DudeThatsErin
Paragon
I'm having an issue keeping the activity going on my forum.
How do you do it?
How do you do it?
How do you keep activity going on your forum?
- Thread starter DudeThatsErin
- Start date
darkotakusouls
Familiar Face
Get people that like to talk a lot.
DudeThatsErin
Paragon
Good ideas! Thanks guys!
Anyone else have any ideas?
Anyone else have any ideas?
And, I agree with a lot that has already been said. You only need one or two very active talkers to make your forum look busy. However, you also need many new members who will occasionally come by and post one or two new responses, otherwise your forum will be dead in the water if your very active member(s) leave.
Dfarmer2001
Paragon
Post exchanges, free advertising and promotions on your forums will catch people's attention. I have even been paying people to post on my forums. That is how I have been keeping the activity going.
Andyman9491
Reputable
Exchange posts here at FP! Or use postloop. Constantly get new members and advertise your stuff. Post interesting topics that people will most likely comment on.
Better content, Posts Exchange or A Giveaway / Contest. If you have great content then people will automatically post on your forum without you having to do anything besides update the content (Which is easy in some cases). Well if you do not have that unique feature / content then the next best thing to do is posts exchange. This should get some activity on the board and from personal experience I learned that a few new members who are actively posting can increase activity from older members. Lastly, is to do a giveaway or contest. However this will only increase activity for a short period of time.
Honestly, people will really only stay if they have a reason. Sometimes it's because they want free stuff or to use the content (tutorials, mods, etc...) and other times it's because it's fun to them. In most cases making it fun will keep a happy active forum (and get some nice donations) but content is the real money maker.
Honestly, people will really only stay if they have a reason. Sometimes it's because they want free stuff or to use the content (tutorials, mods, etc...) and other times it's because it's fun to them. In most cases making it fun will keep a happy active forum (and get some nice donations) but content is the real money maker.
Post content that people in your niche actually want to read. Focus on being unique, fresh and USEFUL. Focus on content that will give someone new knowledge, new education, a problem to a challange or an answer to a question. Make things easy for people to do in your niche and then market the heck out of it.
The sneakiest way of doing it and I've seen some people have success with it (massive explosions of activity in some cases, as activity can cause chain reactions of activity) is to create duplicate accounts.
Most people probably don't really like the idea of just sitting there talking to themselves (I'm not a big fan of it, but it's an option), however it does make a forum look active to potential new users.
I generally don't use this method, but I know some people who do and they seem to have done well when they used it.
Most people probably don't really like the idea of just sitting there talking to themselves (I'm not a big fan of it, but it's an option), however it does make a forum look active to potential new users.
I generally don't use this method, but I know some people who do and they seem to have done well when they used it.
Shawn said:
It's really all about this. Give your members a reason to come back.
For example, if you have a gaming forum, perhaps look into having a game night with your members where you all play a certain game. That way people have a reason to stop by your forum each week.
zachstephan
New Arrival
I'm having trouble with this as well. People don't want to join a dead or empty community. But you can't start a community without a community already. What came first, the chicken or the egg?
DearSweetAru
Reputable
Personally, I have namely been posting a variety of topics, inviting everyone I know, providing contests, and showing how much I adore my own forum. The more the members see how much you care for it the more they will care for it.
Lately I have also been hosting some more events based around holidays. We just finished up our month long Halloween one and I am discussing with my staff concerning a Christmas themed one. It's really been getting the members psyched about everything.
Recently I started doing some post exchanges and gathering affiliates through FP. It definitely seems to be increasing my member base.
I'm not sure if my Google ad is doing too much. I'll have to check on it. Advertising on Facebook didn't help at all (like the paid ones).
Otherwise, lots and lots of research. Lots and lots of SEO.
Lately I have also been hosting some more events based around holidays. We just finished up our month long Halloween one and I am discussing with my staff concerning a Christmas themed one. It's really been getting the members psyched about everything.
Recently I started doing some post exchanges and gathering affiliates through FP. It definitely seems to be increasing my member base.
I'm not sure if my Google ad is doing too much. I'll have to check on it. Advertising on Facebook didn't help at all (like the paid ones).
Otherwise, lots and lots of research. Lots and lots of SEO.
When I am starting a new forum, I will create multiple accounts and hold conversations with myself until some real people join in. As real members come in, I gradually semi-retire my duplicate accounts, posting in them every now and then just so it doesn't look suspicious if I have to bring them back later.
You couldn't tell it from my current forum because it's very new, but another thing that has been helpful to me is to use a conversational account other than my Admin account. In fact, I currently use Converse. Although it is clear that this account is me, as my signature states that it is the alter ego of the administrator, people feel more free to carry on a conversation with this account than with the Admin account. If I am offering an opinion and not a mandate, I don't want conversation to stop, after all.
Another useful thing that I do through this account is make a point of asking people questions about whatever they might have posted. If someone says that they prefer Bing over Google, ask why? What does Bing offer that Google doesn't? How many dollars worth of gift certificates have you actually won? Are Bing results better or worse than Google results? Basically, challenge whatever they have to say in order to get them to go beyond a mere statement. After all, if all I wanted to know how many people used Bing versus Google, I'd put up a poll.
You couldn't tell it from my current forum because it's very new, but another thing that has been helpful to me is to use a conversational account other than my Admin account. In fact, I currently use Converse. Although it is clear that this account is me, as my signature states that it is the alter ego of the administrator, people feel more free to carry on a conversation with this account than with the Admin account. If I am offering an opinion and not a mandate, I don't want conversation to stop, after all.
Another useful thing that I do through this account is make a point of asking people questions about whatever they might have posted. If someone says that they prefer Bing over Google, ask why? What does Bing offer that Google doesn't? How many dollars worth of gift certificates have you actually won? Are Bing results better or worse than Google results? Basically, challenge whatever they have to say in order to get them to go beyond a mere statement. After all, if all I wanted to know how many people used Bing versus Google, I'd put up a poll.
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