When and why do you register to web sites?

[KitKat]

I don't usually register at forums. In fact, I never even browsed forums until one day while downloading Naruto from Gotwoot's main page I accidentally clicked the forum button. The topic title in the Naruto discussion section caught my eye, so I clicked on it and started reading. Ten minutes later, after reading most of the current topics, I registered, and made my first post. I was the most noobish of noobs, completely ignorant of everything forum-related. We didn't even have rules at that point to refer to. And, Terra mistook me for a guy, but then, I thought he was a girl. Understandable, I guess, since I had my Shikamaru avatar that I'd made in Paint 5 minutes after I joined.

Subsequent forums I've joined up at have been only when I was about to make a post. Generally though, I won't lurk at a forum. I'm either signed up there and active, or I never browse it at all.

[Kraco]

Hmm... The results thus far have been quite uniform. Of course the basic setting of the poll might remove the first type completely, as they aren't likely to encounter polls hidden in the forums. However, there shouldn't be any obstacles for the other types. Basically the options can be divided in two: Registering just in case and registering only when necessary.

Both types should be as likely to vote, considering the registration would be historical always. Unless the just in case type is less likely to actually post at all.

Since this site doesn't require registration for any functionality aside from posting, in theory almost all the zero post members could be counted to belong into the first type. Some fraction could of course be people who registered to actually post something, but then refrained from posting after all, for whatever reasons.

[Aeon]

Joins the right before posting group. I only tend to join forums that I know I'm gonna post on(Gotwoot/Neogaf) and won't leave unless I find a better one for gaming or anime or if the site pisses me off like when I used to post on Animesuki when I first got into anime and somebody decided to tell me that Neji loses to Naruto cause he's my favorite character. After that joined Gotwoot and never posted there again.

[complich8]

Following the normal trend, I basically never register for anything unless there's a particularly good reason.

Unfortunately, my patience is usually low, and if registration takes me longer than a minute or two, or if when I register I get redirected somewhere that isn't where I was trying to go, I often lose interest. This happened just today, in fact.

I'm annoyed that I have something like 65 account login/password pairs to keep track of now. Most of them are the same, and really I've only got about 6 variant passwords and 6 logins, so there's only really 36 possible combinations to try for any given site . Still too much though.

[Terracosmo]

Right before posting or accessing a member only item. - (but I accidently chose the wrong option in the poll lol)



I don't see the point in registering for any other reason.

[gr3atfull]

Right before posting or accessing a member only item.

With the same reasons that every one mentionned before.

[XanBcoo]

Right before posting or accessing a member only item.

Another for option number 4. In general, I won't sign up for something if I'm never going back. Like everyone else it's usually for some member-only service.I actually have a separate email account I use when registering for sites that I use infrequently to avoid cluttering up my usual inbox with confirmation emails and stuff. And I only have 2 usernames variants and 3 usual passwords, so I can usually remember which goes with which easily.

I don't usually lurk a lot before posting in forums, though. I came to GW a few days after an anime blog I read (and used for discussion) was shut down. Figured there was no point in lurking.