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Post Counts

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
I've noticed a trend. When folks go personal, one of the digs seems to be post count. We had one earlier today ("For many of you, your number of VAF posts is astounding; an apparent attempt to dominate and control the narrative on VAF for whatever reasons, good or questionable, you might have.")

Bull.

As it happens, join dates and post counts are available for every forum member. Total post count alone means little, but "posts per month" is arguably a useful statistic.

The top poster is Mike Starkey, at 101 per month. Mike has been largely out of sight recently while building a new house, so he probably wouldn't make anyone's off-the-cuff list.

Number 2 is Paul Dye at 80. Paul likes to write, but gets his fill elsewhere in recent years, so again, perception might not be reality.

Third? Bill Repucci at 77. So many p-mags, so little time...;)

The remainer of the Top Ten:

Mel 69
Vlad 65
Gil 62
Pierre 55
Dan 54
Brian 53
Scott 51

FWIW, Mike Robinson is at 37 per month. There are 35 members with more than 3000 total posts, and 8 over 7000.

See anyone there who has not made a significant contribution to the common good?
 
Just an additional thought. I also tend to pay attention to "Join Date".

I am still just a tad shy of that 3000 mark to which you refer. I have to be honest. Contributing to that is the fact that I have slowed down on posting in the past couple of years. Biggest reason - well, honestly I don't want to have the hassle of "arguing" a point. Most of the time someone else will come along and say what I intended to say much better than I. So I let them.

When RVbySDI states something - who is he? When DanH states something - hey that guy writes for Kitplanes! So I will let DanH make a statement. I will go build or fly or . . . enjoy reading what DanH has to say! :cool:
 
date ---> insight

Leave it to Dan to extract some interesting insights from data that we mostly overlook - well done!
 
Purged

A couple of months ago I went back to my posts and purged the ones that I didn't think werent value added. A lot of mine were off the cuff responses and after rereading them, decided to delete. I'll do it again in the future as I am sure some posts haven't been up to snuff. That being said, looks like I just added one more!
 
I'm only at 7.something posts per month, so take this with an appropriately sized grain of salt.

There are people here on VAF who have tons of knowledge and experience; when I see their names I usually read their post because I'll likely learn something. OTOH, there are people who haven't completed or flown an RV who are happy to offer their advice on completing and flying an RV. Using any post-count or related metric to gauge expertise on the subject of RV seems specious.

Helping the community might be better assessed by post counts, but then again, it might also be an assessment of free time and keyboard skills. It's probably best ignored.

I do appreciate posts from master builders, engineers, test pilots, pilots etc. I write that I'm thinking specifically of several individuals, and the way those individuals got put into my working memory is not because of post count but because of the quality of their posts.

Teach me how to make something out of fiberglass or rubber in a cool way - your name is on the list. Show some cool data gathered in a meticulous manner during a flight test program or share the story of an amazing cross country/continent flight - I'm going to not only read but look for your posts.

Post counts are of course affected by things like that, but are a result rather than the cause.
 
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Quantity vs. quality I guess

When I see a posting from some of the users (DanH, Scott, Paul, Mel) to name a few, I will read that post with a lot of interests and I may even make a note of it to come back and follow the conversation.
 
I'm a self declared newbie in all this airplane building stuff as you can tell by my post count!!! I must admit that I have an issue with with many if not all of DanH's posts. I usually feel that I'm a pretty smart guy but every time I read one of his posts I suddenly throw on the dunce cap and go sit in the corner. His knowledge of nearly everything mechanical, chemical, and related to engineering boggles my mind. I try to learn anything I can from him and many others on here if it doesn't go over my head too far. I know for a certainty that I wouldn't be on this fantastic journey without the people on VAF and also the many build sites I visit on a daily basis. Keep your posts coming please!!!
Now excuse me while I resume my position in the corner sucking my thumb.
 
OTOH, there are people who haven't completed or flown an RV who are happy to offer their advice on completing and flying an RV.

I'd suggest "number of RVs completed" is not a much of a yardstick either. We have guys here who have done multiple custom and race cars. We have aircraft restorers, designers, and multi-time homebuilders, but no RVs. The top scorers in aircraft judging are often first-timers. And we have guys with really impressive professional backgrounds.

I'm gonna finger a friend as an example; Bill Lane (about 33 per month). Way back when, I recall OSH conversations where I heard "Who is this BillL? He sure posts a lot for a new guy", the insinuation being that having never built an airplane, anything he had to say was suspect. The reality is much different. Bill spent his entire professional career in engine design and related disciplines, starting at Continental and moving to Caterpillar, and he is an exacting craftsman. I'd say Bill knows more about deep engine design than anyone here....but after 12 years, I've learned VAF may have a half-dozen more with similar backgrounds who simply prefer to lurk.

The nice comments in the previous posts are appreciated, but I am not the smartest guy in the room. I come here and contribute, because contribution is a currency. It buys time with guys like Bill, and the hundreds of other really smart people who populate this forum. Thank your stars that they post here, because if they didn't, there's a good chance this forum would become little more than an infomercial.
 
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HUM----I wonder if there is a way to get all of these guys together and rig up an osmosis machine to extract their knowledge?:eek: (See Spock mind meld) CERTAINLY one of these brilliant guys have already thought of it, and probably have one of those 3D printers spitting it out right now.

VAF is an amazing place where us normal :cool:people can interact with experts in their field. Try getting an appointment to pick the brains of any lead engineer at any major manufacturer, and see how fast you get shut down. Here----gee, we all have access to them.

I for one, am very grateful for that!
Tom
 
Well, all I have to add is that my attempt to dominate and control the VAF narrative has failed so far.

...if only I had a few more posts...;)
 
I remember when I first joined thinking that people with 1000+ posts were the gurus of the field, and that I should listen to them carefully. Now I have well over 1000+ posts and know that I really still have a lot to learn myself. I am more cognisant of the fact that someone with a high post count is considered more knowledgeable, so I try to live up to that responsibility by maximizing the value when i'm posting something informative...

When i'm making a tongue-in-cheek remark not so much, but at least those should be pretty obvious... I hope...

As someone else pointed out, some combination of a high post count and/or an older join date is usually a better metric... There are some knowledgeable people who have been here forever but who have very low post counts.
 
HUM----I wonder if there is a way to get all of these guys together and rig up an osmosis machine to extract their knowledge?:eek: (See Spock mind meld) CERTAINLY one of these brilliant guys have already thought of it, and probably have one of those 3D printers spitting it out right now.

VAF is an amazing place where us normal :cool:people can interact with experts in their field. Try getting an appointment to pick the brains of any lead engineer at any major manufacturer, and see how fast you get shut down. Here----gee, we all have access to them.

I for one, am very grateful for that!
Tom

So am I, Tom. I joined a long time ago, got busy flying, lost my password and just never bothered to wander back in here for the longest time, contenting myself with Matronics... Later, for reasons I forget, I returned to the fold as a regularly donating member.

I would not have thought twice about undertaking another build without belonging to VAF, as I am just as isolated now from other builders and tech help out here on the farm as I was twenty years ago building my 6A. Seriously, without the VAF the RV-10 project would not even be a consideration for me.

So if we ever were able to meld a lot of RV knowledge into one easily-tappable source that's available almost on demand and never seems annoyed at being hit up, that would be great.

... we could call it "Jesse Saint," or something catchy like that.
 
mind meld

Ok, I'll bite...what osmosis machine?
This one - you on the left, us on the right. Then we know all the stuff you do. :D

Vulcan-Mind-Meld.jpg
 
This one - you on the left, us on the right.

Ahhh, note the beard. That's from "Mirror, Mirror", in which an evil barbarian Spock from an alternative universe sucks McCoy's brain dry to determine how he might dominate and control VAF.
 
Dan--similar to the Spock mind meld, except we can access it online. I doubt you would want all of us in your living room!

Tom:D
 
Ahhh, note the beard. That's from "Mirror, Mirror", in which an evil barbarian Spock from an alternative universe sucks McCoy's brain dry to determine how he might dominate and control VAF.

Now that's funny, raht thar! :D Concur with Dan and others...with forum rules based on ethics and congeniality, and good work of Mods and DR, it doesn't appear that topic domination is a threat. Evil Spocks...now that's another story! ;)

Been heads-down in airplane and home projects (and a little racing), so post count has stagnated, but keep watching and finding gems here. Sad to see the thread that generated this discussion...between two fellas I have met and respect/value the opinion of.

But the community will still thrive with the "wisdom of the crowd" and DR at the rudder. Interesting numbers Dan, and great point about the value, versus the domination, of the top ten...and many others! Thanks for that!

Cheers,
Bob
 
DO I = 1, POSTCOUNT
POSTCOUNT = POSTCOUNT + 1
CONTINUE


I'm rusty enough since retirement that I can't remember if this will compile or not.
 
Two observations:

I only pay attention to post counts when something is being offered up for sale. Like when a 430w is offered by someone for a rediculas good price and it is their first post.

Finally, like my pappy used to say, "if you don't have something good to say, don't say anything" I read the forums everyday but only contribute when I feel I have something of value to add.
 
I come here and contribute, because contribution is a currency. It buys time with guys like Bill, and the hundreds of other really smart people who populate this forum. Thank your stars that they post here, because if they didn't, there's a good chance this forum would become little more than an infomercial.

Zackly! Once again, Dan hits the rivet on the head. :)

I must say, I've never looked at post counts. I come here to a) get help with specific issues, and b) to offer help in areas where I can. I just told an airline pilot and searching RV buyer this past week, "EVERYthing you ever wanted to know about RVs - and some things you didn't - are in the VAF Forums. It's an amazing resource. "
 
This one - you on the left, us on the right. Then we know all the stuff you do. :D

Vulcan-Mind-Meld.jpg

Ahhh, note the beard. That's from "Mirror, Mirror", in which an evil barbarian Spock from an alternative universe sucks McCoy's brain dry to determine how he might dominate and control VAF.

Now that's funny, raht thar! :D Concur with Dan and others...with forum rules based on ethics and congeniality, and good work of Mods and DR, it doesn't appear that topic domination is a threat. Evil Spocks...now that's another story! ;)

Been heads-down in airplane and home projects (and a little racing), so post count has stagnated, but keep watching and finding gems here. Sad to see the thread that generated this discussion...between two fellas I have met and respect/value the opinion of.

But the community will still thrive with the "wisdom of the crowd" and DR at the rudder. Interesting numbers Dan, and great point about the value, versus the domination, of the top ten...and many others! Thanks for that!

Cheers,
Bob
Live Long and Prosper! (See link in signature below!)
 
I think the only time I look at post count is in the classifieds section. I figure someone with a higher post count is likely more committed to the forum, and less likely to do something that may tarnish their reputation here.
 
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