976 members visited yesterday and 4000 guests

Same here - I am not always logged in when I check the board.

Another one who is logged in on my iPad but mostly not on my laptop. So during the day when I check the board when working on my laptop I will be counted as a Guest.

I would think that the majority of the visitors are the same as above posters. They just have not bothered to log in.

If you look at the members list there are many members who have not ever posted or have only posted a few times. These may be lurkers who enjoy reading but do not wish to contribute. If reading is all you want to do then you really do not need to log in.

I was not a member of the old board but have heard here about the drama that existed. There is not the same kind of drama here but perhaps those that are members and do not post are just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It would be nice if the lurkers would join in here but if they are happy with the way they choose to live their life here then so be it.

My iPad wouldn't keep me logged in as well until I realized I was somehow using a private browser, or whatever you call it on my iPad, meaning it doesn't allow cookies so I was either constantly logging in or just reading as a guest.

Maybe that's what is happening on your tablet.

Board posts also show in searches. I've searched things and found post on other boards that I am not a member of that answer a question I have. I just read, get my answer and go. I have no reason to join those boards.

As my name implies, I am a lurker by nature. I was on the original board nearly everyday to several times per day over the course of at least 6 years before jumping in.  I never needed to add my voice or opinion to the pod because, inevitably, someone else had already said whatever I was going to and the point was made with no need for reiteration. (Needless to say, I really enjoy the current "like" button.) I only broke down and joined when enabling the ignore function became necessary for my continued enjoyment of the board. As it is, if I happen to pop in for a moment on my tablet, I don't bother logging in and would appear as a guest.  

There are many reasons to just lurk, many completely harmless.  For instance, when I first found the Peas the waters were quite sharky and I wasn't certain if I belonged or even wanted to. Maybe the guests are people checking the water temp as it were.  Many peas didn't follow us over to the new boards so maybe it's some of them just checking us out to see if it's worth openly joining or to see who is here. I can't speak for all the lurkers out there, obviously, but I'd imagine many of them are like the quiet kids in class just taking it all in and whatever they are learning or getting from it we'll never know. Unless or until something negative comes of it, I wouldn't let it bother me.  It's the internet, you never really know who is looking anyway.

maybe there are people who prefer to be readers and not posters.  I'm sure a good number of those 4,000 guests are regulars who just aren't registered. 

I read reddit from time to time, but never post there. I don't even have a log in. this place is enough of a time suck for me without getting involved in multiple boards.

I occasionally read the old board but didn't join as it was a little too right wing/Christian/homeschool/drama producing for me to want to participate. This board is more middle of the road and more mellow. I like it.

I mainly joined because I think lurking without registering is a little creepy.

I mostly use this site on my laptop or iPad but when I am on my phone, I'm not actually signed in, so I guess when I am on my phone, I appear as a guest.

Yeah, what she said.

i stay logged in so i can hit "new" and it skips down to the newest post on the thread. i wouldn't even bother coming here if i had to scroll thru all those posts and try to remember where i left off

I don't really think it's creepy but I do think that if you derive enjoyment from what everyone posts, from the info, the fun, the banter, the advice etc then it's only fair to give something back to the community. Lurkers might feel they have nothing to add but, as I've said before, if we all worked on that basis there's be nothing for the lurkers to read!

   I'm admin for a board and most of the guest visitors are search engines.