What do you do when activity gets low?

[MasterA]

There will be times when activity on your forum is very good but also times when activity will be low. What do you do when activity gets low?

 

[htb24]

I sometimes try and contact old member that used to be quite active. I also try hard going on promotion boards and getting my forum exposure.

 

[Delirious]

I try to post more stuff myself. In hopes that it gives it a lil kick. I try to make more guides and information threads to try to get those search engines sending traffic my way. Which might create a new member.

 

[Davao]

I usually organise a posting contest, which could help but you have to offer really good prizes to get people interested. Another is post exchanges, but sometimes they don't stick around and you will have to keep doing it. Posting packages is another option, but don't ofer many posts. Finally get pay for people to post because there is loads of people who do quality posts.

 

[pandaa]

Posting contests are good, but if they're not used correctly, they can make it even harder to get going again after the contest ends. I think the best way to combat any lulls in activity is to make sure that as an owner, you're making a steady amount of threads every few days.

 

[Deleted member 25872]

I advertise my forum allot if my forum traffic get's low, that's always worked for me.

 

[Captured Enigma]

i think that competitions are a good idea, as it will get people to come back as they already know a bit about the forum and will draw new members in.

 

[Joshua Farrell]

I advertise my forum allot if my forum traffic get's low, that's always worked for me.

The problem I see when taking this route Infected, is the fact that it doesn't show you are doing anything to help with content creation on the forum, so that the advertising works better. Which I would generally do both, since it would work out better.

 

[Sharon]

When activity gets low I tend to post like crazy. If I run out of ideas of what to post about then I hit advertising hard. Activity has always been up and down the key thing is to not give up.

 

[Geoffrey]

When activity and posting starts to slow down, it's typically a sign that everyone has said all they have to say on the topics available so it's time to start posting new topics. I'll post what I can and then outsource via post packages, exchanges, etc. to get some other people posting new content as well.

 

[Cody]

Whenever activity drops on my forum, I try to run a contest or giveaway or play some sort of big forum game with everyone. That usually helps with building the activity back up.

 

[CM30]

If my site ever slows down, I simply post like a lunatic until it speeds up again. Give people lots of interesting topics to reply to, and hey, Bob's your uncle. Activity usually starts trending upwards again...

 

[Enzo]

I tend to visit post exchange sites to boost activity for my forum.

 

[Rbjustme]

I tend to post a lot more, but it's a catch 22 when you are admin/owner. I have not found the answer to this as yet, so some suggestions would be helpful. :info:

 

[THF_Martin]

I'll change something around. Something small maybe just a layout change in terms of what forums there are on the index, and send a update email about it hoping to bring back members. At the same time I will also post a lot of new threads and reply to anything I haven't responded to already. If situations don't improve I will do some exchanges and maybe Postloop but normally I am always advertising so wouldn't step that up (I can't).

 

[Rbjustme]

Do you think it makes any difference if you are admin and you post a lot? My forum is really slow at the moment and I have tried everything I can, competitions, games, new threads, and advertising. Closed my forum to guests, opened it to guests and partially closing it to guests. :shrug:

I backed off posting as to avoid the stigma attached to admin posts all over the forum.

 

[Sharon]

Do you think it makes any difference if you are admin and you post a lot? My forum is really slow at the moment and I have tried everything I can, competitions, games, new threads, and advertising. Closed my forum to guests, opened it to guests and partially closing it to guests. :shrug:

I backed off posting as to avoid the stigma attached to admin posts all over the forum.

Personally, I don't think it's bad when an admin does most of the posting in a forum. The key to keeping activity alive in my opinion is to make it a point to respond to members' posts when they post them. If you start a thread, go back and reply to others' responses. Content building and advertising is a never ending process as an administrator - if you aren't in a position to keep up with it you should consider hiring more staff to help you.

 

[Fullmoon]

Research new topic ideas and post them. Keep threads updated. Share new ideas with the admin. Wober doesn't really get 'low' activity though lol.

 

[Cosmic]

I usually start doing exchanges. That can do a pretty good job of getting activity back up, even from existing members. 🙂

 

[Rbjustme]

Do you think it makes any difference if you are admin and you post a lot? My forum is really slow at the moment and I have tried everything I can, competitions, games, new threads, and advertising. Closed my forum to guests, opened it to guests and partially closing it to guests. :shrug:

I backed off posting as to avoid the stigma attached to admin posts all over the forum.

Personally, I don't think it's bad when an admin does most of the posting in a forum. The key to keeping activity alive in my opinion is to make it a point to respond to members' posts when they post them. If you start a thread, go back and reply to others' responses. Content building and advertising is a never ending process as an administrator - if you aren't in a position to keep up with it you should consider hiring more staff to help you.

Thank you for your reply Sharon, it is really appreciated, and was very helpful. I will return to they way I used to post, frequently. :great: