i must admit after running my own site in the past that logging in on a mornings and finding the majority of threads/posts were often jokes and games was at times a bit frustrating when the site was created for bdsm discussions and we had put a lot of effort and hard work into bringing up issues to suit and interest all peoples tastes (not always easy!)
it did also at times put new members off from joining in rather than encouraging them to make friends feeling that that we wernt a 'serious' site and they were a little uncomfortable for fear it was a bit cliquish, we recieved quite a few pm's and emails telling us so.
we always did our best to make them comfortable and assure them we wernt,
some took note and did join in...others didnt.

but whilst that disappointed us occasionally we had always prided ourselves on being a friendly community and a safe place for people to come to and our most regular and loyal friends (i believe) always recognised that, and hopefully to all site thats one of the most important achievements and we all do have other interests outside of bdsm and a sense of humour and friendships do develop through these forums, one thing to remember as well is that in our shared interest in bdsm we do not all have the shared interest in some related issues and live our 'lifestyle' in a totally different way therefore we cant always 'contribute' or even have much of an interest in some threads but can still come back day after day with that sense of belonging with likeminded people and chatting with friends especially for people like myself who are not comfortable in chatrooms and when they see a thread thats relevant are more comfortable with joining in and ive noticed often the ones offering support to people when people need it the most .

my personal opinion is that the post count doesnt really matter i dont think that people post simply to up them its just a bit of fun, admittedly ...this is where people can jump in and give me a bollocking lol... it can make the sigs look a bit messy but i do feel the thankyou button is of value we found out when we added it just how many people did appreciate the time and thought people had contributed to posts by being able to 'press' it but they just didnt have anything to say on that particular subject for whatever the reason.and that makes it worthwhile for people who had posted knowing that they wernt simply posting for it to be ignored and that what they had to say was appreciated and taken seriously...and although i cant know but im guessing the sames true here.

im very shy and generally pretty timid (surprisingly) when posting worrying ive said the wrong thing,offended someone or appear foolish and other than my own i never felt comfortable joining in with other forums and it made it much easier for me to join in here, even if i do piss people off at times with my odd views lol through not just knowing some of you but also joining in the games at times, so to me personally that's been of value and its made the difference and given me confidence to come here each day and enjoy reading and posting on the more serious theads too which admittedly i prefer and tend to look through first (but thats my preference,i have the choice like everyone else) ...i doubt that particularly matters to anyone in the long run but it has to me and hopefully it does the same for others.

on a more practical note it can also help site owners and the more senior members (nope im not saying numbers count!) if they're wanting new members with fresh opinions/experiences to join in and give new perspectives, when people are sufing sites one of the things they look at is post counts to see if its 'worthwhile' joining.

good thread delia, and one in my opinion worth bringing up, at first i thought it might set off a bit of a spark lol but people should feel able to give input regarding the site on their likes and dislikes and everyone as with anything should respect that whether they agree or not.hopefully it's what helps sites and therefore its members to mutually develop the way they want it to go and understand that what works for some doesnt for others.

those who dont want to go through the f&gs can mark those forums read.

just a few thoughts and another of my long rambles lol its early morning..thats my excuse!