I'd rather have ten or twenty very good loyal forum members who post actively every day than 100 forum members who rarely post (maybe only once a month. The consistent posting by the same members gives the forum a feeling of community. And, everyone looks forward to seeing the same faces daily. Though I know adding new members is important to a forum, keeping the loyal members you have active is equally important. What are your thoughts?
Getting new forum members or keeping the members you have?
- Thread starter Beverly
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Hyperminimalism
Familiar Face
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
My thoughts are whatever brings the most activity. If 100 new forum members is going to keep the place active, then fine. If ten or twenty active members are going to keep it bumping--great! I feel that there are both benefits for smaller communities and larger ones.
My thoughts are whatever brings the most activity. If 100 new forum members is going to keep the place active, then fine. If ten or twenty active members are going to keep it bumping--great! I feel that there are both benefits for smaller communities and larger ones.
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
Both are important indeed, but when building forums my aim is more towards getting friends, meeting new people, and have fun talking about certain things. So bluntly speaking I'll be comfortable with only a circle of active posters I'm close to. But we can't forever stay like that. So we need new people, with their new ideas, to make things interesting, haha.
If you ask which one should be worked on more, the answer is both ideally. 🙂
Both are important indeed, but when building forums my aim is more towards getting friends, meeting new people, and have fun talking about certain things. So bluntly speaking I'll be comfortable with only a circle of active posters I'm close to. But we can't forever stay like that. So we need new people, with their new ideas, to make things interesting, haha.
If you ask which one should be worked on more, the answer is both ideally. 🙂
hackersmovie
Acquaintance
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
I agree with phio_chan both are important but, I also think that a forum with more members (in the 1,000's) will grow faster as well as rank better in search engines. If you've monetized your forum at all, it will mean more $$$$.
Just my 2 pence....
I agree with phio_chan both are important but, I also think that a forum with more members (in the 1,000's) will grow faster as well as rank better in search engines. If you've monetized your forum at all, it will mean more $$$$.
Just my 2 pence....
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
A forum with 10 active members will lead to more active members and probably be quite successful.
The sites that have hundreds of random people coming in and out have that AND core members.
There's not many forums that have no consistent posters, at least to my knowledge.
A forum with 10 active members will lead to more active members and probably be quite successful.
The sites that have hundreds of random people coming in and out have that AND core members.
There's not many forums that have no consistent posters, at least to my knowledge.
bravesfan10
Acquaintance
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
I think both are important...active members will attract New members and a better chance of them being active.
I think both are important...active members will attract New members and a better chance of them being active.
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
You could do both, in fact both is best.
Keeping the loyal members and attracting new ones go hand in hand.
The loyal members will add incentive and fresh content for the new ones to post and get involved plus it gives your community a sense of familiarity.
You could do both, in fact both is best.
Keeping the loyal members and attracting new ones go hand in hand.
The loyal members will add incentive and fresh content for the new ones to post and get involved plus it gives your community a sense of familiarity.
jacktheking
Paragon
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
I think that the way to keep member active is having new member.
I think that the way to keep member active is having new member.
Re: Getting new forum members or keeping the members you hav
It depends what you are after. I have no shame to say I lean a bit more towards keeping my already registered members happy than trying to get new ones, because I think that if members remain active there is a bigger chance newcomers will also do it. If no member stays active after a while there must be something I am not doing alright to grab their attention after they decided to join and had a feel for the community.
That said, you cannot force your members to post and forums are not isolated from time's flow. People change, grow busier, get news hobbies and can disappear for years, if not forever. It is important to do try to get new members from time to time to get new opinions, fresh points of view and an active enough community.
Forums that are only a relic of their post with the few 'veterans' are very little active and feels excluding to potential new members visiting for the first time. Too many inside jokes. Too little activity on the original niche of the forum, it is more the pub of online friends who have grown together and as each starts going away the place will remain inactive at some point.
It depends what you are after. I have no shame to say I lean a bit more towards keeping my already registered members happy than trying to get new ones, because I think that if members remain active there is a bigger chance newcomers will also do it. If no member stays active after a while there must be something I am not doing alright to grab their attention after they decided to join and had a feel for the community.
That said, you cannot force your members to post and forums are not isolated from time's flow. People change, grow busier, get news hobbies and can disappear for years, if not forever. It is important to do try to get new members from time to time to get new opinions, fresh points of view and an active enough community.
Forums that are only a relic of their post with the few 'veterans' are very little active and feels excluding to potential new members visiting for the first time. Too many inside jokes. Too little activity on the original niche of the forum, it is more the pub of online friends who have grown together and as each starts going away the place will remain inactive at some point.
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