Getting New Members To Stay - ideas

by **fakiestore** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 2:01 pm

I'd say just being generally welcoming to new members is all thats required.......you can play around with the structure and what/where people post all you like.. but it's other members that keep newer chaps coming back.....

I joined a football forum recently, posted an introductory message and within a day I had around 10 responses from regulars welcoming me to the site etc....

Made me all warm and fuzzy inside....... :oops:

**Sponsor**

by **Dec** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 3:15 pm

Well, I have been sending PM Welcoming new members, but I dont think that will help much.

by **fakiestore** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:01 pm

Yeah I kinda meant the regular guys posting stuff on the forum.....

by **libby** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:33 pm

Ok i'll try to keep that in mind and do my bit

by **tomcat360** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:56 pm

OR---we could be like Swaylocks, where you MUST search before asking questions, and then slowly work your way into their respect by asking intelligent questions and showing your advancements that have been based on their tips...

Now how that happened--who knows

by **Dec** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:56 pm

Yeah..it's a good idea, but how do WE start it?

by **libby** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:27 am

I dunno, i don't think theres any point in this forum going in a swaylocksian direction because this isn't a swaylocks style forum.

Swaylocks is obviously extremley advanced and designed for people who already know what they are doing but want to further themselves. This board on the other hand, is designed at least partly, for people who are just starting out. By introducing a swaylocks mentality surely we would be defeating the whole point of this website?

Don't get me wrong, this board needs experienced surfers and a i'm all for people earning others respect rather than just demanding it, but i like how unpretentoius this forum is. Thats what keeps me coming back.

by **tomcat360** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:25 am

I totally hear ya Libby. I was kinda kidding around with the Swaylock's thing. I think what they have is great for their forum, but not particurally this one.

I just gotta say I like the way of earning respect through what you have produced over there--but there's no place for a topic like "who likes fireworks"!

by **PapaW** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:06 am

Bingo, its all about who its aimed at. This site is a resource for begingers in all aspect of surfing... the riding, the travel etc. The forum however helps span this potential further giving a solid internaional community which progresses further from the initial stages of basic site.

Does that make any sence?

by **drowningbitbybit** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:31 am

Just a thought, thinking aloud....

Is it worth having an 'experienced' section - which you can only get access too after, say, a hundred posts?
There's been a few times where Ive, or someone else, asked a question and either get a bunch of replies along the lines of 'your boards too small, you need a bigger board' or you've got to phrase it in quite an unfriendly way, "flesh off newbies, I only want experienced people answering this..." :roll:

Kinda splitting the surf tips in two maybe?
But then we get back to making more forums not less...

...but we can make access to this forum as the first reward!

by **tomcat360** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:07 pm

so maybe why people are getting to 40-50 posts and leaving is because, they have found out the basic information they want, so they leave?

by **PapaW** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:43 pm

In a way yes. But I see similar turn over on other forums, I think its jsut the way things are. No doubt tho that the last 2months have seen an increse in 'regular' posters.

by **tomcat360** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:21 pm

I just thought of this-- we could have a "reward" that nobody knows about...set at say, 100 post, and like another at 250?

Then when they are starting to waver away they go, "hey! Look at this!" and kinda gives them a boost. Kinda like the new kids coming into the Full Member Pages.

Now, any ideas for "rewards"?

by **tomcat360** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:36 pm

Oh yeah, I'm trying to be nice to the newbies! :lol:

by **PapaW** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:20 am

Your doing a better job than me!!!! I always forget to greet them heh

by **Dec** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:56 pm

lol, Tomcat, I have been trying to say that in all my posts.

*Myabe acces to an area of surfing-waves.
*1% per 200 posts of the Surfing-waves shop?!

..something like that

by **tomcat360** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:06 am

yeah I know that you were trying to say that, I just added the "keep it a well guarded secret" part.

Like anything after this should be moved to full members :wink:

by **tomcat360** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:10 am

seriously though, maybe that should be considered, moving this so people don't look back through the archives and find....

by **Dec** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:42 am

Where are we going to move this?

Is there any way only certain people can view this?

by **drowningbitbybit** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 9:24 am

hiphopdec wrote:Is there any way only certain people can view this?

We dont need to move it - just copy and paste in a few of swaylocks' really technical discussions and noone will understand a word and will soon stop reading :wink:

Getting New Members To Stay - ideas

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