I don't think I understand what you're asking.

I know that one of the many issues that led to the HR debacle was the search feature, which has since been disabled. But also, not to be all ATP again, Music opened in January and Movies in February. I think they were contributing factors too.

I find it hard to believe that two threads contributed that much. Unless they're completely populated with new users, that is. The people who post in those threads, have less time to post in the threads in which they used to post. Take Hec, for example. He's much less of a fixture in Natter and Bitches than he was before.

I do understand there's probably a small gain in overall number of posts and page loads, etc., but it's hard to conceive that two new threads contributed that much, because in the mean time, other threads (where people were previously posting) have all but died or have actually shut.

Doesn't it have to be more code based?

It's not a small gain. Everyone keeps saying that it is. "Oh what's one more thread?" But every new thread we add exponentially increases the load we place on the server.

And I need to go home now. Maybe when I get there I can continue my example from last night in Lightbulbs and give you some theoretical numbers.

I don't want to make you do any more work than you're already doing, Kristen. I really just thought if we made any code changes around the time the problems started, we could look there first.

I trust and believe you. I hope this didn't come across any other way.

The piece I'm not understanding is how more threads is a problem, but more users aren't -- especially since on most fora, anyone who feels like it can add a thread. Or is it that more users are also a problem, but a problem that has no easy solution?

Edited to add: I also don't want to sound like I'm quizzing Kristen or in any way don't respect what she's saying. I just need to make sure I understand what's going on.

Cindy, imagine there was just one thread. We'd see a lot of Hec posts but only as many as would be socially acceptable on a board with just one thread. Now add two more threads. Hec would continue to post the maximum socially acceptable number which would increase his total posts by nearly three. Now add 10 more threads. That's where the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and Hec posts less in each thread, albeit more in total. So your point is that Hec is not going to post much more if you add a 13th or 23rd thread. True.

But what about the other 200 semi-active posters? As more thread catch their fancy they will post more. So Hec's posts may not increase, but poster 994 who so far only posts in Firefly discovers the tv thread and suddenly his posts double. Now multiply poster 994 by 100 or so. And that's the problem.

All names in the preceding post are fictional. Any similarity to actual Buffista names is purely coincidental.

I really just thought if we made any code changes around the time the problems started, we could look there first.

No, Cindy, I should have mentioned that I also thought that was a good idea. I'm currently rereading Board from the end of last year to see what we implemented that could have affected the situation. Part of the problem is that HR was less than communicative. They didn't tell us that we were a long-standing problem until waaaay after they considered us a long-standing problem. It makes it harder to pinpoint when, if ever, we were okay on resource usage.

Or is it that more users are also a problem, but a problem that has no easy solution?

Yes, this. More users are certainly a problem. But that's not one that we can, or I think would want to, solve. [You! UserID1002, get outta the water!] As a community grows, you're going to get bigger. I think the problem was that we added a lot of threads prior to the boom in our membership numbers. So we had a bunch of threads. And then a lot of new people that we weren't expecting showed up to post in them. Wackiness ensues.

So your point is that Hec is not going to post much more if you add a 13th or 23rd thread.

Hec has a job now, hence the less posting.

Hec has a job now, hence the less posting.

A likely story, job boy.

Of the 1000 registered users, 180 posted in the first 10 days of August. This doesn't indicate how many lurked, and how many unregistered posters read.

That could be a lot of folk.

But I don't have numbers to hand right now.