Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Legion World HOT 100 of the Month -- 2012 edition

I wasn't saying that your numbers were off WW...just that it felt like I had done more. Probably because I posted several times under some of my alt ID's and such.

^OK.

Posting can be somewhat deceptive. Even at 62 posts, I posted more than I thought I did. It's been a hectic month . . . and for much of it I've had internet access trouble, which, I hope is resolved now.

That explains the relative absence. Glad you're back now, though.

It's funny how sometimes I go on LW to take a break from work, and after running through some Spaceopoly threads I check the clock and realize an hour has passed!

Thanks. I really haven't gone anywhere, though, and it looks like I'm not the only one with a slow month. Here are some statistics I find interesting:

As noted on the chart, only 10 posters posted more than 100 times, and even those numbers are rather small compared to the usual output of some posters.

Here are how other posting ranges stack up:

90-99 posts: 1
80-89 posts: 4
70-79 posts: 3
60-69 posts: 3
50-59 posts: 1
40-49 posts: 2
30-39 posts: 5
20-29 posts: 3
10-19 posts: 4
3-9 posts: 7
2 posts: 5
1 post: 6
0 posts: 45

Almost half of the Hot 100 didn't post at all in September. Of those who did, the largest numbers posted once or twice.

The numbers don't get any better from # 101-150 (which is as far down as I track). In that range, only 13 posters posted at all, with the highest number of posts being 42, followed by 11 and then six or fewer.

On the plus side, these numbers represents contributions from 68 posters, give or take an alt ID or two.

(And, of course, some of those zero posters are alt IDs, as well.)

I haven't compared these statistics to those of previous months, but, is it just me, or does there seem to be a general decline in participation lately? I know posting tapers off during the summer, but it usually picks back up as we move into fall.

Been a busy Sept and lateAug for me. California travels, the new teem, and visiting friends. And just plain not feeling so enthusiastic about posting for a few weeks. Back to myself now, more or less.

Well, I'd do more, but it's been absolutely nuts round here lately. sorry.

Oh, I'm not pointing the finger at anyone. I know we've all got our own lives and priorities. It's just that the lack of participation--at least in the top 150--is something I've noticed for awhile and thought worth mentioning.

One thing that bugs me about doing the Hot 100 is that a lot of posters who haven't posted in years and are not likely to return are "immortalized" every month and taking up space from current posters who may be more active. I'm not sure what to do about this--I tried ranking just the currently active posters last year but there weren't enough to make the chart worthwhile. And I'm not sure anything needs to be done, but I wondered if anyone else noticed the same trend, or if I'm just being anal.

I don't see how you could possibly enjoy doing this at all if you weren't being anal, so why worry about it?

Now if non-posters being on the list bother you (and it does seem odd given the word Hot) I don't see why you couldn't have a 12-month cutoff after last post from a member. One post a year isn't too much to ask for staying in the Hot 100.

Or you could change this list to Highest Running Post Totals and make the Hot 100 a list of those with the highest total of posts for that month, which to me would better fit the term.

Oh, I'll gladly cop to enjoying it and being anal.

I've considered doing something along those lines, namely deleting the zero posters. (It would take too long to figure out who hasn't posted in a year or some other specified time frame; I've experimented with doing this on a month-by-month basis: no posts, no ranking.) But if all of the zero posters down to No. 150 are deleted, that would leave us with only 67 posters for October--far short of a Hot 100!

(Perhaps most of the active posters these days have posted less than the 450 or so posts necessary to reach No. 150 under the current system. I don't know; I figure I have to cut off my rankings somewhere.)

But, yes, I'm being anal. And I'm thinking out loud. Since no one else has commented, it's obviously not an issue for anyone else. Just ignore the ramblings of the strange man in the corner . . .

I don't mind having the inactive posters "stuck" on the list every month. I think Shining Son's suggestion is sound; maybe you can have just one thread but every month, post both the current list and another list which shows only the active posters per month. You use spreadsheets to track right? Maybe just extract the non-zero posters, rank by post count for the motnh, and post as a separate list?

I do share your concern that a large number of the list doesn't post actively, but perhaps this is out of scope for this particular thread

Actually, I don't use spreadsheets. Never have figured those out. I do it all on Word.

The idea of doing two lists has some merit.

It's more than just a poster on a "Hot" list not posting, but some of them actually having passed on makes the use of the word especially strange. Nevertheless having them there must be nice for some members who remember them.

In just under 500 more posts, I'll knock l.e.g.i.o.n.JOHN down one slot, and from there it'll be just one more slot till he's off the list, and I'll feel a little bad about that. Though I should be so lucky that my life is going so well at the time that THAT is my worst problem.

Of course some other two posters might squeeze him out before I get there. Maybe even some newcomers like Blaze blowing right by me.

It just occurred to me that the "TOP 200 LW POSTERS OF ALL TIME" list could preserve the accomplishments of those no longer with us for some time, while still giving current posters a lower bar to get onto the list.

Though it's far easier to suggest than to actually maintain an extended version of the current one, so I'll shut up now and stop trying to make more work for Huey.

I appreciate suggestions, SS, but you're right: a Hot 200 list would be extra work. Such a list would also have the same concern noted above, since many of those from # 151-200 no longer post.

The title "Hot 100" is, of course, borrowed from Billboard Magazine. The advantage of using it is that it instantly conveys what the LW chart is about. However, there are obvious differences between Billboard's pop chart and ours. The Billboard charts rank only current songs or albums whereas the LW chart reflects posting trends of all time. In a way, the LW system is a good thing as it acknowledges "lifetime" achievement (if posting on a message board can be considered an achievement); however, it does lead to inactive and deceased posters remaining "hot". Perhaps the title needs to be changed.

That's why I used "Top" instead of "Hot" for the All-Time title. No implication of current activity.

I think that was originally going to be the point, then I got myself off on a tangential distraction with the 200 concept.

Regarding the suggestions of having two separate lists (one that tracks total post counts, and another that tracks only the top posters for the month), would you be keeping both in the same thread or having separate threads for each?

I don't know yet. I actually kept two charts last year when I expanded the "Top 10 of the Month Club" into a larger list called "The Top 30" or some such. (After 30 positions, the number of postings gets smaller and there are a lot of ties, which makes the list less fun, in my opinion.) I kept the second list in the same thread.

With only two charts left for 2012, I'm going to hold off on making any major changes until next year. Don't let that stop anyone from making suggestions and offering opinions, though.

This is turning into quite an interesting discussion, HWW and SS I'm having fun.

I'd suggest keeping the two charts in the same thread, but post them in two separate posts? This way it's easier to compare. I agree that Top 30 of the month is a good number.

If you want to learn to use a spreadsheet I can try to walk you through it, but I'm not sure how we'll do that long distance it'll make it easier for you to generate both charts from the same file though.

HWW, a spreadsheet would be much easier. Do you already have Excel?

Actually, my system is quite easy to update. But thanks for the advice.

HOT 100 – November 1, 2012

Movers and Shakers:

Four posters move up the Top 40: cleome46 (7), Dev – Em (15), Drake B3004 (23), Power Boy (29)

Re-entering the Top 40: Candlelight (40)

Five additional posters move up the Hot 100: Legion Tracker (43), Jerry (64, up three), Leap Year Lord (76), Everyday Girl (90), Blaze (95)

Re-entering the Hot 100: Kid Charlemage (100)

Top Ten of the Month Club:

Invisible Brainiac—612, Eryk Davis Ester—534, Kent Shakespeare—286, Dev – Em—256, Power Boy—252, MLLASH—218, Legion Tracker—198, Leap Year Lord—161, Quislet, Esq.—136, Cobalt Kid—132

Posters with 100 posts or more (denoted by an asterisk):

11 (Top 40, up two from last month), 13 (Hot 100, up three from last month)

What the numbers on the left mean:
This Month-Last Month-Chart Appearances-Highest Position

1-1-61-1. Quislet, Esq.—37,284 (+136)*
2-2-61-1. Cobalt Kid—30,472 (+132)*
3-3-61-1. MLLASH—28,910 (+218)*
4-4-44-4. Kent Shakespeare—27,760 (+286)*
5-5-61-3. Eryk Davis Ester—27,076 (+534)*
6-6-46-6. Lard Lad—21,474 (+108)*
7-8-39-7. cleome46—19,036 (+128)*
8-7-61-7. He Who Wanders—19,023 (+107)*
9-9-61-1. Lightning Lad—17,930 (+0)
10-10-42-10. Rockhopper Lad—17,452 (+98)

11-11-61-6. Outdoor Miner—16,670 (+0)
12-12-61-5. Fat Cramer—13,413 (+1)
13-13-51-13. Invisible Brainiac—13,306 (+612)*
14-14-61-9. Pov—12,108 (+10)
15-16-33-15. Dev – Em—11,662 (+256)*
16-15-61-2. Vee—11,594 (+38)
17-17-61-14. Sketch Lad—10,307 (+0)
18-18-61-2. Stu—10,000 (+0)
19-19-61-11. Reboot—9952 (+64)
20-20-43-20. rickshaw1—9372 (+60)

21-21-44-7. Tempest—8898 (+0)
22-22-38-22. Fanfic Lady—8855 (+71)
23-24-61-3. Drake B3004—8704 (+12)
24-23-61-11. Nightcrawler—8700 (+0)
25-25-24-23. future king—8303 (+0)
26-26-42-22. Viridis Lament—8126 (+62)
27-27-57-4. Semi Transparent Fellow—7830 (+0)
28-28-55-18. Abin Quank—6901 (+2)
29-31-25-29. Power Boy—6438 (+252)*
30-29-53-8. Mattropolis—6384 (+0)

31-30-61-4. Kid Prime—6358 (+0)
32-32-46-14. Loser Lad—6153 (+0)
33-33-28-33. Set—5777 (+95)
34-34-49-17. Future—5574 (+78)
35-35-61-13. Spellbinder—5370 (+0)
36-36-45-11. superboymddjr—5368 (+5)
37-37-37-30. SharkLad—5212 (+54)
38-38-32-26. Tamper Lad—5082 (+0)
39-39-52-26. Faraway Lad—4942 (+0)
40-41-24-40. Candlelight—4914 (+10)

41-40-42-27. Ultra Jorge—4908 (+0)
42-42-24-42. lancesrealm—4842 (+1)
43-44-21-43. Legion Tracker—4824 (+198)*
44-43-43-29. Caliente—4730 (+0)
45-45-28-37. Sarcasm Kid—4616 (+36)
46-46-40-21. lil’rhino—4160 (+2)
47-47-24-47. Chaim Mattis Keller—4089 (+71)
48-48-24-48. Blacula—3956 (+16)
49-49-57-24. Blockade Boy—3933 (+35)
50-50-41-7. Thriftshop Debutante—3889 (+2)

51-51-30-33. Mystery Lad—3852 (+0)
52-52-61-19. Arachne—3758 (+0)
53-53-24-53. Exnihil—3726 (+109)*
54-54-41-36. Lad Boy—3586 (+0)
55-55-61-8. the boy with Ultra Powers—3529 (+0)
56-56-35-35. Yk—3495 (+0)
57-57-53-6. icefire—3458 (+0)
58-58-28-43. CJ Taylor—3455 (+0)
59-59-40-28. Harbinger—3393 (+29)
60-60-29-23. ferroboy—3355 (+0)

61-61-26-38. rtvu2—2964 (+1)
62-62-24-61. Ram Boy—2838 (+0)
63-63-25-40. Bevis—2813 (+0)
64-67-24-64. Jerry—2771 (+89)
65-64-24-64. KryptonKid—2746 (+0)
66-65-24-58. Arm Fall Off Boy—2736 (+0)
67-66-24-62. ActorLad—2701 (+1)
68-68-43-20. Portfolio Boy—2672 (+0)
69-69-24-60. Monkey Eater Lad—2662 (+0)
70-70-24-68. jimgallagher—2358 (+8)

71-71-37-16. matlock—2326 (+16)
72-72-24-72. profh0011—2152 (+12)
73-73-24-65. Kid Marvel—2130 (+0)
74-74-24-67. Matthew E—2088 (+0)
75-75-38-33. Suddenly Seymour—2079 (+1)
76-77-25-36. Leap Year Lord—2073 (+161)*
77-76-24-76. Dave Hackett—2012 (+40)
78-78-39-26. Omni Craig—1870 (+0)
79-79-24-73. Pariscub—1851 (+1)
80-80-24-75. Ghost of Numf El—1743 (+0)

81-81-24-76. Tromium—1683 (+0)
82-82-43-12. Sonnie—1646 (+0)
83-83-38-12. Star Boy—1616 (+0)
84-84-24-84. Novelty—1602 (+12)
85-85-12-85. Xben—1591 (+43)
86-86-33-28. minesurfer—1538 (+0)
87-87-34-34. Space Ranger—1532 (+1)
88-88-24-87. Malvolio—1524 (+19)
89-89-24-84. walkwithcrowds—1465 (+0)
90-92-24-86. Everyday Girl—1460 (+81)

91-90-24-85. Blue Battler—1441 (+0)
92-91-24-89. Doctor One—1403 (+0)
93-93-15-93. Emily Sivana—1361 (+20)
94-94-24-92. Kid Quislet—1302 (+1)
95-97-4-95. Blaze—1255 (+57)
96-95-24-90. doublechinner—1253 (+0)
97-96-24-88. PolarBoy—1232 (+0)
98-98-24-92. l.e.g.i.o.n.JOHN—1182 (+0)
99-99-24-94. Bicycle Repair Man—1102 (+6)
100-101-12-99. Kid Charlemagne—1062 (+4)

Sort of an odd question here, Huey - and you might not even know - but, in the time that you've been recording these, what is the record for greatest number of active posters on the list in a given month (that is to say, the fewest number of zero post posters)?

Good question, Ex. I'll have to check.

In the meantime, I'm working on something to cut out the "dead weight".

Jeepers! At this rate, I should overtake Quislet in a mere two years!

Just got to hold out for a few more weeks until 12/21/12 to make sure Eryk never beats me before the End of All Things!