Why register but never post?

[Christer]

I was looking for somebody in the members section and while
doing that I realized there are a lot of people who are registered,
some of them quite long ago, but who have never ever posted
anything. That surprises me. If you don't want to post, why
register? I was reading the forum for quite some time as a
guest, but didn't register until I finally decided I wanted to
post something. Maybe other people work differently, but my
principle is to avoid registration unless it is necessary for
something I think is worth it. I am puzzled why so many
people are registered despite never having had anything
to post.

[andy_c]

Originally posted by Christer
(...)I am puzzled why so many
people are registered despite never having had anything
to post.

I recently switched to a new browser that didn't log me in automatically. When I clicked on a picture link, it wouldn't let me see it until I logged on. Maybe that's the reason?

[Christer]

Originally posted by andy_c


I recently switched to a new browser that didn't log me in automatically. When I clicked on a picture link, it wouldn't let me see it until I logged on. Maybe that's the reason?

That would make sense, but I doubt it. Wouldn't that mean
that the number of posts you've made is stored locally as
cookies rather than at the forum server? That is obviosuly
not the case, however. Or maybe I missed the point?

[rayban68]

I don't post often, but I visit several times a day, and find it very convenient that the board shows me what topics are new since my last visit.

[Christer]

Originally posted by rayban68
I don't post often, but I visit several times a day, and find it very convenient that the board shows me what topics are new since my last visit.

Doesn't it do that until you register? Maybe not. I cannot
remeber now how it was before I registered, but I assume
that information is kept as cookies and thus wouldn't
require that one is registered, unless the code is specifically
written to require that.

[andy_c]

Originally posted by Christer
That would make sense, but I doubt it. Wouldn't that mean
that the number of posts you've made is stored locally as
cookies rather than at the forum server? That is obviosuly
not the case, however. Or maybe I missed the point?

Hmm. What I was trying to say is that if you don't log in, you can't see the picture attachments to posts (schematics, etc). And if you're not registered, you can't log in. I'm not sure how this relates to post count and whether it's stored as cookies. I would think the post count would have to be done at the server end or it could be very inaccurate if the user posted from multiple machines.

[Christer]

Originally posted by andy_c


Hmm. What I was trying to say is that if you don't log in, you can't see the picture attachments to posts (schematics, etc). And if you're not registered, you can't log in. I'm not sure how this relates to post count and whether it's stored as cookies. I would think the post count would have to be done at the server end or it could be very inaccurate if the user posted from multiple machines.

Maybe things have changed then. As far as I can remember
I could see attachments also before I registered, but that is
almost two years ago. That would be an explanation, though.
The post count is definitely not done
by cookies, but at the server end, since I reinstalled the OS
last weekend, meaning starting with a fresh browser, and
my posting count is unaffected by this.

[dhaen]

Each time I browse a new forum, I register, whether I intend to post immediately or not. the reason is to claim my user-name (moniker).
Having the same name between fora helps communication and association.
Of course there may be some people who want anonimity - not me.

[andy_c]

Try clicking on the "forums" link at the top of the page. Then click the "log out" option at the top right. Browse through some posts and click on the picture attachment icon. You'll get a warning and login screen. This may be very new, with all the recent changes to the way attachments are handled though. So it may not be the reason non-posters are registered at all. Now I think I see what you're getting at with regard to cookies. Apparently the logout option clears the local diyaudio cookie.

[peranders]

To answer Christer. My forum has rather many 0-posters. Why have they registered themselves in forum for my products mainly when they can read almost everything and have nothing to say and/or don't want to buy anything, and even less want to get product support?

My answer to this is: they do it by habbit!

My other explanation can be that they want to email other members or edit wiki pages.