They're forum celebrities, people look up to them in the same way we do celebrities in real life. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll give you good conversation. It really depends on the person, if you can have a conversation with them or not. My sister can talk your ear off about fashion, but ask her "What wall once divided East Berlin and West Berlin" and she won't be able to give you an answer.Jack Rascal said:I understand why some people give merit to high post count, but don't find that very logical. I recognize users, as you said, because they are everywhere but that doesn't mean I think particularly highly of them. I sometimes see the same names on every topic and know, they have nothing particularly interesting to say. Even if they're quoted, challenged to defend their opinion, they do not come back to the thread. I read a lot more than I post here and have come to recognize some people by their posts and ideas. Those are the ones I respect.Eclpsedragon said:I tend to look at join date as better than having a high post count...Jack Rascal said:I know. I was kind of shocked to read that people do that. And getting a high post count is really not that hard so I don't see a reason why it should be considered as some merit. Some people post on any topic and some only when they think they can contribute. Some have fantastic posts, some don'tEclpsedragon said:That's.... that's horrible.Jack Rascal said:And there definitely is a bragging right if you have a high post count. I've actually seen people admit that they do not even read posts if the user has a low post count. To some people here, if you do not post in every thread, your opinion is not valid. To all reading this, please note I said some people. No need to jump on me for this.
If somebody took the time to write a well thought out post, it should be taken seriously, regardless of post count.
Maybe those people have low counts because they make an honest effort to do this.
of course I joined in 2009, so take from that what you will.
I think the high post is viewed as a merit because those people are recognizable, They're everywhere, so the community gets to know them. Generally, if you ask a person "Name the first six escapist from the top of your head." those people will probably list individuals with high post count.
(If you're wondering the first six that visit my brain are... Daystar, Hazy, Fappy, Topaz, Sassafrass, and Doclector. Phasmal, Casual Shinji, and Canadamus_prime came in also. Those names might be mostly influenced by the majority of them being in this very topic, but I'm pretty darn sure most users would at least list Daystar regardless).
You don't need to think high of them. A lot of people don't think high of Kim Kardashian, but for some reason she's still in the spotlight, and ONLY in the right circles, people feel she can do no wrong.
I've found in general, this community gives pretty good conversation, even from those people considered forum celebrities. Sometimes things get pretty heated and a joker will swoop in and lighten the mood. I can respect them for that, it's better to derail a topic into pictures of Spiderman and Ponies rather then let it erupt into a flame war.