Please help me understand

[indest]

OK, I know I am posting this in [a somewhat] wrong area.... But I figure this is the most suitable spot for the question.


Why do people do post exchange?

The way I see it, a forum is as alive as its activity. You could have 1,000,000 posts, but if there is no active users then the forum is dead. Yes, post helps attract users but lack of activity will make them leave. So in the end, what benefits come from post exchange?

Think about it, I might get one person to make 20 post on my site, but if they never return after those 20 posts (which they are required to do due to an exchange) what good did they do.

Playing the Devil's advocate, I might see a forum (with no activity) and assume that the admin created "spam account" to not make their forum look so pathetic.

The aforementioned mentality could mean you are wasting precious resources (your time in the exchange, bandwith, etc).

So please explain this to me.

 

[LunarScorpio]

Moved this to a more suitable forum.

 

[master412160]

[user]indest[/user],

It can be useful for a ton of things.

1. It can be helpful to populate your just created forum with not just replies but also topics and users.
2. You can do daily exchanges, giving the appearance you got the exchanger(s) on your forum as active members.
3. If you need some new content quick without paying then this is the way!
4. Each topic made, even through a exchange is a + for your activity in a long run.
5. More content is always nice, as long it isn't copied and is unique.
6. You can make certain guidelines the exchanger has to follow, so you get what you exactly need from the exhanger for your forum at that time.
7. If you don't over use it, and make it like 60% natural activity on your forum and 40% exchange generated activity it can do its purpose.
8. etc ...

It should be mentioned as well, that nobody is going to do exchanges that have a active forum of 25+ members posting. Most of the time this are new forums or forums with little new content posted during a period of time. Like a week.

 

[indest]

Can't you accomplish the same thing by making a 2nd account and posting on your forum? At least you can secure the quality of the posts.

 

[zoldos]

That's why I'm trying to find people for a daily exchange. And I do see your point where people might not come back after the exchange. I still like it tho cause it entices existing members to post IMO.

 

[Tecca]

I still like it tho cause it entices existing members to post IMO.

That's the exact reason I do post exchanges. I have a few active members that have been around since 2006, and I want them to stay. By doing post exchanges, it at least gives us more to talk about, more people to interact with, and a general feeling of good activity.

Once we've built up enough content to justify actual members to join and stay active, that's when I'll most likely stop doing exchanges.

I also think it's one thing to do post exchanges and another to create multiple accounts. Post exchanges aren't deceit in any way - they're real people giving real opinions/posts. Another account just seems wrong. It's the same person, acting like someone else, with possibly differing opinions that contradict what you really think. Unless you're starting a brand-new forum with 0 other members around, and need to gear up for post exchanges, I don't like the idea of multiple accounts. Even then I wouldn't do it, but I could see why people might want to.

 

[SpeakWhatsReal]

It should be mentioned as well, that nobody is going to do exchanges that have a active forum of 25+ members posting. Most of the time this are new forums or forums with little new content posted during a period of time. Like a week.[

I disagree, when my forum will have 20-50 people online, I will still be just as active on forum promotion, why? Because my goals and plans for my forum are insane. 20-50 people online is nothing. Maybe if you add 3 zero's to the end.... I do see where you're coming from. Admin's might think that way, but in the end it's the wrong way of thinking and being egotistical like "Hey I got 20-30 people online, I don't need to promote my forum any more!" by the time you know it, your forum will be back to 1-3members online. Just thought I'd through this out there. Admin's should always strive for maximum user potential and not stop at a certain amount of users online. You reduce your site's potential by 99% if you do that.

 

[Migi]

Can't you accomplish the same thing by making a 2nd account and posting on your forum? At least you can secure the quality of the posts.

I don't think so. Technically speaking it is more or less the same, if you are the one posting around instead of a member through an exchange, but there is still differences. Your brains are different, your opinions are different. Therefore with a 'genuine different brain', your forum will be able to have more variety in posts and content. Of course you can put in some thoughts as well, but we are usually fixed on one point of view that it will be less interesting when someone else posts in your forum, even through exchanges.

Exchanges are beneficial for the life of new forums or slow forums. They help to drive discussion through other opinions, and help to make the forum look 'full'. Of course it is not recommended for long period; your forum needs to stand on its own too. However it helps to make the forum more interesting because the forum has content.

 

[SpeakWhatsReal]

Following phio_chan's point about the forum having to stand on it's own, I agree. Why? Because if you do alot of post-exchanges the people usually don't come back after a couple days. And if new users see the posts they made (and it was made like 3 months ago) if the user recognizes that, they will not sign up and it would even deter them away imo.

So always try to keep the new post-exchanges post's replied to and active, if you don't it will only make your board look even worse.

 

[master412160]

Can't you accomplish the same thing by making a 2nd account and posting on your forum? At least you can secure the quality of the posts.

You can, but with exhanges you are letting real people post on your forum. While with a second account, your just doing it all yourself. Which makes it fake and not worth it if your member ever find out. :great:

I disagree, when my forum will have 20-50 people online, I will still be just as active on forum promotion, why? Because my goals and plans for my forum are insane. 20-50 people online is nothing. Maybe if you add 3 zero's to the end.... I do see where you're coming from. Admin's might think that way, but in the end it's the wrong way of thinking and being egotistical like "Hey I got 20-30 people online, I don't need to promote my forum any more!" by the time you know it, your forum will be back to 1-3members online. Just thought I'd through this out there. Admin's should always strive for maximum user potential and not stop at a certain amount of users online. You reduce your site's potential by 99% if you do that.

I never said to stop promoting or working on your forum. I only said that most webmasters don't need to do exchanges anymore or won't plan on doing so when they have a decent active memberbase of 25+ members posting a day.

Maybe its just me, but I don't see people doing exchanges here on FP or somewhere else that got a decent active forum? :great:

Exchanges are only a priority to a webmaster when his real userbase don't contribute that much in a certain forum section or anything else is lacking at that time on their forum. And so exchanges can fill up what is lacking at that time.

 

[zoldos]

That's the exact reason I do post exchanges. I have a few active members that have been around since 2006, and I want them to stay. By doing post exchanges, it at least gives us more to talk about, more people to interact with, and a general feeling of good activity.

Once we've built up enough content to justify actual members to join and stay active, that's when I'll most likely stop doing exchanges.

I also think it's one thing to do post exchanges and another to create multiple accounts. Post exchanges aren't deceit in any way - they're real people giving real opinions/posts. Another account just seems wrong. It's the same person, acting like someone else, with possibly differing opinions that contradict what you really think. Unless you're starting a brand-new forum with 0 other members around, and need to gear up for post exchanges, I don't like the idea of multiple accounts. Even then I wouldn't do it, but I could see why people might want to.

I don't see any point to multiple accounts either. One of my older members (long gone thank God) did that and would have entire conversations with himself. It was amusing at first, until he started being a jerk....