An observation re this site
Daistallia 2104
04-05-2004, 11:43
I keep a running record of various stats (population, UN rankings, etc.)
One I keep is a record of the number registered users (used for comparison of UN rankings).
In the last 2 weeks I have noticed a steady drop in the number of registered users - from over 126,000 to a current 123,975.
What do you think? Just a blip? Or a loss in popularity?
Stableness
04-05-2004, 13:10
A pickup in the labor market?
Mom or dad punting some youngsters out of the house because they were spending more time surfing the net that keeping up with studies or earning their keep?
Some finally got off their butts and sought real campanionship as opposed to messaging away in cyberspace?
It really could be anything :wink: :P
Sdaeriji
04-05-2004, 13:13
It does that. I can't explain it. I remember towards the end of last year, the number of nations went from around 90,000 to 70,000, then it exploded to where it's at now. Alot of times it's just all the nations expiring of people who lost interest after creating a nation during the last surge.
The Most Glorious Hack
04-05-2004, 13:27
Eh. I've seen it swing pretty wildly over the past year. From 60k to over 100k, back down to 70k, back up to where we are now.
Actually, I wouldn't be surprized if it's tied to forum performance. As we get more and more players, the load increases, the server drags, and people get frustrated. When they get frustrated, they give up and leave the site. As their numbers drop, the strain drops (as does total population), thus making the site run much smoother. When it runs well, more people tell their friends about it, and more people join, hence the fluctuations in players.
Of course, I just came up with that theory on the fly, so...
Sdaeriji
04-05-2004, 14:33
It's a good theory.
Free Soviets
04-05-2004, 19:25
the other theory i've seen tossed about relates it to school and free internet access. which was mostly the going explanation in my region as shrank dramatically last summer.
HotRodia
04-05-2004, 19:58
I also think some poor U.N. resolutions have something to do with it, in addition to the other factors like the forums and the school schedules. I've seen people leave N.S. entirely because a U.N. resolution was passed.