How many women use the forum?

[Mctavish]

I think you have misunderstood my response. Your question was:

"how many women use the forum?"

If women using the forum prefer not to be identified by gender (possibly with good reason) then they won't respond "yes" to a poll that does just that and to which those who respond will be identified by their forum names by anyone who cares to take an interest.. So your responses may be skewed. Or maybe not. You will never know.

Is this so hard to grasp?

My response was to Angele

 

[Mctavish]

Perhaps you made a poor choice, given the original question.

My comment to Ladyinbed was that women perhaps chose a username that identifies them as female. I wasn't sure whether this was because users were using their boat name, (sometimes it seems obvious). Anyway, I was surprised about this. I think the number of women who use this forum is very small. So that would mean that that the number of women who proactively identify themselves as female on the forum is proportionally large. I wonder why that is. So... a public poll where the proportion of women who identify themselves as such... I don't see how it would affect women who don't want to be identified as such.

 

[Serin]

My response was to Angele

Using the quote facility helps to identify the poster to whom you are responding.

 

[Serin]

My comment to Ladyinbed was that women perhaps chose a username that identifies them as female. I wasn't sure whether this was because users were using their boat name, (sometimes it seems obvious). Anyway, I was surprised about this. I think the number of women who use this forum is very small. So that would mean that that the number of women who proactively identify themselves as female on the forum is proportionally large. I wonder why that is. So... a public poll where the proportion of women who identify themselves as such... I don't see how it would affect women who don't want to be identified as such.

I refer to your original question, which you seem to be revising all the time. People often use their boat names to post, but that doesn't mean that they are "proactively identifying themselves as female".

I really don't know what question you are asking. Do you?

 

[Mctavish]

Serin, as far as I can see, I am being polite. I don't see where your confusion lies. I think you thought the poll was about one thing, whereas it was necessarily about another, if you consider that it was public. I showed what my thinking was by creating the poll as public and by my comment to ladyinbed, which you seemed to overlook. I don't see that the poll would be of concern any woman who does not want to be identified. Maybe they'd just not prefer the %'s to be shown. I've asked the admin.

 

[Mctavish]

Using the quote facility helps to identify the poster to whom you are responding.

I shall certainly do that. I found on other forums that there was a very clear rule that if you are replying to the person directly above (a quick reply) you don't quote as it just lengthens the post and is not necessary. If that is not the case here I won't do it. Thank you.

 

[photodog]

More importantly... What do they use the forum for?

 

[Mctavish]

I refer to your original question, which you seem to be revising all the time. People often use their boat names to post, but that doesn't mean that they are "proactively identifying themselves as female".

I really don't know what question you are asking. Do you?[/QUOTE

"perhaps...identifies them as female". Did we end up in court, Serin? Am I testifying? Why would you treat this like a court of law?
Would you like me to defend any interpretation you come up with?

I agree, someone using their boat name to post doesn't mean they are "proactively identifying themselves as female". In fact I said that an apparently feminine name, (like Diana, instead of Kevin,) was probably a boatname and therefore not necessarily a woman user. I think you can see that most feminine names are boat names. Maybe they all are.

Before I did the poll I was looking at the usernames at the foot of the main page and, (though the list changes), there were names there that suggest that the user is a woman, or, I think, a couple are sharing a username (billandjen type thing) When I was looking in the Lounge I also saw, I think, 2 avatars that looked like a woman's selfie. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. That's what i'm interested in. Why, when the minority you're in is tiny, (my guess), do you identify yourself as female.

 

[lisilou]

More importantly... What do they use the forum for?

A good laugh mostly

 

[Babylon]

 

[Serin]

A good laugh mostly

Well, certainly not for the "laddishness" (on show at its most gormless in the Lounge :sleeping and the intermittent sexism. Might I suggest that some women are just as interested in boats and all things nautical as some men?

Women are no less diverse in their ideas and interests than men. All the sweeping generalisations and stereotypes may be entertaining for some men, but they are just so much vacuous drivel, really. If women come here for a laugh I doubt if they stay long as it's mostly "same old, same old".

Why does anyone use the forum?

 

[Dave-Shafa]

I am a single, white, male with luxury yacht seeking female crew.
Age, looks unimportant. Cooking and crewing skills would be very welcome.

 

[Serin]

I am a single, white, male with luxury yacht seeking female crew.

Well, David, I have perused your website and all I can say is - wow! Just wow!! What woman could resist the opportunity to perfect her all over tan on the foredeck of so magnificent a vessel? With a yacht like that, surely you could net pretty much any woman you fancied? Perhaps even Nigella herself! Mind you, she might need a little help from you to brush up her crewing skills, but you wouldn't mind that, would you? :encouragement:

 

[Tony Cross]

If glorious soviet cosmonaut dog can fly spacecraft why you think she cannot sail boat?

Perhaps because she's dead? Sorry, of course I meant because she's a glorious hero of the Soviet Union (posthumous category)....

 

[LadyInBed]

Think LiB is a man - name is linked to his boat - Lady in Red

Yes, christened by Twister Ken.

 

[ctva]

Ticked uncertain, not because I am (I think) but because both me and Mrs ctva read the forum. Probably the same for a large number.

 

[Ional]

I should have ticked uncertain too, as both I, and old man read the forum under one User name. It won't let me vote twice...

 

[Mctavish]

I am a single, white, male

Not certain, though.

 

[Lakesailor]

Serin, as far as I can see, I am being polite. I don't see where your confusion lies. I think you thought the poll was about one thing, whereas it was necessarily about another, if you consider that it was public. I showed what my thinking was by creating the poll as public and by my comment to ladyinbed, which you seemed to overlook. I don't see that the poll would be of concern any woman who does not want to be identified. Maybe they'd just not prefer the %'s to be shown. I've asked the admin.

If someone votes as a woman in your poll. Everyone can see that they have voted as a woman. So if they don't want to be identified as a woman they will either, not vote, or lie. Either way your poll isn't a reflection of the truth.

 

[Mctavish]

This is a lively forum and I thought it would be more interesting to see what people do when they are (apparently) asked to reveal their own gender - the poll was selected to be public. It is designed to select those who wish to show their gender (assuming it was answered "truthfully", etc., etc.). The poll is designed to show % by gender amongst those who are willing to show their gender. I find this more interesting than simply % users by gender, and I thought those participating might. I did the poll from the belief that women who use the forum are a small minority (not proven). It is interesting to me that (in a poll that would reveal gender) there are women who will reveal their gender. Also, that (apparent) men participate and reveal their gender (mostly, apparently).

I also wonder about usernames. Apparently, some women have some interest in being identified as women (shown above). Looking at the usernames of those who identified themselves as women: can I tell that those women are women from their usernames? No. I don't think so. That is interesting to me, also. So, if these are women, their interest in being identified as women does not necessarily extend to usernames. It would also make any (apparent) woman who does reveal an obviously female username in the poll interesting. Why does she do that? Does she think about it? That's the kind of thing I think about when I see a new usernames. Presumably other forum members occasionally wonder about the gender of users (whether they admit it or not), and will click to find the gender of those taking part. I don't expect the participants to care greatly. They were just participating in the poll.

My comment, which you quote, refers to why someone would question the point of this poll, from the point of view of women who do not want to participate because they don't want their gender identified. I didn't see the purpose of this question. If you don't want your gender identified, you don't participate. Given that the poll is public, this is obvious. So, I couldn't see a valid issue. What else must they be querying? Maybe some users don't want the % gender of all users identified and this poll might indicate that? No-one seems to be objecting to that. They seem to be asking the opposite, in fact, why I have failed to identify the % gender.

It seems to me that amongst those claiming to be men there are, proportionately more male usernames than boat names. Why is that?

I'd suspect that, most of those who identified as "uncertain" (though not all, from the comments) are men. The humorous comments seem to come from apparent men.

Whether it is truthful depends on those participating. It's probably as interesting if you are not "truthful" as if you are.