Forum usage poll (anonymous)

[sitearm]

Forum Usage Poll

How long have you been using game forums?

. Using means everything from I just read stuff for tips to I am a forum posting fanatic.

. You must register (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/register.php?) (free) a forum nickname (user name) to vote , but your vote will be anonymous.

[Thucydides]

[size=4]but your vote will be anonymous.[/b]

I don't know, I quite liked seeing what other people voted for :D

[MarkDuffy]

within last 5 years

Sierra CB forums, Settlers, HeavenGames & this one are the only ones I'm registered for & have posted on.

I was kinda active on the Sierra forums, but stopped when TM launched the demo. I learned about COTN there.

Settlers with a few game questions. You all know about my only actual posting on HeavenGames, but I went there to download almost everything for Zeus, years ago.

[maucat]

Started with Sims, Sim City, Anno 1503 and a few others but found some of them very childish and populated by kint but this is definitely the most helpful and adult. It's friendly and very entertaining in its own right apart from game help and tips. Just love browsing it every day to see what topics and arguments are current. ;)

[CaitGrey]

Caesar heaven, Pharaoh, Anno 1503, Tropico and a few others.
Getting help with technical hitches and downlading new patches.

[sitearm]

More info than you ever asked for: a "reward" for registering and voting in the poll! :D

(these are excerpts...)

Internet forum (Wikipedia) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forum)

Culture

... Internet forums are prevalent in several developed countries. In terms of countable posts, Japan is far in the lead with over two million posts per day on their largest forum, 2ch. The United States does not have any one large forum, but instead several hundred thousand smaller forums, the largest of which are Gaia Online, IGN and GameFAQs. China, the Netherlands, and France are also home to hundreds of independent forums. Some countries such as Finland and Sweden do not have many prevalent forums despite having open and easily available Internet access. As of yet no study has been done on the prevalence of forums in countries around the world.

... Small forums are often based around a single subject. Usually there is an "off-topic" forum where users can post any items they find interesting (in Japanese, neta) or play "forum games".

... Larger Internet forums are in general more subject to public conflicts between users, leetspeak, and private jokes. Depending on the level of moderation there may also be conflicts between users and administrators.

Software features

... The barebones definition of a forum is the ability for people to start threads and reply to other people's threads. However, most forum software provides considerably more than this.

... Forum software can be broadly divided between those which allow visitors to post anonymously, and those which attribute posts to a registered username.

... A forum administrator typically has the ability to edit, delete, move or otherwise modify any thread on the forum. ...The reasons for having these abilities are often to allow peace to be maintained and the rules to be enforced.

... Forum software packages are widely available on the Internet, and are written in a variety of programming languages, such as PHP, Perl, Java and ASP.

Comparison with other web applications

... One significant difference between forums and electronic mailing lists is that mailing lists automatically deliver new messages to the subscriber, while forums require the member to visit the website, and check for new posts.

... The main difference between newsgroups and forums is that additional software is usually required to participate in newsgroups, a newsreader. Visiting and participating in forums normally requires no additional software beyond the web browser.

... Forums, unlike wikis, do not allow people to edit other's messages. Some users, however, may be given this ability in order to moderate content (for example, if spam is posted to the forum).

... Unlike weblogs, forums typically allow anyone to start a new discussion (known as a thread), or reply to an existing thread. The range of topics discussed on forums is typically wider—as a website running forum software may have more than one forum, each dedicated to a different topic.

... Forums differ from chat rooms and instant messaging because they usually deal with one topic and personal exchanges are typically discouraged.

... Participants in Internet forums should realize that what they have to say will be public knowledge for years to come. For example, Google's Groups (formerly DejaNews) is an archive of Usenet articles dating back to 1981.

... Forum archives are sometimes the best way to find an answer to very obscure questions, such as how to fix a particular computer problem.

[Azeem]

Last 10 years. :eek: Primarily a lurker at first. Only became a more active forum-goer when "Pharaoh" came out. :)

The CB community and the "Lords of Magic" community are the only ones I really like. I find others too juvenille with visitors snapping at each other like spoiled rotten little children who needs mommy to smack 'em with the big wooden spoon. :p

I've never been to the "HeavensGames" forums, though. :o

[sitearm]

Another "point to ponder" while you vote in the poll!

How Many Online? (http://www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online/index.html)

The art of estimating how many are online throughout the world is an inexact one at best. Surveys abound, using all sorts of measurement parameters. However, from observing many of the published surveys over the last two years, here is an "educated guess" as to how many are online worldwide as of September 2002.

Europe............190.91 million
Asia/Pacific......187.24 million
Canada & USA..182.67 million
Latin America.....33.35 million
Africa.................6.31 million
Middle East..........5.12 million

World Total......605.60 million

[Schmophit]

Thats alot of people :D

[prof786]

when i got my laptop and i heard of the c4 announcement.
now i crave to become king of the posting food chain.
WATCH OUT KEITH!!!

[prof786]

phil,
you know my posts aren't worthless.
maybe this one is, but the point is that i'm not talking about 10 gold stars in the c4 thread "you can't please everybody."
oh and i'll try be the king of the letter P too.
sorry phil. sorry pecunia.

[angelisis]

plus i'm the king around here and don't no one forget it! :p

[Thucydides]

plus i'm the king around here and don't no one forget it! :p

Surely Queen??? ;)

[Thucydides]

PS: Another note Prof, Not so much in quantity, but do take note of how much activity Thucydides has added. You're nowhere close to keeping up with him right now :eek: !!!


Why thank you Phil. I do hope my posts are more heavily weighted on the quality side rather than quantity... although I must admit I am enjoying the intellectual play of thinking of Caesar IV in abstraction. :)

[Thucydides]

Aside from your "jokes" and humorour posts (as the one before your last one here), I have been watching and you do have much to offer. The thanks aren't necessary, just keep doing as you are :D !!! Just don't go "astray" from the topics and you do fine :cool: !!!

Sincerely,
Phil




smile... everyone likes a joke Phil ;)

[sitearm]

* hah! *

Keeping a thread "on topic" is like herding cats:

. Sometimes the thread goes the way you hoped ("on topic").
. Sometimes it takes off in a whole new direction ("threadjacked").

. Sometimes the thread leaves the topic permanently.
. Sometimes it comes back "close" with a whole new twist.

. Some threads hold steady interest for days and weeks before halting.
. Some threads die off after a short while.
. Some die off only to be revived again ("bumped") by someone searching the forums and finding the thread of interest.

. Members bring energy and knowledge.
. All can go "giddy" at times, adding fun.
. All can influence the "spirit" of the forum, adding value.

I do think there is a coherent dynamic underlying all this. But it is less a "manage and control" and more of a "participate and influence" dynamic.

So, (hopefully) back to topic!

[Thucydides]

Oh, well put Sitearm!

[angelisis]

However, they SHOULD stay close "to topic". Catch my drift? :rolleyes:

There are so many that dont do this it does get annoying afterall. That's what the "Outside World" is for. NON-relavent jokes and info.






I have seen threads go haywire in the outside world forum to phil....... and I can be king if I wanna....it is 2005 you know :D

[Thucydides]

My eye has just gone berzerk :eek: !!! So, hold those thoughts until I can get back to you.


I hope your eye gets better quickly Phil.

Keeping on-thread may be desirable, but we must also recognise that human conversation naturally meanders. Perhaps the best way to take a thread back to topic (rather than complain) is to make some substantive comments about the topic that lead the conversation back to where it came from.

[prof786]

phil,
what i said back then, about being the "king" and all, it was just mild humor. nothing more.

because i know too that keith is a moderator at many forums. that's his job. so i know that i'll never be able to post like him. he's keith. he's the man.

and as for thucydides, he's cool. i acknowldege that he's very knowldegable and devoted about roman history. and that's cool.

i try my best, like everyone, to contribute whatever i can to c4. i guess we all do. which is why we post.

phil, you take things a bit seriously. chill out. but you're still cool.

okay, you know what, everyone is cool.

[prof786]

And Now Back To The Topic Of Forum Usage.

[Thucydides]

Yes, even now I'm restating what a forum should be used for so to answer your last reply Thucydides, I AM doing as you think is how to do it as I agree :D !!! All for now (while all who read this say "thank God" :D )!!!

Sincerely,
Phil


Laughing... fair cop Gov. Thanks Phil for the good riposte and now I shall promise to stay ontopic ;)

[angelisis]

who cares? have fun


from KING angelisis KING KING KING KING.

[MAX-1]

who cares? have fun


from KING angelisis KING KING KING KING.

Hummz,

Your title calls you a Lumi. :p :o :p

And I, your commander. :eek: :eek: :eek:

[sitearm]

Results to date:

Of 27 voting so far in this poll, the summarized selections are shown below.

Comments on results? Any things confirmed? Any surprises?

There is still time to vote.

How long have you been using game forums?
within last 2 years...................30%
2 years to within last 5 years....40%
5 years or more......................30%

[Keith]

I've been visiting gaming message boards regularly since my early days on Prodigy as far back as 1989 where I primarilly hung out in messageboard about "Their Finest Hour Battle of Britain" and "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe" by the (then) LucasArts (later) LucasFilms. In fact, when Prodigy wanted to start charging for access to these boards, is the primary reason I dumped them and went elsewhere and after 2 years I wound up on AOL, where I remain. Since then messageboards like this one have sprung up all over the internet making for a wide selection of places to visit.

I even visited a few very early boards prior to that in the mid-80s when Compuserve first came online and my store had a free account.

[sitearm]

* talks to self *

Excellent question!

Things confirmed:
. Many people have been using game forums a long time (5 years or more)

Surprises:
. Many people have just started using game forums (within last 2 years)

Questions for thought:
. Where are the newer game forumers coming from, in terms of skills and knowledge, culture, and age?

Comments on results? Any things confirmed? Any surprises?

[angelisis]

* talks to self *

Questions for thought:
. Where are the newer game forumers coming from, in terms of skills and knowledge, culture, and age?


maybe I should find that poll I did last year and give it a boot again....would anwser the age thingy.

[angelisis]

Compuserve first came online and my store had a free account.


funny you mention Compuserve, there is a great literary forum run through them that has boasted some great talent.





Hummz,
And I, your commander. :eek: :eek: :eek:
http://bestsmileys.com/wedding/7.gif :p

[Caesar Alan]

I started out with C3, not long before Pharaoh arrived, and have mainly been active in the citybuilding forums since then. I drop by various other forums from time to time, but it's always the convivial (and, dare I say it, civilised) atmosphere of places like here that brings me back.