Out of boredom

[Razorfeld]

While waiting for some email from errant friends, being of weird curiosity, I decided to check the membership pages and look at all the members that used razor in their forum name. A lot of us razor types and one thing very quickly became apparent. I would estimate that about 75% of all members whose name starts with razor are no longer active. In many cases a join date and one post and then silence. Followed by an early join date and then a post or two spaced over the last five years. Anybody want to comment on the foibles of human nature and how we seek info and carry through or not carry through?

[crouton976]

Just a guess here, but I bet a lot of them found answers they didn't want to hear, i.e. a more involved (not complicated) shaving routine.

That, or the novelty wore off?

I dunno... For me, I enjoy not only the shaves, but the hobby aspect as well as the camaraderie around here. We have some of the wittiest, intelligent and skilled folks here. SWMBO tends to give me this look when I start saying "Yeah, one of the guys on SRP was saying the other day...", like I'm acting as though I just had a conversation with a character from a book instead of a real person.

Little does she realize that I much prefer the conversation here than when I talk to characters from books...

[Razorfeld]

Talking to my son about the SRP forum, his first, immediate and forceful reaction, even before I could finish my statement was, "Those forums are all filled with people who just want to cause trouble and mess with you." Of course, that's the clean version of what he said. I am slowly convincing him that not all forums are like the ones he has participated in (and no longer) and that there is a forum that is mindful of what is being said in it's posts and acts accordingly.

crouton976, I think you are right on saying " answers they didn't want to hear". Also, nothing wrong in having conversations with book characters as long as you stop short of wearing aluminum hats at their suggestions. But, yes, SRP interchanges are everything you said they are, at times witty, intelligent and filled with skills info in any combination of the three you can think of.

[Ryan82]

Something else to consider is that some people probably have no desire to be part of a forum. This is a live community but at the same time it's a huge resource with all the information on straight razor shaving you'd ever need. Some will read all they can, take that info and move on. There are likely many out there that have started the journey by lurking only without even registering on SRP.

[roughkype]

What we experience as camaraderie may appear to some people as smugness, personality cult, insularity, or other negative that's potential in social groups that share such a tight focus. None of those things feels especially welcoming. It could just depend on what threads a newcomer got into, who else was in those threads at the time. Maybe they came into a thread where a troll was stirring things up. Or, gods forbid, got themselves involved in a discussion over taping or the HHT and fled screaming.

[earcutter]

Well it stands to reason that on a razor forum, most names with something "razor" would be taken first. As in most things, interest dissipates, hence the seemingly faster "quit" rates.

I bet a little regression would show there is nothing magic in the term razor in a name and drop off rates.

Sounds like a fun excel project.

[tedh75]

SWMBO tends to give me this look when I start saying "Yeah, one of the guys on SRP was saying the other day..."

I am also the recipient of some questionable looks when I mention the forum. And she also likes to mention it to everyone we know. Not that I'm embarrassed but it's clear she thinks it's pretty goofy.

[mrsell63]

There sure is a lot of human nature to be found on any forum. This reminds me of some advice my mother gave me when I was two days old. She said, "a little courtesy goes a long way on any day". To borrow another quote, "have fun".

[Ryan82]

Wow David, as the title infers, you MUST be bored today

[earcutter]

Wow David, as the title infers, you MUST be bored today

I so am... Thanks for noticing lol!!

Stuck at home with two sick kids who don't think they are sick... sigh!

Edit - they are killing me!!