Completely anal statistics - Part 2

[buildersmate]

Those following my recent spat with AOG over his persistant tendency to post loads of questions then not even have the courtesy to take part in the ensuing debate, may be amused to read to the very bottom of this thread.
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question80 2044-2.html
At the bottom you will note one of AOG's 'rare' responses to one of his own questions, including anal statistics.
Not to be outdone and with time on my hands (rain forecast, so I can't go out for that walk that you recommended for me, Gromit), here are the unexpurgated stats on AOG's 17 questions over the last 12 days.
Risk - 6 responses, 0 replies from AOG
EU - 17, 0 Iraq/Afghanistan - 1, 0
Baron Martin - 3, 0 Animals - 19, 1
Burka - 77, 2 Civil war - 4, 0 Pirate Party - 3, 1
X factor - 11, 0 How dare he (Ed Balls) - 12, 2
Milliband - 8, 2 Mass murderer - 30, 3 (something to interest him, clearly)
Should they carry them - 17, 0 Daily Male - 21, 1
British inefficiency - 2, 1 Bureaucracy - 13, 3
A levels - 44, 0

So there we have it, ladies and gentlemen, only half the questions get double-figure quantities of answers, and less than one response per question from the originator.
I rest my case - bureaucracy gone mad or what?
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question79 9038.html
(Don't blame me - I didn't start it!)

[jno]

think of it as being like the queen opening parliament - she swans in, tells the world what must be done to set it to rights and runs away again withhout stopping to ask whether she's been talking nonsense. It's all written for her by polliticans, of course, rather than by the editor of the Daily Mail, but the principle is much the same.

[Oneeyedvic]

Now when you lot can do a decent pie chart with all of this, I would gladly be interested (and yes I am seeing Dave Gorman next week at the local theatre!)

[BertiWooster]

I prefer bar charts , myself .

[VHG]

>Now when you lot can do a decent pie chart with
>all of this

Did you know Florence Nightingale used statistics a lot and help create a form of pie chart?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nighting ale#Statistics

[buildersmate]

Lunch time - and time to check in to what response I've had to my recent post (AOG - are you taking notes here?).

Jno: a good start and a nice analogy - 2 stars I thought. Can't afford to go the whole hog - someone might turn up something even better later. Then I'd be up a creck without a paddle.

OEV: I'm rather partial to DG myself - can't get in at my local theatre - it's a sell-out. I am sure you remember the way that guy started out - scouring the world looking for 100? other people also called Dave Gorman - very funny.

As for whether pie-charts or bar-charts, it's even a struggle to get the AB technology to produce even a few words aligned properly. Maybe one of the techies like fo3nix could help out here? - perhaps I should post in there - what do you think?

Zacs - yes, I think you've hit the nail squarely on the head - even if you are not a tradesmen yourself and hence a regular in Home & Garden, where I generally hang out. One star I thought for that.

VHG - thanks for that - I think it was you that originally put me onto Wikipedia many moons ago. Keen to learn, you see, expand my horizons above being a humble brickies labourer. Isn't that what AB is all about - enjoying oneself and learning? Isn't News about AB News far more entertaining than the news itself.

Must sign off now before I disappear up my own analytical orifice. Back later after I've humped a few more tonnes of bricks.

[Gromit]

I am still perplexed about what all this is about.

So, AOG doesn't contribute much after his initial question. Does that matter? People have different habits. Some people don't post any questions at all be just do answers.

What I do know, is that AOG will be quietly chuckling to himself at all this attention.

My advice, if you do not like this man and his posts, then ignore them. This is the News section, your ongoing feud is not the place for such a tedious squabble.

[buildersmate]

Ah, thanks for joining the debate, Gromit, as I hoped you'd join in (even if the main man himself remains silent).
Yes, I can ignore it and yes, I do (most of time).
I'm actually an answers man myself - 51 questions and just over 7000 answers in 4 years since I joined. I generally limit myself to factual, helpful stuff in other sections, which is afterall where this site started out.
But it isn't about me, or AOG for that matter. Its about standards on the site, and evolving of the site in a way that helps not hinders users. Abuses by some individuals (as perceived by other individuals) appear to unchallengeable - people say 'go away then' - which is fair enough. The controllers of the site aren't fussed about it - provided it is getting the 'hits' presumably, the revenue keeps rolling in.
People come and go on here. Some people stay longer. A recent post on Chatterbank ran to over 100 long wondering why Ethel had mysteriously vanished. I don't know either but one suspects that the value of the site might be in terminal decline.
I'm interested in process, not outcome. After this little foray, I'll be happy to get back off my little soap-box - it's the power of the punters that decides whether AB continues to be a success or not. I am merely trying to use the limited tools at my disposal to challenge the way the site develops. And to question in a humorous way the worst of the excesses.

[Gromit]

There has never really been much control on here, so the situation now is the same as it has ever been. The site is no more or no less popular than when I joined in 2004.

While there are no moderators, there will always be people who will go out of their way to be abusive, though I think AOG just tries to be controversial or annoy us lefties.

Either way, that is just his style.

For the record, I have posted 587 questions and posted 6323 replies.

[buildersmate]

I find it worse than a few years. I think it is Chatterbank that is killing it. Something of a dichotomy there, because CB creates the greatest volume of 'hits' by which the owners presumably measure success, and hence revenue. The origins of the site are surely as quoted on the intro page - "Ask questions, get answers. No matter how outrageous or practical your question may be, you will get answers from real people". Interaction 'debate' only came later.
The News section is really only the alternative 'debating' forum to CB. AB Suggestions seems to be a placebo.
The factual parts to the site will probably just decay and die away as better alternatives emerge. Here's a far better one on 'Law' than AB will ever be.
http://www.swarb.co.uk/phpbb/

[Gromit]

Please refrain from calling AOG, "the Main man", he won't be able to get his vest over his head.

[anotheoldgit]

buildersmate

I wasn't going to give you the satisfaction of an answer, but what the hell? this was too good to miss.

I am merely trying to use the limited tools at my disposal to challenge the way the site develops.

Could you be referring to the limited number of Brain Cells that you possess?

[BertiWooster]

Pistols at dawn ?

[buildersmate]

Ah, AOG - glad to see you've decided to join my little debate.
I've given you one star - that's for attendance rather than content, you understand. But sometimes people need a little encouragement on the path to 'doing things better'.
The day is coming to a close now and this post will soon be up to 20. As we all know, once it drops off onto a second page, there's little hope of future publicity or useful content - unless, that is, one can get to the dizzy heights of (say) 50 posts - in which case one simply HAS to know what the heck that topic was all about, so everyone reads it.
I hope in my day of fun, I've given you something of a 'model' to work from - a question-asker interacting at regular intervals during the day with his customers, getting to appreciate their cyber needs and stoking their internet egos (occasionally). Ignoring people persistently is such bad form.
I'm not going to be bated by the temptation to respond in kind - never been my style. You may well criticise my builder's bum or rather parts of my anatomy, but as I said before, it's about the process, not the content.
I do recommend earnestly that you take on board some of these 'helpful hints'. It was your esteemed mentor, Maggie T, I believe who started us on the path to measuring stuff in Government such that we might know the what, the how many, the when. I'd have thought you might have been pleased that I am merely using the very same techniques to assist you in life's quest.
Goodnight to all my regular customers, and see you back in 'Home & Garden' tomorrow.
Yours, Alistair C

[anotheoldgit]

Goodnight to all my regular customers, and see you back in 'Home & Garden' tomorrow.
Yours, Alistair C

Yes pop out there Alistair and continue to dig deeper that hole you are digging for yourself.

Regarding, stoking their internet egos

Have you actually read what you have been posting?