Why is the number of "Observing Members" or "Composing Members" something we should EVER attend to on a Fluther question?

No one, not even omniscient me, can tell you what you should do. I glance from time to time. it takes one blink.

I find it’s a cute thing, but I don’t really base any decision on it.

I like to look at it when I ask a question.. its nice to see people are reading (or answering) your question. i don’t see that on many other forums, it makes fluther seem a lot more “real-time”

I notice the sex questions always have a high number of observing members.

Another in the long list of things Fluther provides us all with, to create an air of the human touch within this experience we all share… Oooo, someone, at this very moment in time, somewhere on the planet, or maybe right next door, is either reading this along with me, now, or composing their opus, right now, as I watch and wait and wonder…

It helps build a communal value, in a way. That’s the way I see it. If I see someone that I know composing an answer, I stick around for a bit to see their response. Particularly if we are having a discussion.

It’s also useful in questions like these (which I intend to make part two of, soon). Dunno, it adds to Fluther’s charm.

@casheroo Very true :D

It helps make you feel as if you aren’t all alone, sitting in a room in front of a computer, typing to yourself.

Other than that, it doesn’t mean much.

If I have a really good answer and I see lots of people observing or composing, I usually rush to get mine in before my potential competition.

I find it only of passing interest.

@Grisaille, but for that you just look at “So and So is writing a response” or whatever the wording is, right?

It’s just an interesting thing to look at.

@Quagmire Oh, yeah. That too. I don’t know, dude.

Does it bother you?

Bother me? No. I just wondered what the purpose was; what the designers had in mind.

Yeah.

I think Bendrew originally intended it so that, when one asks a question, the asker can see how many people are reading it, responding, etc and remain on that page.

As Fluther moves further away from being “just another Q&A site” and more so tailored toward open discussion, I think that we are all occupied with other questions, responses, etc. I think that, collectively, we care less about our own particular questions in themselves and more on the various conversation that are had on other questions.

Good point. Makes sense.

I do try my hardest.

I have made decisions based on what I see. If there are a lot of people composing, I will either choose to wait and see what they say, or work faster to get my 2 cents in ahead of them.

But once again, you’re using “So and So is writing a response” I think. Not ”# of composing members” on the top of the page?

@Quagmire yes, you are correct. I am not using the #

i like it. i tend to not return to questions i answer – at least for quite awhile – so if there are like 5 observing members, sometimes i’ll keep the question up after i post it to see what they had to say.