Well, to answer your questions individually:
1. I like seeing the little number go up slowly, because it gives me a sense of achievement, especially when I get a new title, but I don't actually care about how high it is compared to everyone else.
The only two things that I actually care about concerning other people's post counts are:
A) Does their post count affect how they behave?
- If someone acts like they're better than me because they have a higher post count, then they can get lost, it's just a number. It shouldn't affect how you behave, it just shows how acitve you are, it shouldn't give you any sort of higher status over me, if my argument is wrong, then argue against my argument, don't use ad hominem idiocy on me.
B) What is their joining date/post count ratio like?
- Take Lambi up there for example: He has a very high post count in proportion to his joining date, and that is a little strange, but it tells me a little about him: He seems to have quite a lot of free time, he likes the escapist, and he is very active here.
While two of the three were confirmed in his post, the first one seems to only be obtainable by deductive reasoning, as many people are available to post at 4PM on a weekday, it's harldy unusual.
Anyway, that's my opinion on the importance of post counts, take it or leave it.
2.No, I don't though I may be a little more active when I near a milestone e.g. when I was nearing 5K, I posted quite a bit more than I naturally would, but that was only for the 100 or so posts before I reched it.
3. I post when I have an opinion relevant to the matter, or that I find is relevant to the matter, though in forum games, I will post because it's part of the forum game, or in an RP, it's for progression of the narrative, not because of my post count.
4.No, and there shouldn't be "forum gods" it's silly, just because they have a high post count, doesn't mean that they should be treated any differently than the rest of us.
5. See question one.
[sub]Actually, most of my arguments are justified in question one's answer.[/sub]
Also, this thread has been done many a time.