Most visitors [Archive] - The Border: An Eagles Message Board

Eve

12-19-2010, 02:39 PM

How many were members and how many were guests?

I always find it interesting to see how many visitors are on line. Many were probably spiders. There are not all that many active posters here unless all the people that have registered years ago and have never posted decided to show up all at once.

whitcap

12-19-2010, 03:09 PM

I think its an interesting fact TG :)

It was probably mostly guests. The most users I've seen online lately was 15 or 20 but I don't know about yesterday cause I wasn't on when the record was set (1:05 pm my time).

Ive always been a dreamer

12-19-2010, 05:10 PM

I’m guessing that many of those users were indeed web crawlers, spiders, or bots (web robots) as I call them. It is a very common thing for bots to visit message boards. This is how search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo gather data with regard to internet activity and analyze it to rank websites. Even though it’s not an accurate reflection of how many humans users were online, it is a reflection of the board’s activity level in that the more active the board is, the more bots are likely to visit. In other words, if you don’t have bots visiting your board then it probably means your site isn’t getting a lot of activity. So, at least in that respect, I think it’s kinda cool.

Right now, as happens every year, the board is pretty slow because of the holiday season and most people are just too busy to visit or post. Speaking for myself, I have been trying to pop in periodically each day, but my time here has been very limited. It's too bad when, to paraphrase Don, the world gets in my way and interferes with my board time. :wink: :grin:

GlennLover

12-19-2010, 05:39 PM

I find it interesting too! Glad that the Border gets so many hits, a lot of them have to be human! I often check out that statistic when I sign in.

I lurked for about a year & finally joined when it was announced that the Eagles were coming to a city that was close. I didn't think that I had enough knowledge of the band, but I decided that point time was a good time to register as I wanted to discuss my experience & could see that the regulars were very friendly. I'm sooo glad that I did & gained such wonderful cyber-friends!

MikeA

12-19-2010, 05:49 PM

Hmmm, I joined and immediately displayed the classic characteristics of a Ratchet Jaw! Kinda spooky thinking that there are thousands reading the drivel I sometimes post <LOL>

sodascouts

12-19-2010, 08:00 PM

Yep, most of those are web crawlers for search engines. We get crawled a lot due to the fact that we have new substantive posts on here pretty much every day. Such crawling gives the board a better position in the results when someone is doing a search, so it's not only a result of our activity, it helps increase our visibility.

It's hard to say precisely how many of our visitors are human, but I once read a statistic that 90% of the people who read message boards never post nor join. It's just the nature of internet communities. I think we are typical in that regard.

Speaking for myself, I didn't become a regular message board user until 2001 when I joined the Fleetwood Mac forum called The Ledge (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net). I had been a big Fleetwood Mac fan since 1998 and had read the message board for a while, but I was nervous about doing something wrong, so I hesitated to join. I didn't register to be a member until Stevie Nicks started her 2001 tour and I wanted to ask about shows. It didn't take me long to get used to the water, though! A year later I started my own FM board and was regularly posting on both, plus posting on a couple other Mac boards to boot (posting on multiple boards is commonplace in the Fleetwood Mac fan community - as a result, several boards thrive). Then, of course, I created my Eagles board in 2005, and here we are!

Freypower

12-19-2010, 10:43 PM

The thing with message boards is you don't always know how you will fit in. I joined the Mark Knopfler board a couple of years back & I found the knowledge of the members very impressive, but also very intimidating. They could tell when he played a different note in a different song on any given night. They had been to many, many more shows than I have (I saw him twice with Dire Straits & have only seen him once on his own). I felt that much as I love that man I didn't belong there. I keep meaning to have a look at it again & try again. Here, however, I do fit in because although we have our technical experts to whom I bow my head in awe (they know who they are), we are more of an unashamed 'fan' site.

AzEaglesFan

12-20-2010, 01:59 AM

I have G Mail that I only use to get Google alerts. I am surprised how many time Eagles Online and The Border show up as sites that have posted something that Google thinks I would be interested in reading. Some of the people that show up here may see something on a Google alert that they want to find out more about. I think that is how I found Eagles Online and that lead me here. That was a great day and I'm so glad that I found The Border.

TimothyBFan

12-20-2010, 10:29 AM

Now I thought this was a very interesting topic and I learned something. I had never heard of spiders or bots! Now I know.

I also was a lurker but instantly felt at home once I joined. So glad I have and now it's almost an everyday activity for me to check in a few times a day.

I know what you mean FP. My Sweet board is somewhat like that. They are all pretty friendly but they are so knowledgeable and I've learned a lot from them but I'm a bit intimidated at times.

MikeA

12-20-2010, 10:43 AM

Intimidation has never stopped me, thank God. You guys amaze me. I mean I've been an Eagles and Walsh follower since it all started, but I'm not one to pay much attention to lyrics. The things I've learned about the songs and their backgrounds from you all is beyond belief <LOL>

I tend to more "enjoy" music than analyze it though I have absolutely no animosity towards anyone who does get into meanings...someone has to do it and I'm glad I am the beneficiary of your efforts. If you didn't do it, I probably never have a clue! <LOL>

Brooke

12-20-2010, 04:57 PM

Yeah, I think it's interesting, too. I know I'm always trying to figure out who has their identity turned off! Not that it really matters! And I didn't know what the spiders or bots were either.

Troubadour

12-20-2010, 06:58 PM

I only post regularly on one other forum, and I've been there for years. It's nothing to do with the Eagles - it's more just a general chat/discussion forum - but throughout the years, the community has moved boards, been renamed, and groups have broken off into their own little cliques. I still enjoy it, but mainly for the few good friends I have made... It's so different to The Border in so many ways. You wouldn't BELIEVE the drama that has gone on there! I'll admit, I often find it quite entertaining, but I never really get involved. I find it hard to get seriously worked up over something someone said on the internet.

This is another reason I appreciate The Border SO much. You're genuinely all such lovely people. I can't imagine it getting to the backstabbing/cliquey stage that my other board has.

MikeA

12-20-2010, 09:15 PM

The way I see it Lou is that here on the Border, there are just two cliques.

#1. The ones who post
#2. The ones who don't

Now, there may be cliques here...but if so, they haven't invited me to join them. I probably would because I am extremely paranoid. I wonder who belongs to those cliques? And why haven't I been invited? I wonder what they are saying about me? But that's okay I guess. I'll just continue to look over my shoulder as I type and wonder how many eyeballs are turning. But I'd really like to be in a clique. It sounds like a lot of fun!

Hey Austin....you wanna start a clique? We could sneak over to my private forum and plot and plan how we are going to do something. "What" you ask? I really don't know because that is the good thing about a clique....if you aren't diabolical enough, maybe someone else is. When we decide who is contra-clique, we can plot against them. We can rewire pickkups and turn truss rods and do other antisocial things and really make them feel bad. I'll rename my forum "South of the Border".

On second thought, Let's just start a clique that is for anyone who wants to be in a clique. We can decide that which will be our focus once we get all the posters here to join. But WAIT.....isn't that what we have here? A clique of people who kinda get off on the Eagles!

Whew....THAT's a load off my mind! :heart:

Oh, and by the way, I just took my meds.

tequila girl

12-20-2010, 09:20 PM

Mike, I guess you're right, we are a clique here.....but clique's within cliques aren't good! lol

Troubadour

12-20-2010, 09:33 PM

Mike - thanks for the chuckle! Were you ON my other board? You have just summed up perfectly the ridiculous nature of forum drama. That is pretty much exactly how it all went down. I always felt oblivious because I had no clue why certain people were p*ssed off or what so-and-so had done wrong. These cliques seemed to form out of nowhere.

Your spin-off board, "South Of The Border", cracked me up. Totally what some disgruntled former members of a board would do. :lol:

sodascouts

12-21-2010, 01:09 AM

Well, it's inevitable that you will have board drama to some degree. No matter how easy-going a group of people is, there are always going to be things one can get pissed off about. When more than one person gets pissed off about the same thing, they tend to commiserate, and so you have the makings of a clique. The Border is not immune.

I think what differentiates The Border from a lot of other boards is that most folks here just genuinely like one another. That allows us to shrug off minor differences instead of making them into huge deals. In that regard, we are very lucky.

Troubadour

12-21-2010, 05:09 AM

Well, exactly - I think The Border has a strong core. (This was never the case on my other forum.) I didn't mean to make it sound like The Border was 'immune' from drama... but I would be very, very surprised if it ever turned into the mess that this other board has! I think, as you said, there's just a strong core of people here that genuinely care for each other.

TimothyBFan

12-21-2010, 08:57 AM

If Mike starts a clique, I'm starting my own that's only for "Freckle counters"!! And Mike and Austin are not invited! http://bestsmileys.com/signs11/17.gif

MikeA

12-21-2010, 09:31 AM

See, now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout: Biased, totally biased! Pretty soon you'll have threads that are locked down for none other than those in that clique! It's discrimination I'm tellin' ya!

I'm about ready to pull up my pants and go home!

Brooke

12-21-2010, 11:14 AM

Just reading this thread I'm :rofl:

Willie, I want in on the freckle counting clique! :wave:

TimothyBFan

12-21-2010, 01:31 PM

Just reading this thread I'm :rofl:

Willie, I want in on the freckle counting clique! :wave:

Sure Brooke---all the COOL people are joining!!

Hey Mike--got my first clique member, how about you? http://bestsmileys.com/signs15/1.gif :hilarious:

Prettymaid

12-21-2010, 01:43 PM

And I'm starting a clique for members who really like blonde Eagles! :thumbsup: Who's in?

ticky

12-21-2010, 02:59 PM

And I'm starting a clique for members who really like blonde Eagles! :thumbsup: Who's in?

OO me!!.. well.. cant I be in ALL the cliques?? Im diverse...

MikeA

12-21-2010, 03:27 PM

"Freckle Counting" <???>

I tried that once with one of the photos posted here and I never got past a half dozen and wasn't sure all of those were actually Freclkes. That's way to high a level of mathematics for me! I just wouldn't understand it. Yesh, I feel snobbed already!

Freypower

12-21-2010, 05:25 PM

Mike, if I posted a photo of myself I can assure you there are lots of freckles. I don't think you meant that though....

In the tradition of Life Of Brian's People's Front of Judea/Judean People's Front/Campaign For Free Galilee not to mention the gourd/shoe/sandal brigade my clique is only for people who like Eagles who tell a lot of jokes. Or founded the band. Or have dark hair. Or...

Brooke

12-21-2010, 05:26 PM

Ticky, your av and sig are fabulous! :thumbsup:

Carry on! lol

ticky

12-21-2010, 05:44 PM

Thanks! I thought it was about time to get my Merry on! *G*

Ive always been a dreamer

12-21-2010, 09:08 PM

Well geez - I wanna be in all the cliques ... not that I'm a kiss up or anything like that! :wink: :grin:

And for the record, I agree that we are lucky that the Border has remained mostly drama-free so far. I believe our TOS and Netiquette Guidelines really have helped us maintain a respectful and fun environment for the most part, although there are always going to be occasional challenges. This place may not be to everyone's liking, but I would personally much rather have a pleasant, easy-going community like we have here than one with lots of turmoil. Thank you very much, but I already have enough stress in my life - so when I come here, I want to have fun!!! :thumbsup:

Peekaboo

12-21-2010, 09:30 PM

I'd just like to say I LOVE THIS PLACE and the people that are apart of it. No one else in my life completely understands my love of the Eagles. You all totally get it and I thank you for that. :grouphug:

Btw, I like to freckle count. Can I be in your clique, Willie? :D

PM, I was crushing on a certain blond Eagle over the summer. Does that count? Lou can back me up on that because I told her all about it. Can I be in your clique too? :)

MikeA

12-21-2010, 09:42 PM

Now we've had LOTS of good fights here Dreamer! Hot ones too! But you know what...they were fights about the subject matter of the discussion and NOT about the participants.

With this many active posters on the Forum...that is saying a LOT about the level of acceptance between members here. We are a very diversified crew too. From all over the world. From all ages. But I think we all have more in common than we have in opposition!

We might have a few bumps along the way, but we seem to be a pretty supportive group. I like that.

GlennLover

12-21-2010, 09:48 PM

I think we're a pretty great bunch here! BTW, I'm in on the freckle counting clique & the one with the brown haired, joke telling Eagle!

Peekaboo

12-21-2010, 09:57 PM

I forgot to add that I like jokes too and dark hair. And those guys that started the band are pretty darn cool too. FP, I'd like to join your clique too. :grin:

Ive always been a dreamer

12-22-2010, 11:49 PM

MikeA

12-23-2010, 09:20 AM

Very well said, Mike. ITA!

(So now can I be in your clique? :wink: :wink: )

Sure....but you gotta be a guitar-geek and talk all sorts of babble that you pretend to understand while looking down you nose at anyone else who doesn't understand it or pretends that they do understand it and ESPECIALLY those who do understand it and recognize is as babble.

For instance, not a word about guitars in that previous sentence and I don't even understand it. Use it as a model while posting to fellow clique members.

Ive always been a dreamer

12-26-2010, 09:25 PM

Well - looks like the bots have had a very busy holiday season so far. Five days after setting a records for the most visitors to this site, that was surpassed on Christmas Eve - now the most visitors ever to the site stands at 545! :thumbsup:

Sure....but you gotta be a guitar-geek and talk all sorts of babble that you pretend to understand while looking down you nose at anyone else who doesn't understand it or pretends that they do understand it and ESPECIALLY those who do understand it and recognize is as babble.

For instance, not a word about guitars in that previous sentence and I don't even understand it. Use it as a model while posting to fellow clique members.

And wow Mike - err sure I can do all that ... umm - no problem! Anything to be in a clique. :wink: :wink: