A discussion in another thread made me wonder about statistics related to the fora. It didn't take much looking to find this:
https://thefora.org/index.php?action=stats (https://thefora.org/index.php?action=stats)
So, as the subject says, what about these stats do you find interesting?
Compared to the old fora, the job search section doesn't seem as popular. And I believe we had a "leaving academe" section there; I feel like that would have been super busy during the pandemic (anecdotally, quite a few people are walking away right now, or have done over the last year+).
I'm rather charmed that 'what have you read lately' doesn't make the top ten topics by replies, but does make the top ten by views. I'm so happy that our nattering on about bookish things has attracted lurkers. That seems pure and good, especially in light of the negative valence attached to the other top threads.
Quote from: ergative on January 18, 2022, 06:38:55 AM
I'm rather charmed that 'what have you read lately' doesn't make the top ten topics by replies, but does make the top ten by views.
I also find the difference in topics by replies vs. views fascinating. It would be interesting to see topics ranked by the ratio of views to replies to see what gets the highest proportion of spectators.
I like to get a sense of the engagement by listing the members in order of comment number. That shows how big the community is. While it can seem that there aren't that many commenters, it turns out that monikers are familiar very far down that list. That is a sign of good health.
I'm in the Top 10 on post count? Sure wasn't that way at the old Fora! And polly is still at #3, despite not having posted in something like a year.
I was expecting more of a 1:1 male to female ratio.
Another surprise:
Marshy, it looks like you are catching up to Polly_mer, for 3rd place.
I know this fora is not as active as the CHE fora, but I honestly do not miss all the noise from the old fora, which was a lot of the activity over there. There were way too many clueless and often belligerently clueless folks on the job seeking advice threads (like holders of ED higher education degrees getting indignant when we told them to give it up). And then there were all the inappropriate relationships threads. Then there were the adjunct porn threads. And then there were the train wrecks that were started and perpetuated by fake personas and their fake stories (remember AHA star?). I'm beginning to think that the old CHE fora was stoked by the CHE and a stealth cast of CHE characters, to stoke tabloid-worthy discussion and attention, so CHE could keep up with insidehighered and others, without sullying the hallowed Chronicle brand. At least with the new fora, with the exception of the resident village idiot, there isn't nearly as much noise as the old CHE fora.
Quote from: lightning on January 18, 2022, 07:51:34 AM
I was expecting more of a 1:1 male to female ratio.
Another surprise:
Marshy, it looks like you are catching up to Polly_mer, for 3rd place.
I know this fora is not as active as the CHE fora, but I honestly do not miss all the noise from the old fora, which was a lot of the activity over there. There were way too many clueless and often belligerently clueless folks on the job seeking advice threads (like holders of ED higher education degrees getting indignant when we told them to give it up). And then there were all the inappropriate relationships threads. Then there were the adjunct porn threads.
The problems with adjunct situations discussion are
(1) the case that the adjunct situation is decent enough to continue as it is is resisted and
(2) the maintenance of the tenure track incentivizes adjunct hiring. The people with the lucrative jobs don't appreciate hearing about that.
So dismissing the whole business with a label like 'adjunct porn' stigmatizes the discussion. Problem solved, for people like you, who perhaps think your motives are concealed.
ETA:
QuoteIt would be interesting to see topics ranked by the ratio of views to replies to see what gets the highest proportion of spectators.
With respect to discussions about national politics, I suspect a not uncommon thought process among lurkers is something like 'there may be a way to push back against liberal narratives without being accused of trolling, but it's probably not worth the time spent.'
Quote from: mahagonny on January 18, 2022, 08:04:38 AM
Quote from: lightning on January 18, 2022, 07:51:34 AM
I was expecting more of a 1:1 male to female ratio.
Another surprise:
Marshy, it looks like you are catching up to Polly_mer, for 3rd place.
I know this fora is not as active as the CHE fora, but I honestly do not miss all the noise from the old fora, which was a lot of the activity over there. There were way too many clueless and often belligerently clueless folks on the job seeking advice threads (like holders of ED higher education degrees getting indignant when we told them to give it up). And then there were all the inappropriate relationships threads. Then there were the adjunct porn threads.
The problems with adjunct situations discussion are
(1) the case that the adjunct situation is decent enough to continue as it is is resisted and
(2) the maintenance of the tenure track incentivizes adjunct hiring. The people with the lucrative jobs don't appreciate hearing about that.
So dismissing the whole business with a label like 'adjunct porn' stigmatizes the discussion. Problem solved, for people like you, who perhaps think your motives are concealed.
Like I've said several times in my previous posts about adjuncts, I get in the face of administrators when they try to use an adjunct when we should be using full-timers. So far, my unit, does not have any adjuncts. We are all full-time, mostly tenure-track. Believe me, it's a tough fight. I've been getting in an admin's face this week, who is trying to replace a full-time position with an adjunct position. What I'm doing is real action. All you do is talk.
Quote from: lightning on January 18, 2022, 07:51:34 AM
I was expecting more of a 1:1 male to female ratio.
Another surprise:
Marshy, it looks like you are catching up to Polly_mer, for 3rd place.
I'm probably not even close in word count. Polly often wrote long treatises on issues that must have taken hours to put together with references, etc.
I can't can't repel firepower of that magnitude.
Quote from: lightning on January 18, 2022, 09:56:08 AM
Quote from: mahagonny on January 18, 2022, 08:04:38 AM
Quote from: lightning on January 18, 2022, 07:51:34 AM
I was expecting more of a 1:1 male to female ratio.
Another surprise:
Marshy, it looks like you are catching up to Polly_mer, for 3rd place.
I know this fora is not as active as the CHE fora, but I honestly do not miss all the noise from the old fora, which was a lot of the activity over there. There were way too many clueless and often belligerently clueless folks on the job seeking advice threads (like holders of ED higher education degrees getting indignant when we told them to give it up). And then there were all the inappropriate relationships threads. Then there were the adjunct porn threads.
The problems with adjunct situations discussion are
(1) the case that the adjunct situation is decent enough to continue as it is is resisted and
(2) the maintenance of the tenure track incentivizes adjunct hiring. The people with the lucrative jobs don't appreciate hearing about that.
So dismissing the whole business with a label like 'adjunct porn' stigmatizes the discussion. Problem solved, for people like you, who perhaps think your motives are concealed.
All you do is talk.
No I don't just talk. I participate in our union which has no support from our tenure track faculty, ever.
QuoteLike I've said several times in my previous posts about adjuncts, I get in the face of administrators when they try to use an adjunct when we should be using full-timers. So far, my unit, does not have any adjuncts. We are all full-time, mostly tenure-track. Believe me, it's a tough fight. I've been getting in an admin's face this week, who is trying to replace a full-time position with an adjunct position. What I'm doing is real action.
So you would logically welcome discussion of the adjunct discussion. But you don't. Or you wouldn't be calling it 'adjunct porn' unless maybe you enjoy relating it something you know a lot about.
I'm less stats-driven and more people-driven.
I come here to meet up with friends and hear the news.
I may visit the occasional 'controversial' thread but not post because anymore, the 'controversies' all boil down to the same four people firing at each other with the same few shots, and I find that boring.
I check into them to see if there's anything egregious that needs a flame-thrower to startle the firing squad and fox their aims at each other, but beyond that, they're so predictable that I'd rather spend my time on the cats thread, where the real work of the universe is getting done.
I just wonder, every now and again, what happened to the dogs thread, though--do we have fewer canine-o-philes among us than formerly?
Or are they just busier, out walking their four-footeds, rather than having time to post about them?
Anyway, work to do...
M.
Quote from: mamselle on January 18, 2022, 10:40:46 AM
I may visit the occasional 'controversial' thread but not post because anymore, the 'controversies' all boil down to the same four people firing at each other with the same few shots, and I find that boring.
S'il vous plait, not all the time. Whereas you posted a video with Joy Reid in it, you're contributing to controversy, since she a racist media flame-thrower.
And so it goes ...
Quote from: aside on January 18, 2022, 11:56:08 AM
And so it goes ...
Just for the record, since I started this topic, I don't really care if the discussion meanders. I can just ignore whatever posts don't interest me and focus on the ones that do. As the say, à chacun son goût ...
I really should be posting on the dogs thread, but I keep forgetting to look it up.
Just re-opened it with a post I should have made in reply to a post when it was last open!!!
http://thefora.org/index.php?topic=69.105
M.
Adding up some of the numbers in my head, so a rough estimate:
~ 100,000 total posts
Posts by top 10 members ~30,000
~ 30% of posts from top 10 members, but that includes polly with 4000.
Mamselle ~ 6% of total & ~ Para 4% of total.
Some people need a hobby.
Oh, I have hobbies, too.
You should see what I do with those!
;--}
M.
Here are top 10 postings (as of today) by ratio of views to replies:
- 82- the "things you wish you could say" thread
- 71- The Venting Thread
- 68- Coronavirus
- 65- 2020 Elections
- 55- Herd your cats here
- 32- Colleges in Dire Financial Straits
- 27- Topic: Bang Your Head on Your Desk - the thread of teaching despair!
- 14- NYT Spelling Bee
Note you have to get down to 6 before it's specifically academic, and the games that were in the top 10 replies didn't show up in top 10 views. (Sort of makes sense; if you don't play you probably don't care to watch others play.)
Quote from: marshwiggle on January 19, 2022, 06:36:29 AM
71- The Venting Thread[/li][/list]teaching despair!
I thought people would go there to vent, be done with it and leave feeling better. I had no idea that were that many vicarious consumers of venting.
Quote from: secundem_artem on January 18, 2022, 04:09:29 PM
Some people need a hobby.
Will you feel differently when you hit 500, or whatever takes to reach the next level?
Bear in mind also that non-members can view/read threads in the General Discussion subforum, but not in the academic areas.
Quote from: namazu on January 19, 2022, 11:10:29 AM
Bear in mind also that non-members can view/read threads in the General Discussion subforum, but not in the academic areas.
Good point. Do those actually show up as "views" though? Maybe eigen can clarify that.
Quote from: Hibush on January 19, 2022, 09:21:45 AM
Quote from: marshwiggle on January 19, 2022, 06:36:29 AM
71- The Venting Thread[/li][/list]teaching despair!
I thought people would go there to vent, be done with it and leave feeling better. I had no idea that were that many vicarious consumers of venting.
It's comforting to realize I'm not alone!
Quote from: Harlow2 on January 19, 2022, 09:14:55 PM
Quote from: Hibush on January 19, 2022, 09:21:45 AM
Quote from: marshwiggle on January 19, 2022, 06:36:29 AM
71- The Venting Thread[/li][/list]teaching despair!
I thought people would go there to vent, be done with it and leave feeling better. I had no idea that were that many vicarious consumers of venting.
It's comforting to realize I'm not alone!
Yes, I always read all the Venting updates. And Teaching Despair.
Quote from: ergative on January 20, 2022, 12:32:00 AM
Quote from: Harlow2 on January 19, 2022, 09:14:55 PM
Quote from: Hibush on January 19, 2022, 09:21:45 AM
Quote from: marshwiggle on January 19, 2022, 06:36:29 AM
71- The Venting Thread[/li][/list]teaching despair!
I thought people would go there to vent, be done with it and leave feeling better. I had no idea that were that many vicarious consumers of venting.
It's comforting to realize I'm not alone!
Yes, I always read all the Venting updates. And Teaching Despair.
We forumites are not immune to schadenfreude.
I always go through the "Show new replies to your posts" when I come to the forum, and I have posted on the venting thread, so I view that one fairly often. That kind of thing probably inflates view counts to some extent.
The statistics don't interest me, at all. I am mainly interested in the research scholarship and that moves very slowly
and mainly addresses problems of particular members (including me) rather than broader concerns about journals.
TheFora as a name doesn't help attract members. It could be about anything!