptions. For example, the Counting Posts thread is more like 6:1 - most people who view the thread are posters, padding their numbers in all likelihood.
> 
> The ENWorld Women thread on the other hand has a views-to-posts ratio of more than 20:1 - lots of guys curious about what the womenfolk are up to, perhaps?




I've noticed that. One other factor affecting SH threads is the antiquity of some stories. Another being the "star appeal" of some posters. Hong, for instance, probably gets a lot more hits on his SH  sig than I do.


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## The Shaman (Feb 15, 2005)

Turanil said:
			
		

> Hey, that would make a great sig.!



It crossed my mind...


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## fusangite (Feb 15, 2005)

The other thing that produces a high replies:views ratio are threads that quickly devolve into a back and forth argument between 2-6 posters. This process often generates a huge amount of adversarial uninformative text very fast, thereby depressing the number of views while simultaneously providing people with huge amounts of material to read respond to if they really want to keep up with the thread.

I'm very good as turning normal threads into ones like this.


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## Mercule (Feb 15, 2005)

Just stopping by to play with rations. 

(Why pretend I have any other reason to post?)


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## MonsterMash (Feb 15, 2005)

fusangite said:
			
		

> The other thing that produces a high replies:views ratio are threads that quickly devolve into a back and forth argument between 2-6 posters. This process often generates a huge amount of adversarial uninformative text very fast, thereby depressing the number of views while simultaneously providing people with huge amounts of material to read respond to if they really want to keep up with the thread.
> 
> I'm very good as turning normal threads into ones like this.



Well of course when you get two or more posters treating it as an online conversation like that then it will generate probably one reply to every three or four views, like we're heading towards.


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## MonsterMash (Feb 15, 2005)

Hand of Evil said:
			
		

> Wisdom and Intelligence of at least 17
> Hong Fu +5 Ranks
> Typing +8 Ranks



Do you have to remove your pants to do Hong Fu?


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## DragonSword (Feb 15, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Do you have to remove your pants to do Hong Fu?



 Okay, I'm officially freaked out...


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## Hand of Evil (Feb 15, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Do you have to remove your pants to do Hong Fu?


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## jaerdaph (Feb 15, 2005)

I could have sworn on the old server, once you viewed a thread, you were only counted as having viewed that thread once, no matter how many times you went back into that thread.

Now the views count goes up every time I look at a thread. And if you hit refresh now in a thread, the view count goes up - and up and up if you keep refreshing repeatedly. In fact, I'm off to do that now!







Joe


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## Angcuru (Feb 15, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> If you want to see some really crazy ratios, check out the SH forum



So very true. 

My SH is averaging 31-32 views per post. And I do most of the posting.   (all of it, actually)


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 15, 2005)

Angcuru said:
			
		

> So very true.
> 
> My SH is averaging 31-32 views per post. And I do most of the posting.   (all of it, actually)



 Yep, that seems about average for most of the non-big name SHs. I get about 20-30ish views with each daily update...and I get a comment about once a page or so.


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## Angcuru (Feb 15, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> Yep, that seems about average for most of the non-big name SHs. I get about 20-30ish views with each daily update...and* I get a comment about once a page or so*.



That's the difference between us, AMPG.


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## Cyberzombie (Feb 15, 2005)

Hmm.  I could use that ratio thingie to my advantage.  I already go into the Rules forum to add people to my Ignore list.  I could just look for threads that have a lower view-to-postcount ratio, making it even easier to find the threads with odious people in them.

Rock on!


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## The Shaman (Feb 16, 2005)

Cyberzombie said:
			
		

> Hmm.  I could use that ratio thingie to my advantage.  I already go into the Rules forum to add people to my Ignore list.  I could just look for threads that have a lower view-to-postcount ratio, making it even easier to find the threads with odious people in them.
> 
> Rock on!



Glad I could be of service.


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## MonsterMash (Feb 16, 2005)

DragonSword said:
			
		

> Okay, I'm officially freaked out...



Don't worry its american (okay actually australian) pants not british (under)pants


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 16, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Don't worry its american (okay actually australian) pants not british (under)pants



 ...you sound so very sure of this.


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## Evilhalfling (Feb 16, 2005)

In the PbP forums - the view ratio averages about 8:1 
and out of the 37 games in play on the front page only a few break the 10:1 ratio.  While there are 2 that are closer to 14:1. both are superhero games-  the work of one nervous poster or are people reading PbP games for fun? 

(I admit I read a lot of koboldquest:return of the calzone, and delivering the box) 

on the low end none have reached 6:1


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Feb 16, 2005)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> (I admit I read a lot of koboldquest:return of the calzone, and delivering the box)




Of course you have! How can you resist the lure of Taden, the little Kobold Druid afraid of green?


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 16, 2005)

Adding a post to fix the ratio.

And to get to 800 posts.


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## Cyberzombie (Feb 17, 2005)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> Glad I could be of service.



 You are a prince (or princess) among men (or women).


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## The Shaman (Feb 17, 2005)

Cyberzombie said:
			
		

> You are a prince (or princess) among men (or women).



I would prefer to be a prince among women, all things considered.


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## Angcuru (Feb 17, 2005)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> I would prefer to be a prince among women, all things considered.



Kinky.


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## Cyberzombie (Feb 17, 2005)

The Shaman said:
			
		

> I would prefer to be a prince among women, all things considered.



 Point taken.


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## MonsterMash (Feb 18, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> ...you sound so very sure of this.



Its just the other option is too awful to contemplate


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## Pinotage (Feb 18, 2005)

Jdvn1 said:
			
		

> Adding a post to fix the ratio.
> 
> And to get to 800 posts.




94 posts in two days? What have you been doing? Does Crothian even do that?   

Pinotage


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## MonsterMash (Feb 18, 2005)

Pinotage said:
			
		

> 94 posts in two days? What have you been doing? Does Crothian even do that?
> 
> Pinotage



I suspect Crothian has exceeded 94 posts in two days - but not for too long.


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 18, 2005)

Pinotage said:
			
		

> 94 posts in two days? What have you been doing? Does Crothian even do that?



Ye... uh... ignore the Jdvn1 behind the curtain.

*hides*


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 18, 2005)

Pinotage said:
			
		

> 94 posts in two days? What have you been doing? Does Crothian even do that?
> 
> Pinotage



Actually, if you take the times into account, it's more like a day and a half.  For reference, I'm at 909 right... now.


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 20, 2005)

And now at 1003!  In another day and a half.

... Yikes.


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## mythusmage (Feb 20, 2005)

You are such an inspiration.


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 20, 2005)

Inspiration?  I don't even know how I post this much.


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## MonsterMash (Feb 20, 2005)

Jdvn1 said:
			
		

> Inspiration?  I don't even know how I post this much.



Jdvn1 - your posting rate is inspirational and truly scary


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 20, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Jdvn1 - your posting rate is inspirational and truly scary



Thanks, that's somehow comforting...


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## Ashwyn (Feb 21, 2005)

Jdvn1 said:
			
		

> Inspiration?  I don't even know how I post this much.



Boredom?


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## MonsterMash (Feb 21, 2005)

Ashwyn said:
			
		

> Boredom?



Inability not to comment on others comments?


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## mythusmage (Feb 21, 2005)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Inability not to comment on others comments?




Oh-my-God, *CROTHIAN'S DISEASE IS COMMUNICABLE!*


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## MonsterMash (Feb 21, 2005)

mythusmage said:
			
		

> Oh-my-God, *CROTHIAN'S DISEASE IS COMMUNICABLE!*



And spreading like wildfire.


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## Evilhalfling (Feb 21, 2005)

Not to me I have entered a Zen like state where number of posts no longer matters.  
It should last at least another day.


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## Hellzon (Feb 21, 2005)

Evilhalfling said:
			
		

> ...are people reading PbP games for fun?




I am. Pretty sure some others are.
Was one of those two games perhaps Tokiwong's Generation Legacy? 'Cause that was like the _Piratecat's Story Hour_ of PbP gaming.


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 21, 2005)

Maybe I find it entertaining to talk about roleplaying and other random things?

... Nah, makes too much sense.  I must be diseased.

*cough, cough, hack, hack*


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## DMH (Feb 21, 2005)

The only board I visit that is higher is rpg.net. I copied Ghostwind's post about Hero Games here into Open and even though the number of posts here was usually 5-10 higher than mine, it only had 1/2 the hits (mine has 182 replies and 7670 views). 

There are long running threads with 1000+ post and 50,000+ views there. I think "Boost your Status" at 18,000+ replies and 68,000 views is the current leader since the database ate the last one.


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 21, 2005)

Wow, that's less than four views per post.


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## DMH (Feb 21, 2005)

I meant for the total post count. The reason that thread has such a low posts to view ratio is because people mostly go there to post. Others that have a higher ratio that are just on the front page of Tangency:

Wak's hot chick thread (1167; 66,041), Ross' photo thread (1277;53,836) Sarah's rumor thread (8865; 42,089) and Teucer's Cliffnotes (533; 22,998).


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 21, 2005)

Hm.  Ouch.


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## Cyberzombie (Feb 21, 2005)

RPGNet: the one gaming board I never, ever visit.  Okay, so I go look at threads Darkness posts, but I don't log in.


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## DMH (Feb 21, 2005)

Jdvn1 said:
			
		

> Hm.  Ouch.




It does take a bit to get use to, but most of the time you can find the types of threads you are interested in. The search function also is quite useful since a thread can end up on page 5 in less than a day when it is really hopping. And, amazing as it is, some times the rpg main forum is faster than tangency. Refresh and notice your thread is at the bottom of the page...

I usually go in the mornings to avoid the stampede of the noon crowds (4 in the US alone).


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## Tassadar (Feb 24, 2005)

In honor of Jdvn's posting totals...I would like to say that this is my 4th post...GO ME


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## Jdvn1 (Feb 24, 2005)

Tassadar said:
			
		

> In honor of Jdvn's posting totals...I would like to say that this is my 4th post...GO ME



Oh no!  That's a 33% increase of your total posts!  I'm losing ground!

*posts faster*


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## Tassadar (Feb 24, 2005)

Jdvn1 said:
			
		

> Oh no! That's a 33% increase of your total posts! I'm losing ground!
> 
> *posts faster*




Dang it...this one only increases it 25%...I'm losing my percent bonus...soon, I'm gonna be no better than you...


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