Searchability the key to usability

Joe Morel blogs about users of MSDN Forums, the official discussion groups for Windows developers. He has stats which show that 98.5% of the forum’s users are lurkers (they read but do not post), that nobody like logging in and only do so when forced (because they want to post), and that most people find the content through Google rather than because they are consciously participating in an online community.

This is more or less what I noted back in August, but it’s good to see the confirming stats.

Google helps; but many sites still have not learned the principles which Morel outlines.

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