Question About Number Of Members

[Kenny Coyote]

In that statistics of the forum it says we have 2,103 members. If we have have 2,103 members why is it that about 2,003 of them are nowhere to be seen? If there are more than 100 people who post even once a week, I'd be surprised. Maybe some use forums I never use, so add another 100, but if we have much more than 200 members who do anything here, I'd be surprised. Is it possible that we really do have 2,103 people reading the forums, but nine out of ten have no ideas to contribute?

 

[Daniel Avery]

That's typical for sites that require registration to post. Lurkers (those who are registered but only read others' posts) always outnumber people who actually post and interact. Also, a lot of registrations come from spambots who have no intention of joining conversations. They have...well, other motivations. There are also those who register, post a few times, then lose interest and drift away. No one has their account "deleted" simply by not posting; it just kinda sits there waiting for them to return. The only accounts that get zapped out of existence are the ones who misbehave too often and can't follow the rules.

 

[Alexis]

Also...
The entire world signed up to here when TNT Dallas aired and then they left when it left.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Also...
The entire world signed up to here when TNT Dallas aired and then they left when it left.

I don't think they could have signed up here because this site began in 2016. That's when its oldest posts are from.

 

[Ome]

I don't think they could have signed up here because this site began in 2016.

Soap Chat has been going since 1997 and had over a million members, I think it was close to two million. The site crashed in 2016 and we had to rebuild it, which led to everyone having to register again. Not everyone chose to come back. In the early 00s Dallas was releasing its DVDs and that attracted members in their thousands, the majority of them left after a while. When TNT brought it back we had another influx of members and again, once the show was cancelled the majority of them left.


If you click on the link ABOUT US in the navbar at the top of the forums you will see we have a bit of info albeit small, it does cover who we are.



Established in 1997 Soap Chat began as a forum dedicated to the global smash hit TV series Dallas. Later forums for Knots Landing, Dynasty & Falcon Crest were created.

Over time the members grew and the forums branched out to cover UK & US soaps, Movies, Music, off-topic areas such as the Lounge, Rant Room, Play Games, News, & Politics.

Today we are a community that spans the globe with members discussing their favourite shows, old & new, as well as up and coming shows and movies.

As a global community, we don’t always agree and we’re often learning about each other’s cultures and opinions on life and the world of media, not agreeing is part of the fun, however, we are very respectful of each other’s opinions and that’s what keeps us strong. We welcome all fans of soaps, classic and new to share their opinions. If you want to be part of our community and make new friends, please sign up.

If we have have 2,103 members why is it that about 2,003 of them are nowhere to be seen?

This is the nature of forums and the internet. Not everyone who signed up for FACEBOOK still uses that site and this is repeated with the majority of sites that are out there.

Is it possible that we really do have 2,103 people reading the forums, but nine out of ten have no ideas to contribute?

There are many reasons why people might register and then chose to not post. For some it's like reading a book, they don't want to comment, just read. For others, it might be that they originally enjoyed their time here and then life got in the way. Then we have people who register, join in a couple of discussions but feel they were not made welcome (for whatever reason) and then we have those who join, read some of the posts and find they don't want to be part of the discussions because some members have barbaric views.

It may be the way we moderate the forums.
It may be that the forums are constantly crashing.
It may be that the functions they loved have been taken away.
It may be that someone has upset them and they walk away.
It may be they married and moved on with their life.
It may be they divorced and moved on with their life.



There are many many reasons why people chose to start something and then give it up.

Perhaps we have members who join and then find that most of the discussions are about old shows and there isn't enough talk of new shows.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Soap Chat has been going since 1997 and had over a million members, I think it was close to two million. The site crashed in 2016 and we had to rebuild it, which led to everyone having to register again. Not everyone chose to come back. In the early 00s Dallas was releasing its DVDs and that attracted members in their thousands, the majority of them left after a while. When TNT brought it back we had another influx of members and again, once the show was cancelled the majority of them left.

I'm was a member of the previous Soap Chat site. I was referring to this site, the rebuilt site, when I said it began in 2016.

Also I didn't know whether or not there was a certain amount of activity required to retain a membership, such as at least one post within a one year period.

For some it's like reading a book, they don't want to comment, just read.

I didn't know they had to register to just read. I've seen other sites where you can just read without signing up for them and only need to join to post.

t may be the way we moderate the forums.

If they don't like the way you moderate they're going to have a tough time finding one they like! I've been a member of about 3 or 4 forums over the last 20 years and you have by far the best, least invasive moderating team I've come across.

Other moderating teams tend to like to control the discussion. There was one, a sports one, that actually had a rule that you couldn't be critical of a professional athlete. They must have banned thousands of members for that.

 

[Willie Oleson]

There was one, a sports one, that actually had a rule that you couldn't be critical of a professional athlete

Were you allowed to mention Footballers Wives?

 

[Michael Torrance]

Perhaps we have members who join and then find that most of the discussions are about old shows and there isn't enough talk of new shows.

I am amazed sometimes that we still have so much to discuss about these decades-old shows.
Frankly, I am more intrigued why some people who do post (and with nice contributions) post so infrequently, but then we all have very different time demands in our lives.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I am amazed sometimes that we still have so much to discuss about these decades-old shows.
Frankly, I am more intrigued why some people who do post (and with nice contributions) post so infrequently, but then we all have very different time demands in our lives.

We do have different work schedules, but I was thinking that when people started self-quarantining, that the posting here would go through the roof because people wouldn't be able to go out to restaurants, clubs, sports events, concerts, parties, etc. and that would leave them with lots of extra time. The pandemic certainly caused me to have more time to post!

 

[Ome]

I am amazed sometimes that we still have so much to discuss about these decades-old shows.

It fascinates me how much discussion can be made from shows that aired so long ago. It was great back in the 00s when the DVDs were released, it brought a lot of young fans to the forum who were watching Dallas for the first time. Dynasty is another show that generates so much discussion, while Knots and Falcon Crest are not far behind.

I am more intrigued why some people who do post (and with nice contributions) post so infrequently, but then we all have very different time demands in our lives.

Yes, no one knows what is going on in the real world of the people we interact with (well unless they tell us about their daily duties).


I think we have an incredible little community with so many colourful characters who hang around. Many of the members here contribute in their unique way that makes Soap Chat stay true to its origins, while still feeling relevant and inviting for fresh new faces.

Sure, we do have hic-ups and fallouts at times, and that can sometimes strengthen the community, even if it doesn't feel so at the time. We will never have a forum where all its members agree and just the thought of that sounds especially dull. We will always find some opinions truly ghastly, it's how we challenge those views without making it personal. that's what makes us stronger.

It is always sad when we do lose members for whatever reason, but that's the way the cyberworld can work. So, if any of you members out there that left us, why not pop back in and gives us a shout - assuming you're reading this post.