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NeoGreen

(4,031 posts)
Sat Jan 31, 2015, 02:58 AM Jan 2015

So, I was bored…and made an analysis of an apparent "obsession"?

So, here I was, bored with the poor quality of discussion "over there" with my laptop out with both DU up on firefox and MSExcel running.

And out of curiosity, I decided that I wanted to play with the nifty set of data that is the post listing in the religion forum.

So, I copied all 30 pages of Post titles dates, count of replies, count of views, rec counts, authors etc as text into a spread sheet.
(the dates didn’t copy over very well, which is fine, I wasn’t going to go as far as calculate posting rates)
Like I said, I was bored, just not that bored.

And by just doing some simple sorting and “count ifs” I got the following out of my list of approximately 2390 topic titles.

The number of posts by the top 10 ranked authors, by count of original posts (between1/30/2015 11:00 pm and April 11,2014 5:58 pm) is:

1) 721 or ~30.2% of all posts
2) 582 or ~24.4% of all posts
3) 116 or ~4.9% of all posts
4) 81 or ~3.4% of all posts
5) 76 or ~3.2% of all posts
6) 67 or ~2.8% of all posts
7) 49 or ~1.8% of all posts
8) 42 or ~1.8% of all posts
9) 31 or ~1.3% of all posts
10a) 30 or ~1.3% of all posts
10b) 30 or ~1.3% of all posts

Curiously, when you make a count of the words used in the Titles of the posts by the most prolific author, you get the following top 10 words (or word groups), ranked as follows:

1) Religious/Religion/Religiously: 322
2) Atheism/Atheist/Atheists: 272
3) Group(s): 32
4) New: 31
5) School(s): 30
6) Lead(s)/Leader: 28
7) Christian/Christians/Christianity: 26
8) Say(s): 25
9) Freedom(s): 25
10) Belief/Beliefs/Believer/Believers: 22

("Richard" and "Dawkins" both squeaked under at ~19 each. "Jesus" showed up 3 times {kept messing his que, just kidding})

So, anywho...

This ranked list excludes “a” at 101, “an” at 54, “and” at 85, “are” at 27, ”as” at 22, “for” at 93,”in” at 128, “is” at 45, “of” at 151, ”the” at 214, and ”to” at 156.

And, if you count the number of times “religi” appears in all topic titles for all authors, you get 709 and the number of times “athei” appears is 426.

So, the top ranked author posts ~45% of all topics with “religi” in the title and ~64% of all topics with “athei” in the title.

Given that the top ranked author is banned from this forum, it makes you wonder about the concept commonly referred to as “Obsession”.

Ok, now it is time to...

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
So, I was bored…and made an analysis of an apparent "obsession"? (Original Post) NeoGreen Jan 2015 OP
Very interesting data Lordquinton Jan 2015 #1
In my first year here I made like 20 OPs...I feel humbled (nt) LostOne4Ever Jan 2015 #2
From my perspective... NeoGreen Feb 2015 #11
without names this is useless :-) Warren Stupidity Jan 2015 #3
Oh, I am another one of those numbers geeks! Curmudgeoness Jan 2015 #4
I'd like to see a breakdown of the use of "Militant" Lordquinton Jan 2015 #5
"Militant" only shows up... NeoGreen Feb 2015 #10
Let's talk about "obsessive compulsive behavior" JDDavis Jan 2015 #6
in order to return to normal lives. AlbertCat Feb 2015 #7
The pulpit is a sort of haven JDDavis Feb 2015 #8
Your own personal Stalin... onager Feb 2016 #23
Mad props for completing your analysis. AtheistCrusader Feb 2015 #9
Follow-Up... NeoGreen Feb 2015 #12
A whole year later, and the same obsessive, compulsive posters are still going strong. cleanhippie Feb 2016 #13
And still getting absolutely nowhere (when they're not on vacation). nt mr blur Feb 2016 #14
Well, to be fair, they think doing donuts in the parking lot is "getting somewhere". cleanhippie Feb 2016 #15
Post removed Post removed Feb 2016 #17
Awesome spreadsheet work. Goblinmonger Feb 2016 #16
I've had 258 posts edhopper Feb 2016 #18
I'd like to see a followup on this Lordquinton Feb 2016 #19
Did you miss... NeoGreen Feb 2016 #20
yes, I did miss that... Lordquinton Feb 2016 #21
Aww..shucks... NeoGreen Feb 2016 #22
I feel like I might... NeoGreen Mar 2018 #24
Strangely it seems relevant Lordquinton Mar 2018 #25
errrrm... uriel1972 Mar 2018 #26
I just figured out where "There" is. Kinda slow. Ok. Good. lindysalsagal Mar 2018 #27

NeoGreen

(4,031 posts)
11. From my perspective...
Mon Feb 2, 2015, 11:06 AM
Feb 2015

...since I have fewer that 700 total posts in the last ten years, and the top ranked author from above has over 700 OPs in the last ~10 months (in only one forum), humbled is not the word I would choose.

I might even just turn away and shake my head in disbelief after the inevitable jaw drop...

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
4. Oh, I am another one of those numbers geeks!
Sat Jan 31, 2015, 02:12 PM
Jan 2015

I do the strangest things with statistics as well. I am glad to see this, since it reinforces my own observations. I have also realized the obsession, but having the proof in data is reassuring....if not surprising.

NeoGreen

(4,031 posts)
10. "Militant" only shows up...
Mon Feb 2, 2015, 10:50 AM
Feb 2015

...three (3) times in the title of a post since April 2014.

As searched by the word combination "militan"...

The oldest posting that included "Militant" was from July 2014 and by an author not Ranked in the Top 10 from above.

The 2nd oldest posting that included "Militant" was from September 2014 and by the author Ranked #2 from above.

The youngest posting that included "Militant" was from December 2014 and by the author Ranked #3 from above.


Let me know if there is a posting I missed, so that I can validate my search/sorting process.

Thanks
NG

 

JDDavis

(725 posts)
6. Let's talk about "obsessive compulsive behavior"
Sat Jan 31, 2015, 06:15 PM
Jan 2015

versus actually working for a living.

People who are plagued by that disease really need medical and psychiatric help in order to return to normal lives.

No, I'm not talking about the person that started this thread.

Just saying.

 

AlbertCat

(17,505 posts)
7. in order to return to normal lives.
Sun Feb 1, 2015, 08:06 PM
Feb 2015

What! and leave the pulpit??????

"Over there" is 3 posters personal pulpit. And I bet I know who # 1 is. That poster loves the "get the last word in" game too.

 

JDDavis

(725 posts)
8. The pulpit is a sort of haven
Sun Feb 1, 2015, 08:11 PM
Feb 2015

for some.

Just saying.

And don't forget Stalin and all the other horrible people that once ruled a part of this planet. THEY were proven atheists... just saying. So there! Checkmate, atheists!!!


When one has nothing to say, getting in the last word is obviously giving that person some sort of momentary tingle down their leg.

onager

(9,356 posts)
23. Your own personal Stalin...
Wed Feb 10, 2016, 10:25 AM
Feb 2016

With apologies to Depeche Mode.

Anyway, you CAN have your own personal Stalin! He's now a 1/6 scale action figure, yours for $100 bucks or so. He even comes with accessories like a pipe to smoke. And different outfits - May Day Parade, Glorious Military Leader, etc. etc. Not sure if there's a "Hunter of Trotskyites" or "Starver of Ukrainians" outfit, but maybe...



AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)
9. Mad props for completing your analysis.
Mon Feb 2, 2015, 01:52 AM
Feb 2015

I started work on a similar effort about 2 months ago, but I got pissed off and dropped it.

Incidentally, it was about the same poster.

NeoGreen

(4,031 posts)
12. Follow-Up...
Mon Feb 2, 2015, 01:48 PM
Feb 2015

... because nothing says "I've Done My Homework", like a Table and Graph...

Zee Table...


and, Zee Graph...


Note: The #1 and #2 Ranked authors plot to the far right (on the graph)....

cleanhippie

(19,705 posts)
15. Well, to be fair, they think doing donuts in the parking lot is "getting somewhere".
Sun Feb 7, 2016, 03:23 PM
Feb 2016

So there's that.

Response to cleanhippie (Reply #13)

edhopper

(33,587 posts)
18. I've had 258 posts
Mon Feb 8, 2016, 10:33 AM
Feb 2016

in the religion forum in the last 90 days. About 25% of my posts. so I am sure I am in that list somewhere.
The top ranked author has 865, making up 62%


NeoGreen

(4,031 posts)
20. Did you miss...
Tue Feb 9, 2016, 07:29 AM
Feb 2016

...this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/123049616

If not, do you have something specific in mind?

If it is relatively easy/straightforward I'd be happy to do a little more sorting.

NeoGreen

(4,031 posts)
22. Aww..shucks...
Wed Feb 10, 2016, 09:56 AM
Feb 2016

..just going with my strengths.

Not sure about "lost".

I like to quantify where and when I can and to be a yeoman in A&A.

Since I tend to leave the heavy debating and toe-to-toe exchanges to others, not my strong suit.


Either way, glad you enjoyed the analysis.

Lordquinton

(7,886 posts)
25. Strangely it seems relevant
Tue Mar 6, 2018, 06:32 PM
Mar 2018

Kinda a spring cleaning, hang the rugs on the clothes line and beat the dust out of em.

lindysalsagal

(20,692 posts)
27. I just figured out where "There" is. Kinda slow. Ok. Good.
Sun Mar 11, 2018, 10:48 PM
Mar 2018

So, basically, there is one person who lives there, and really hates atheists. Gottit.

Not too insecure...........

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