This must be unique. Always more guests than members!

[John]

This should be a unique thing among forums sites.

Our site receives much more hits from guests, than from members. Whenever I check the site, I find that there are 7-10 guests for every member browsing the site.

Either we have a very busy members family, with no time left to browse this site, or a very large potential section of possible members, which for one reason or another, do not register.

I sure would like to contact those people, and find out.

[BrianNJ]

John,

I noticed that too. Some of these good people should sign up as members. I am sure they would have a lot of good stuff to add to the forum.

[bearandoldman]

John, Bear and I have noticed this also. Possibly because it is a forum where you are required to be a member to post. See on one particular forum for shotguns where anyone can post with a fake address, badmouthing, flaming, acting like a total jackass or maybe they are not acting, just a bunch of troublemakers who will only speak if they can hide. They will neve join a registered forum because then they could not hide in the weeds. That's what makes this such a good forum, maybe we are better off without them.
Have a great day and did the twins have a good birthday and Woooooooofie from Bear,

[Recon]

John:

The way I came to join this forum was by looking for a handgun topic using a search engine. I joined because I thought I might have a useful answer to a few of the threads I was reading as a guest and could forsee wanting to ask my own questions as well.

It might be interesting to conduct a poll, survey or thread on how forum members found the forum and why they joined as opposed to viewing as a guest. Maybe one of those methods would provide some of the feedback your looking for.

[mr Hotgun]

Our site receives much more hits from guests, than from members.

There are 2400 members but milions of websurfers ,I was first also a guest and looking at the different treads ,and after a month ,because i wanted i became a member
From the many guest the most hit this site by accidant and the rest is intressted in guns and a few from them become a member

[garrettwc]

I did an informal survey across some popular websites. It's lunch time here, which should be the busiest time early in the day.

1911Forum.com - 115 members, 170 guests
The Firing Line.com - 73 members, 314 guests
The High Road.org - 239 members, 440 guests

I don't think it's all that unique. It's sort of like seeing a show at a carnival. There is a core group that stands there for the whole show, and several more casual onlookers milling about that may or may not stay.

I had visited the site several times before, and knew it was here and what the content was. It was a casual conversation via PM between myself and 1911Tuner on another forum that ultimately got me to get involved.

Everyone's trigger is different. There are some forums that people rave about that I visit once and never go back. Different strokes for different follks I guess.

[santa]

I too was first a guest and then decided to join. I joined because this forum is unlike any other. On here we don't have the loudmouth know it alls, the flamers, the trolls, etc. We have good, decent, gentlemenly people on here. We owe a lot to John for setting the standard and keeping it there. Thanks for the forum John. And like someone else said, "Maybe we do not want some of those people here."

[LtlBear]

I recently joined because of the information available on this site. After reading several posts as a guest, I decided the members of this forum knew of what they speak. I decided to join and contribute and learn, which this forum is a great place to do just that. I think some guests are just looking for information and once they get it they move on.
Thanks John for being so dedicated.

[Mustang]

I was a guest for awhile before deciding to join. I observed how John ran this Forum and decided that I needed to be a full member in something this good. I like the discipline and manners that are displayed here. If you can't learn something almost every day on this Forum, you're probably incapable of learning.

[johnmac]

Hi John,
I found this forum while searching. I am trying to learn about .45s and it seems some of the memebers are very knowledgeable. I wanted to be able to ask questions and so joined. Also, as I learn I may be able to help others with my experiences.
Anyway, with as many surfers as there are out there, I suspect you will always have more visitors than members!
Thanks for the site!
John

[John]

Thank you all for the nice words. Let's hope that more and more visitors decide to join.

Kind rgds

[bearandoldman]

Thank you all for the nice words. Let's hope that more and more visitors decide to join.

Kind rgds

Hope to see more also, and the nice thing about a forum where you register as against an open one like shotgun sports, it keep the loudmouth jackasses from posting because they can not hide behind a fake address and we have moderators to keep people in line.

Wow, used spell check and had no misspelled words, Woooooofie. :)

[Recon]

The ratio of members vs guests must vary. Today for awhile there were 41 members and 41 guests on the site.

[ceh383]

Another possibility, guests may not be guests......
On a computer help forum I used to be an admin of that also used vBulletin, search engines looking for threads showed up as guests.

[John]

Another possibility, guests may not be guests......
On a computer help forum I used to be an admin of that also used vBulletin, search engines looking for threads showed up as guests.
Good point! I didn't think of that. Thanks!

[wichaka]

I've got a few friends that I've done 1911 work for, that cruise here every now & then. They haven't registered because they don't have anything to post about. I will get on them and try to have them register.

[dimitri]

I must admit, I was reluctant to join in the beginning as well. (something about commitment maybe??) With all the spam flowing around, I rarely give out my email address anymore. After reading many posts, I realized that this forum is a civilized and informed one, and I quickly decided to join.

By the way, I'm always a guest when I check out the forum on my fiancees laptop ...

On another note, I too was curious to see what percentage of people owned what make of 1911. It wasn't mandatory after all ..... but I digress.

John, many thanks on a forum and site that has helped many.

Dimitri

[jdboy]

They could be like me. When I check post at home I usually log in, but when I'm at work and only have a min. or two I just skip the log in and find what I'm looking for in the threads and posts.

[Hawkmoon]

They could be like me. When I check post at home I usually log in, but when I'm at work and only have a min. or two I just skip the log in and find what I'm looking for in the threads and posts.
You don't tell it to remember you?

Or would that get you in trouble with the sys admin at work?

[jdboy]

I use the remember me feature at home but at work it is voodoo. They are so anti-gun that anything containing the word gun is blocked. I have to remind myself every time I go to log off to clear my cookies, delete files and clear history in fear of losing my job. One of my friends (2guntom) was searched in the parking lot of the plant by local law enforcement because someone in upper management seen his website and said they felt threatened. www.2guntom.com

[wichaka]

We are rapidly approaching 5,000 members I see.

[Hunter]

Yes you cannot run your mouth on this forum without geeting into trouble. Trust me, but I am all better now.

[John]

I've read this guy's (2guntom) story. It's a pity that people can be so narrow-minded, as the management of that company is. Maybe 2guntom should post a "thumbs-down"? Or maybe that will get him into more trouble? If I remember right, he was fired from that company so, why not?

[welzr1]

I occasionally worked with a man from Bayonne, New Jersey. He was a Port Engineer who traveled extensively in support of our ships, literally all over the world. His work entailed monitoring work being done in some of the nastiest shipyards existent. [To John, Syros wasn't so bad :-)] This guy gets dirty, and is really a kind of rough and tumble type. But..........when he found out that I am, and always have been, a "gun nut", he lost it. He literally put me on the same level as a pedophile, stating just that, and refused to deal with me ever again. Wierd.

[John]

Syros is a lovely island, especially in the last few years, it has evolved quite a lot. As for your co-worker, maybe he had hit his head on some crane while working on those shipyards. It can happen, and you never know how it will affect the person (or the crane).

LoL

[turnkey]

Hi John,
Being new to reloading I was looking for some info on HS6 powder and how it meters. Then I started reading the different threads and found out just how much knowledge and experience there is here, so decided to join. Don't have much to offer right now but give me time.
Turnkey ( That's Turnkey not Turkey, Tuner!!!) ha ha
Denny

[edski]

I often browse the messages without signing-in. That would throw the count off, too.

This is my favorite forum, by the way. Thanks for hosting it.

Hope to make it to Greece someday. (I didn't care for Italy on my one visit but, then again, I was in Genoa which is, at least geographically, the "armpit" of the country.)

[John]

Please do Ed, I am sure you will enjoy it.

Rgds

[Pappy]

I also find this a great forum and agree fully with all previous good comments.

However, I must play Devil's advocate and wonder how many "guests" are the anti-gunners peeking in our window to find some dirt to work with. Sorry good folks, there are spys out there.

We must continue to keep this forum a "gentlemens/gentlewomens playground".

Please do not give them "ammo" to shoot back at us.

Thanks John and all for a forum that works for us...Pappy

[Alaskan00]

Mabye alot of guests are like me.
I got bit by the 1911 bug some few months ago but spent a whole heap of time as a guest because I had no new questions to ask. (I also read this thread as a guest too !)

By simply browsing these boards, I found answers to almost all of my questions. I didn't join for a while because I didn't feel like I had anything to contribute (and mabye I still don't compared to you guys!! :p ) and had no new questions to ask.

Also, this isn't the only 1911 or pistol forum out there, but I joined because this one is the best. The people here are always helpful and any arguing that goes on is usually not disrespectful or based upon personal attacks. (unlike some other sites I've seen)

My $.02

[jok]

It's a good thing I found this forum. It is very very helpful for a newbie like me in the world of 1911's.
Really great work John! Keep it up!

jok

[hawkpilot]

I guess as a newbie, I will chime in. I bought a S&W almost on a whim last weekend. It looked like a nice piece from a reputable company, but prior to seeing it at the show, I didn't realize S&W even made 1911's. I went a'googling to learn more and found this site, and was blown away by all the great info and the polite nature of the folks. I joined immediately, knowing I had found a valuable resource. I am not an expert so I don't know how much I can contribute, but I certainly will when I can. I love my 1911's and even my other firearms, lol, so this is one of the coolest finds I have made on this big ol' interweb. :)

[Tom]

I am not an expert so I don't know how much I can contribute, but I certainly will when I can.
It's not "how much" you can contribute, but that you contribute at all. In my opinion, this is the best 1911-based forum on the Net, and one of the best-run forums anywhere. Even the "experts" (of which I am certainly not) learn a thing or two here.

[AnimalKracker]

I think yall all will agree, we started out as guests also, finding our way here to the light by many differant ways. As the 1911 becomes more poplar, and the NEW military finds out what a workhorse it is, we'll be seeing more guests. Just GOOGLE a question about 1911 and you will get a list of threads from right here. Thank You John for the board, and Thank You ALL the members that make this the great place it is.

[dakota1911]

I would usually just Google a problem or question I had on a 1911 type pistol. As you know you get hits from a number of sites. Several times I wound up here. Must have impressed me since I decided to become a member. Since then I also joined the 1911forum.com site with the same name.

As to the shipyard fellow, years ago there was a good article in The American Rifleman about a study that showed a lot of people have a phobia to guns just like phobias to snakes, spiders, heights, small spaces, etc. Of course people who have a deep-seated, unreasoning fear of guns want them all gone. I used to have a pet Bull snake when I was a kid, and I lost a few friends over having him, even though he was always in his cage when I had company.

[malinois1]

I help moderate a computer site and we have the same problem. I am not sure if you have the feature are not to see who is online here...but If you do I am sure you will find that most of the guest are goggle spiders ;)

[Tom]

You're probably right, Malinois1. That's how I "found" this site through a Google search back when I was deciding one my first 1911 pistol. Then I joined when I bought my first 1911 - I had some specific questions and was looking for answers. Then after I got them I decided to stick around because the Forum was so friendly as well as informative (unlike another 1911-based forum that will remain nameless).

Over a year later, I'm still here. In fact, since John couldn't get rid of me, he made me a Moderator! :D

Long story short: we probably do get a lot of Googled referals. That's great! And of those, many people decide to stick around and become members. That's even better.

[malinois1]

Yep I was just looking at the site I help run and there was many Yahoo slurp spiders :o . We had 165 guest and 35 members on line :rolleyes:

John BTW I noticed your Vbulletin version is way outdated. You may want to update it. The main reason for doing so is security flaws and mush easier to get hacked with the older version ;) .

Tom I agree about the other 1911 sight. To much girlish arguing and not gentlemanly like this site ;) . I really like the way this sight is run. It might not be as big as others, but that does not mean it is not better. Our saying at our site is quality over quantiy.

BTW I hope you don't mine while I plug the site I help moderate. I also write reviews for the site. This site deals with bleeding edge computer equipment. It is a site that promotes overclocking of computers (Hot rodding). In fact I am running on a water cooled machine right now. Anyway if you guys are interested in this type of thing please visit us at www.bleedinedge.com . Be sure to say I sent ya and say hi :D

[scooter]

I DIDNT google MY way into this site!!(I webcrawlered..ed..ed here,or sumthin like that)http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

[John]

John BTW I noticed your Vbulletin version is way outdated. You may want to update it. The main reason for doing so is security flaws and mush easier to get hacked with the older version .

Thanks for the concern Malinois1. Actually though, this is the latest version in the 3.0.xx family. And I will never move up to 3.5.xx version. You see, this site has so many additional features on top of the standard vB software that it's next to impossible to upgrade it to 3.5 without removing at least half of the features we have.

Security-wise, 3.0.13 and 3.5.4 are equivalent.

[malinois1]

John nice to hear. As always you have it under control :) .

[Tom]

I am not sure if you have the feature are not to see who is online here...but If you do I am sure you will find that most of the guest are goggle spiders
We do. And looking at our statistics, Yahoo is the #1 source, followed by Gigabot, Google, and MSNBot.

Just FYI for all your curious geeks out there. ;)

[malinois1]

:D @ Tom. Thanks for the info. Yep I am the computer geek most places I go ;)

[Old Man River]

You may have seen me at times when I’ve not logged on.
I try to log out most of the times, but when I do I will surf through the forum and log in if there is a reply to be made. I don’t know if we should log out; would it be safer to log out each time?

I wish there were a time-out feature that would log you out when you forget to.

[Tom]

You may have seen me at times when I’ve not logged on.
If you're not logged into the Forum, there's no way for anyone to "see" you. You'd be just another "Guest" as far as the Forum is concerned.

I try to log out most of the times, but when I do I will surf through the forum and log in if there is a reply to be made. I don’t know if we should log out; would it be safer to log out each time?

I wish there were a time-out feature that would log you out when you forget to.
If you close your browser, that effectively disconnects your connection to the Forum - you don't HAVE to log out each and every time. There's also an automatic disconnect from the Forum after 15 minutes of inactivity, I believe.

[John]

A couple more things.

The forum software works with what is called a session. As long as you are browsing around (having the Remember box checked) there is always a session opened, which tracks what you are doing etc. When you close your browser window, the session does not get closed immediately, only after 15 minutes it gets closed.

Now, with the Remember me box unchecked, that session times out at 15 minutes of inactivity too, that's why some members complained that they get logged out.

I think I'll close this thread. It took another path from its initial subject, and I saw the above question out of luck only.