I suggest we change the title of this thread to something a bit more Shakespearian. Perhaps Much Ado About Nothing.

The argument against including Omni posts in the post count, as put forward by Movie Man, was that "many FTers naturally also tend to give more credibility to posters with more post counts than those with less, whether deserved or not. This happens both everyday and during special occasions such as the TB elections."

Indeed, had that been true, it would have been the only reasonable argument against post counts (be they from Omni or elsewhere). However, experience indicates that it does not hold up.

Below are the top 21 vote-getters in the last TalkBoard election, in the order that they finished. I don't know how many posts each had when the polls closed but I do have the figures from about two weeks later. Please note that there is very little correspondence between how many posts candidates made and where they finished in the election.

Instead of looking at posts counts, it seems fairly obvious to me that the voters looked at what the candidates were saying and voted accordingly.

Some points to be noted:

1. The candidate with the highest post count, Doc (45,676) tied for 5th place with ScottC (30,814) and Bhatnasx (4182).

2. Gleff, who finished first, had a lower post count than 5 other candidates.

3. MissyDarlin, who finished third, had a lower post count than 10 other candidates.

4. VPescado (1786 posts); Marathon Man (1819); John C (458); nxs (3212); and RadioMan (510) all came in ahead of Camera Guy, who had 3266 posts.

Don't underestimate the intelligence of your fellow F/Ters. They judge posts on their contents, not on their frequency.

Gleff 12,293
OzStamps 25,752
MissyDarlin 5964
Cholula 9840
ScottC 30,814
Doc 45,676
Bhatnasx 4182
FewMiles 9608
Kokonutz 7237
Shareholder 17,076
VPescado 1786
Peterophy 3327
Stimpy 8886
Markie 3608
Socrates 4140
Parnel 14,321
Marathon Man 1819
John C 458
nxs - 3212
Radioman 510
CameraGuy 3266