Removing post count numbers doesn't change anything. It doesn't encourage you guys to post more, and when a new member registers to a 100k post forum, he is fully aware that he's starting out at zero. Are you guys saying that someone is less likely to register at RealGM to discuss basketball, and stay on there, just because they show post count numbers in topics? JBB removed the post counts from the left pane, and it didn't do anything. NBAD removed them, and nothing. People are going to want that at this time (meaning those who are already here) because it helps me find out how active members are over time, as you also see the registration month and year. It also assists me in finding those here just to spam their site in their sig. If I see that they are making short posts that really make little sense to the topic, and see the site link, I look over and notice they have 35 posts or so...and it's a quicker way to lure me into checking in on the rest of their posts, and comparing it to how active they are on their own site. New members don't stay because of how they are treated. If it's a Lakers fan, the comment is, "Great, another Lakers fan!" If it's a member who dives into a religious topic the first week he's here, there's no chance he wants to stick around. It's been that way for five years. Removing left-pane post count view doesn't change anything.