it occured to me that following the role call's revelation of how many lurkers we've got, and the fact that we've seen some new members show up in recent weeks, that perhaps a small survey in the introduction forum could be useful.

i was thinking just a few questions, mainly the following:

1) How did you learn about our site?

2) What encouraged you to register here?

3) If you normally only lurk, is there anything we could do to encourage you to post more?

stuff like that... the first question's the one i'm most interested in, actually, but the others are worth finding out about. any opinions?

Interesting. Makes us sound a bit like a commercial entity, but interesting nonetheless. I'm not sure that the true lurker can be encouraged to post. Their purposes in following a messageboard may be different.

well, i'm really just keen to find out how people are learning about us.

In a way it's a good idea, but then I don't know whether a lurker or people would want to post them on a public forum.

It might be a nice idea to add the first two questions to the registration process, as voluntary fields, obviously the third is moot as they aren't really lurkers when they join, although I guess they could have been.

I vote we do Fox News type questions.

1) How did you learn about our popular, top-rated and exciting site?

2) Were you encouraged to register by the amazing games, up-to-date news and guaranteed satisfaction that the Unseen Terry Pratchett Message Board has to offer?

3) Would you say that the Unseen Terry Pratchett Message Board is a helpful, informative and dynamic community unrivalled by the lesser entities to be found elsewhere on the internet?

Heh. But does anyone actually read or watch Foxpaganda? (Which sounds like a strange hybrid breed available as a PC in an imported Japanese video game.)

I assume that a negative answer to CJ's 2 or 3 would result in an instant declined application, with a follow-up questionnaire with tips on how to improve their powers of perception?

Lol!

Seriously, maybe it would be a better idea to send the survey out by mail or clacks ? or post it and invite people to respond by mp if they don't want to post the answer directly... I must admit I'm pretty curious about our lurking side of the moon, but then I have problems understanding how other people manage not to talk all the time. Can't think why.

I think either would work, although being lurkers they might find an optional thread less intrusive than a list of questions in their inbox. It depends how far we can prod before they feel it contradicts their comfy status as a lurker and cancels them out, therefore ceasing their existence and rendering all this discussion utterly, utterly moot.

It's weird talking about them like some ghostly entity. And I don't know why I've suddenly got this impression that they're all hypersensitive and will flee and hide like...like elusive fairies. Or something.

Even weirder is that we're having this discussion about how to probe these people for answers when they could be watching us right now. I don't know whether to wave or scream. Perhaps both.

Bloody Perverts.

Muahahahaha !!!! Fear us, for you know not who we are, nor when or how we see wether you've been good or bad. For all you know, we could be Santa's helpers, and you just might end up on the naughty list if you upset us.