Ah, one of my favorite subjects.
Good membership is not something that can be tied to any number. Someone with a high post count could be a good member, or could just spam the board with one-word answers and emoticons. Someone with a low count could be a lurker who only speaks when he or she has something important to say. I like to think myself as the later.
Ultimately, I think that a good member is not unlike a good neighbor. The good neighbor has a sense of community. He is there to help you when you need it. He is respectful of your boundaries and property. He is respectful of the local authority, and most of all, he is a good friend. He sees the neighborhood as more than a collection of buildings in a district, but a home; a place to care for and improve.
There are some people who would call numbers a good indicator of the quality of membership. The underlying philosphy is that their posts and threads draw a lot of attention, thus increasing readership. Of course, that is akin to automobile accidents. People will certainly gawk at a car wreck, thus garnering much attention, but should we really encourage people to drive recklessly in an effort to keep the populace entertained? The above emphasis on community would indicate this to be a very poor idea.
Steve and Jim are, indeed, excellent examples of good membership. They have, and continue to contribute to the primary purpose of SubSim: The enjoyment of Submarine and Naval Simulations. Beyond that, they are just really good guys, and using the criteria above, I would absolutely not object to having them as neighbors.
EDIT: Nice sig, Archlight.
|