I'm deferring most statistical summaries of 2005 at least until the year is over (take that you line jumpers!), but here's one I'll go ahead and post today for all the end of year crowd.
The question is - how many people participated each week this year? Of those, how many could you expect to see hanging around the following week, or to disappear for a good long while, maybe forever?
Answers on the flip.
How do I count participation? Anyone who posted a diary or recommended a diary during a given week. You'll have to forgive my exclusion of those who comment only, as I don't track comments by user. Previous work shows that most people who ONLY comment add around 20% more to the total.
The graph below then, shows, for each week since I started keeping track, the number of participants (grey, axis on right), and the fraction of those participants who either participated again the following week (blue, axis on left), or who didn't particpate again for at least six weeks (red, axis on left). The blue and red lines show 7 week averages to help spot trends.
OK, so what? Well, I think this establishes a base line for what a successful on line community looks like. Despite all the kerfuffles, most of the people who participate are back again the next week (70%). Few depart for an extended period (10%).
That is pretty much it, other than confirming in numbers what Bill in Portland Maine as much as said in words, that the first quarter of 2005 was "the good old days" here at Daily Kos. Each week participation grew, retention grew, and disaffection declined.
No matter what else happens, this thing of ours has set the standard.
Here's my earnest hope for the new year to be one in which our country doesn't go over the brink.
N.B. This is an extension of a previous diary on participation. Does anyone know why the graphs in that diary have disappeared? The originals are still there.