I went into this debate with a very open mind and no particularly strong feelings about OMNI post counts (or any other post counts) one way or the other.

Having read all of your most edifying comments, thank you very much, I am leaning more toward counting all posts.

Seriously, what do post counts tell us about an individual FlyerTalker?

Despite the passion that the "Y" chromosone instills for counting and measuring stuff, I really can't believe that anybody equates the number of post counts with frequent flyer knowledge, or anything else that is faster, bigger, or better.

All the post count really tells us is how active a member has been on, and how committed a member is to, FlyerTalk. Does it matter if a member prefers to hang out in Community, OMNI, Coupon Connection, Delta, TSA or the GLBT forum? All a high post count says to me is that a member loves FlyerTalk and spends a lot of time chilling in the FlyerTalk Community of his/her choice.

I have been around since the very early days and, believe me, there never has been (and I doubt ever will be) a time when FlyerTalk was just about miles and points. If it were just about miles and points, I can't believe that any of us would still be checking in, several times a day, after nearly a decade.

Sure miles and points are a common interest that we share, but not our only interest. We are a small group (I would guess somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000 active members) who together make up a very real, vital, growing, often loving, and sometimes confrontational community. We are silly, amazingly smart, messy, disorganized, ridiculously generous, and sometimes we even get mad. Just like real life.

Every one of us and every one of our posts, whether they be smilies, gifts of upgrades, parties, or even adding numbers, all work together to build our extraordinary and wonderful community, and every one of us and every one of our ideas, and our posts counts, no matter what Randy may or may not decide to do with the official ticker.