From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxx!ignatz
Newsgroups: net.general
Title: How many readers ARE there???...
Article-I.D.: ihuxx.260
Posted: Mon Nov 29 18:11:02 1982
Received: Wed Dec  1 03:47:04 1982

	You know, a while back there was blathering about just how many
computers are on USENET; and comments like, "...remember that what you say
is read by thousands of people..."
	Really?  I've never noticed thousands of signatures; not even
hundreds.  Has anyone ever been able, either as a formal study or an informal
survey, to truly determine the size of the USENET community?  It would
have to include all passive readers, but I think it could safely be limited
to, say, only readers who have the "direct capability" of participating in
the conversation.  Thus, the fact that by fanning out of one gateway, an
article picks up N-thousand ARPANET readers would be ignored in the actual
count.
	One way that came to mind immediately was to just say, "Everyone
who gets net.general, just pop a message in the mail back to me.  I'll count
and report...".  Except that, if there ARE thousands of readers capable of
replying, I'd be performing another study, concerning overload of a single
Vax Unix system.  Please note that, unless a local SA sez to try it, this
is NOT being advocated at this time.
	Ideas? Questions?

		A Curious one of {thousands|hundreds|dozens|a few}
		(Select the appropriate range, if you know),

		Dave Ihnat
		ihuxx!ignatz