"1% of users participate a lot and account for most contributions: it can seem as if they don't have lives because they often post just minutes after whatever event they're commenting on occurs. "
oh.

I feel guilty about being gobby - but ...

Everyone that wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night (and vice versa) has got a life. I remember the net when it consisted mainly of text files. It has to be better than watching television. An individual may post on one board and lurk a couple of others - it comes down to confidence, perhaps. Think of the Parisian cafes of seventy, eighty, years ago.

The site weblogs will show how many access the site every day, on average, and every month. The proportion of posters to loggers could be calculated from that. Many sites show the handles of who's logged in at any one time - some just show how many. What matters is the quality of the discussion, whether it is 'creative' or just gas (IMO).

I didn't real the full article but here's a small comment on its main findings. We have this http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/contributors/ for tracking contributions, though it doesn't reflect the amount of times a person contributes to the forums. This thing about 1%ers not having a life is kak. Since starting to contribute here I have gained: 1. A bit of fitness due to all that walking. 2. An appreciation of my country and its history. 3. The pleasure of a creative presence on the web. 4. A mild obsession with stones (some of my friends believe its total). 5. A hole in my pocket. 6. The beginnings of a bit more tolerance... and a lote more besides.
I guess what I'm trying to say is let lurkers lurk and cut down on the navel gazing. I love this whole thang and I love TMA.

Andy