What Proportion of Residents use the Forums?

Several times over the past week have mentioned something in the forums to people I have contact with in SL, both socially and on a business level. Not one knew anything about the forums.

When I came to think about it, I cannot remember the last time I spoke to anyone in SL about the forums, and found they knew what I was talking about.

Are there any stats to show what proportion of SLers use the forums, read the blogs, etc?

Rock

My guess based on other online worlds (and I have no reason to think that SL is very much different) is that less than half read the forums, and less than 25% read them regularly. It could be an even smaller number. It seems surprising to people who read the forums a lot and who see the link between the forums and the virtual world, but it does seem that a lot of people who enjoy participating in online worlds nevertheless do not like reading or posting in forums.

A very low percentage.

On the Up side - a higher ratio of business owners are forums users than the standard population.

just look at the thread views count and you do have your answer ...

I read them just to get annoyed.
Then I start arguing.
Then I get ignored.
Then I think no one loves me.
So THEN I read the forums ...

As was said most game companies put up official forums, but few people actually use them, most consider them nothing more than a place a select few can come and whine about things, years ago when I played Sims Online a official EA rep said in the forum in response to legit complaints of, slow updates, lack of promised objects and other problems, "Less than 5% that play read or use the forums, so we don't really care what is posted here" that is not an exact quote, but pretty much what she said in a nutshell.

Probably a lower percentage in this 'game' than others as you can't even access it to read without having payment info on file. The link to it is also hidden away in our account pages as opposed to the main login area.

oh wow, a forum! hmm where did those posts come from?

not many read it and as said, most users are prolly business ppl, but there are idiots aswell who think the server lags due to ascii code...

the few that i`ve even had to tell them there was a forums, looked and didn`t bother with the whining, also advertising on it is pritty useless as even less ppl read outside of general spam

just amusing and kill some time, some good threads once in awhile and alot info can be found when searching, but that isn`t for all those lazy ppl who don`t bother and will remain clueless about most stuff

I always look for the forum first, with any game I play. It makes things easier, and you can lurk and learn a lot, and don't even have to ask questions sometimes. I bet there are a lot of lurkers, but only the administrator can look at IP's to see the actual percentages. But why do they care?

I broke my rule. I wasn't going to post, but I can't help it. I like to talk.

A percent of the Concurrent Resident population? (ie the 35k or so online regularly)

Probably around 1% Maybe 2% if you push it.

About the same that read the Blog.

~Jessy

I check in here to the forums several times a day and have learned a lot from it. My roommate is also in SL but has never once looked at the forums....at least 4 or 5 times a week we'll have a conversation that will start with her asking "I wonder why this happens..." pertaining to SL, and my answer is "Well on the forums they said this....".

I'm glad the forums are here, I'd feel in the dark about a lot of things if they weren't, considering the blog is pretty vague. I think theres a lot of people who don't even read the blog either, I know my roommate has only glanced at it once or twice.

I mainly read the forum when the grid is wacked (like now) and who doesnt use the forum? well.. I guess LL doesn't use it themself very much so why would you expect average joe to use it?

Whats a forum?

*giggles*

On almost all online games/worlds, forum users are a very small percentage of the playerbase. Most mmo's report only 5-10% of players comment actively on their boards.

Right, and I suspect MMOs have a higher percentage of forum readers than we do, since on MMOs you'll always have people discussing how to best min/max their builds. Or how to interpret the latest change to their powers, or who's been nerfed, etc!

Here? I would be surprised if even 1% of active players read the forums regularly. When there are big grid-stopping problems, I suppose it might spike up a little to include more of the people who know the forums exist.

Of course, 83% of all statistics are made up on the spot...

yes, but how many of those people that are not aware of the forums can find it when they have something to complain about?
Which they probably would have known about if they had been reading the forums.

Not enough

teee heeeee

forums are never truly representative of what the majority of the community things/feels about stuff. Take what you read with a grain of salt. Most online communities like sl or mmorpg's a very small percentage use the forums 10% or less. I think with SL maybe 5% actualy uses the forums in SL if that.

I dont know how many people who were trying to learn how to make stuff that I have pointed to the sl forums on building or textures etc to have them say they didn't even know that sl had any forums. Some of those people had accounts that were 6 months old or longer.

I have mixed feelings about forums. Often they give me a lot of information that would have been very difficult to otherwise find. They can open me to new ways to approach a game, and encouraged me to try things I would not otherwise have tried. Because I like to write, they also give me a small outlet for expressing myself.

However, they can be a little similar to public places. Just like colds and flu, attitudes can be "contagious". Forums that are healthy and happy, tend to spread that attitude even to members that are not. I've gone into forums before that were mean cranky places, often hostile and sarcastic to newcomers, and based on changing membership over the years, and the attitude of its most outspoken members, seen them literally blossom into a warm open helpful place. The reverse can be true as well.

Frustrations and anger about serious problems in a game can really fester in a forum. Members who were only mildly upset about an issue, can become obsessively fixated on issues and "pick up" new frustrations from others. It's like picking at a scab, where they know it doesn't make them feel any better but they just can't stop.

In some games, I have advised newer players NOT to frequent forums until they are fairly well established in a game. While forums often are a huge wealth of information, often information that can really help a new person, they also have a potential to completely transform your *feelings* for a game, sometimes to the better, and sometimes just ... to the bitter.

Every member of a forum is like a cell in an organism and helps define that forum. Frustrations can easily spread at times and put the entire organism at risk. But members can also heal the group, too. I've seen that happen more than once, where a few people literally transformed the "style" of a forum, especially ones that are highly committed to making it a helpful open source of information, welcoming to new members and above all, patient at working for changes.

As said, only a small fraction of people really use forums. It can be very easy to think that a prevailing point of view on a forum, expresses its membership. Almost always however that is not the case. It is a tiny select minority, who usually influence each other far more than they influence or represent the game itself.

Well in the building/scripts/textures/animation section I imagine it's people seeking help and people dispensing help.


Everywhere else though, it seems to be just the people who REALLY like to bitch, moan, gripe, complain, and whine.

I'm including myself in that (for I foresaw the flames)

I must admit, only a small proportion of me uses the forums, but I like to think of that as a very important part. The part this is NOT brenda.

Probably a smaller percentage than those who decide to vote in a US election.

I vote everytime. But I'm in the mother of all red states(Texas), so there is not much I Can do.

*grin* And I imagine your SL forum-using experience might be just as frustrating.