• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Ratio and lurkdom

Lucille

Lucille

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I am not a math person but I was checking out the ratio of views to posts.
In the BOI, there is a huge ratio, many are checking out reputations and posts because what they read there is meaningful in their own choices of who to purchase animals and supplies from. They may not always take a stance and post, they are rather using the information they see to make wise choices in their own purchases.
I saw a rough ratio of about 10:1 views to posts in the forums though. Some more, some less.
I would love to see that ratio decrease, and have more people participating instead of just reading and lurking.
I am going to continue to try to respond to as many forum posts as I feel qualified to answer, because that's where it all starts, one person helping another.
You shy little violets out there, we want to see you post!! :)
 
I'm afraid I could not let myself be confined to Lurkdom. I broke out a long time ago and no one has come looking for me.

I guess that 10% of us can't let a good argument go unanswered. Or maybe some of us just like to read our own words (so what if I do).

I approach it much the same way as you Lucille; I comment where I think I can contribute, I initiate when I have something to share or to stimulate dialog about a specific subject.

I'd be real interested in contrasting the level of participation in this venue, ie posts made by different members vrs. lurkers, with what happens in other social groups like classes, meetings, protests etc.

In college I found that there were only a small percentage of students raising hands, answering questions and expressing ideas. And, it was always the same persons (I was one of them). This may be attributable to common human group psychology.

So who wants to do a Study?
 
In the real world, I am a lurker. Here, I get to hide behind the anonymity of the keyboard and subject you all to my ramblings.
 
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