Author Topic: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members  (Read 7528 times)

  • Offline Bacon

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #45 on: July 29, 2011, 21:07:22 PM
Update:

We have secured the domain for the new website.

The next phase will be for those of us involved with the administration to theme the site and add customizations and starter content.

Guides, Reviews, Articles:

We have a number of Guides already in the specific forum section, if you have been an author of either of those guides please could you go back and check them to make sure they are worded correctly and add any images you can to them (i will edit images to fit), you can edit the original threads or from now you can email me directly with your guides and i will place them on the website.

Guides can really be about anything and everything, some ideas:

A weekly "Ninja Movie of the Week" with a some Youtube clips/images and a small write up about why you like the movie. (hint hint mattscott)

A write up about different types of Chillies, ways in which they can be used, ahem Chilli Vodka! Best brewing practises etc.

A review of your latest purchase, Hardware, Software, Gadgets, Geeky Stuff for the Home, Cameras/Lenses, Art Prints, any type of Collectable item, Food etc etc

A write up of Wireless Hotspots in your area, ranked/rated, if at pubs what do they have on tap, whats recommended, do they do any special dishes etc (This could be a weekly/monthly thing, a different place each time)

A guide to which Supermarket does the best uh Banana, Pizza, Curry etc, (own brands battle).

Literally any type of guide! Youtube vids are optional, images are a must (so get your cameras out!)

Again, once these are done, you can either post them in the Guides section or email them to me directly.

I will make sure that each writer is recognised for their contribution by stating your name in the article and linking back to your forum profile.

- - -

If you have any questions or something to contribute to the initial start of the site just post here or drop me a pm/email  :thumbup:
Last Edit: July 29, 2011, 21:10:00 PM by Bacon #187;
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  • Offline Eagle

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #46 on: July 30, 2011, 06:47:45 AM
Re exposure: set up an RSS feed to Twitter with www.twitterfeed.com  The sign-ups will roll in.

:cheers:

  • Offline Dave

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #47 on: July 31, 2011, 23:34:22 PM
I only come on here occasionally these days, mostly as there are a few people I know still on here and just for old times sake. Some of this all sounds quite interesting, I'm sure you guys will likely make a good job of the website given your backgrounds. I'm not sure what I could personally contribute at the mo as I'm snowed under with work but as of October I don't mind submitting a couple of reviews. I guess the onus is prob on the people really pushing for this idea (Nexus etc...) to make it happen if that's what they really want.

One thing I would point out is that if it's new members that are required then some of the more humerous ideas might be better off as new threads directly in the forum. For example the egg frying incident generated a bunch of new joiners because a direct link to the thread had been spammed around the net and people immediately registered to comment. Linking to an article wouldn't necessarily generate as many new members IMO.

  • Offline neXus

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #48 on: August 01, 2011, 00:50:51 AM
That is Old thinking though Dave.
Wont work.
Forums on the web are dead. They wont get exposure and not worth anything.
You can not drive traffic and people to forums, just does not happen.

We will be working to have articles create forum threads for discussion, comments likely to create an account that works with the forums or/and look to have facebook accounts work on these forums etc.
The site wont be stand alone, the idea is to properly integrate it with the community. It's goal internally is to drive an improved community.

  • Offline neXus

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #49 on: August 01, 2011, 01:24:25 AM
Just pointing out I was not being a bitch in that post, at work and just short to the point typing there.
You need a modern approach and POD (point of difference). You are right things like the egg thing got notice on the web and that is what we are looking to do, Paul (XSPC) water cooling his Xbox was another. It is just that forums just as forums do not do anything on the web any more.

Key is if you can only do one or two articles, that is fine. When you have 10-15 people contributing something for example you keep it all going.
I think after more planning Bacon will provide a good "your article must have" guide as it is important to keep that consistant POD style.

  • Offline Cypher

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #50 on: August 01, 2011, 16:58:52 PM
For what it's worth I'm still lurking in the background reading the site, but probably once a week at most.  This is partly due to the way the site has gone quiet, but as mentioned with other people our priorities change in getting older.  I joined this site as a young 16 year old lad on College computers through Redneck, I must have been around 10 years now.  (Where's the cake?)  In general I don't spend a lot of time interacting with forums anyway.  Experts Exchange is the only one you will find me active on in anyway.

I look forward to any new idea's that generate new content for the forum.  It's exciting to see enthusiasm to move forward rather than let it die.

  • Offline Cypher

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #51 on: August 01, 2011, 17:05:07 PM
We're now on SMF 2.0! Let me know if anything is borked

Did we not have a link before in profiles to list threads created by users, not just individual posts?

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  • Offline Clock'd 0Ne

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #52 on: August 01, 2011, 19:06:40 PM
I'm sure there are a lot more old hands that lurk but rarely post still visiting, hopefully all this will be a kickstart to getting those people back on the board posting more.

We certainly did have a list threads link Bob, I'm not sure where it's gone but I will investigate.

Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #53 on: August 01, 2011, 19:28:32 PM
Spotify Invites :D
Must have over 20 quality posts :D

  • Offline Shaun

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #54 on: August 01, 2011, 20:45:56 PM
Dump Tekhead support, looking at the Tekhead’s section's they are not exactly generating much traffic and contributing much to the community tbh

It is very easy for this forum to be written off (at first glance) as just another support forum for an online retailer and not a community in its own right, I can’t speak for anybody else but personally I avoid online retailer’s forums like the plague as they are normally full of sycophants and idiots.

  • Offline neXus

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #55 on: August 10, 2011, 23:31:41 PM
I can not argue with that either, I do not think it is doing them anything.

The new site I think the people wanting to get this going all have ideas but all want this to work and do very well and we are not jumping the gun with it and some great discussions, plans are being made up.

Logo prototype has been done, and I am working on making it into a proper logo and will really give a unique look and feel for the site.

As mentioned it will be a news, tech, guide site but the goal is to build a community more then anything else. There were plugins to get wordpress and these forums talking back and fourth for making a forum thread when an article was made etc but they are outdated and will need to be made working with the new platforms.
The reason these sorts of things have not been worked are literally because forums are not the thing of the web any more.

We are hoping to give some worth to them again through a number of methods.
It may not work but if this becomes a hit we will have that community we can keep alive through modern social media, google plus may end up being where we all chat, who knows.

Were trying to sort things and do it right.

Build and use of the the site will also be very important. None of that "Top 10 something" and have each one on its own page and take ages to load for example.
This site needs to have the information but it wont compete with the well knowns on when that info comes and the quality (to start with) but if it is easier to read and use then your more likely to read this new site then others.

Also working on that it will scale and work very well and look designed for the ipad/iphone (and others) formats.

  • Offline Eagle

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #56 on: August 10, 2011, 23:41:35 PM
Forums on the web are dead.
So utterly not true.

Set up an RSS feed on Twitterfeed - oi tells ya.  It's effortless marketing - set and forget.

  • Offline neXus

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #57 on: August 11, 2011, 04:10:20 AM
Forums on the web are dead.
So utterly not true.

Set up an RSS feed on Twitterfeed - oi tells ya.  It's effortless marketing - set and forget.

You said RSS which is dead too :P I can link so many articles on that and forums.
A forum on its own no matter what you do on that does not work in getting any web traffic, trust me.
Have a site that you integrate with a forum well with articles and discussion and a bit like comments and twitter interest you can get traffic.

But No, forums + web - 1990's and just do not fit with the modern web. They are not dynamic enough.

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  • Offline Clock'd 0Ne

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Re: Ideas to increase forum exposure/members
Reply #58 on: August 11, 2011, 09:36:36 AM
I assumed Twitterfeed was just for Twitter, but having looked actually that could be very useful seeing as it does Facebook as well. It definitely couldn't hurt to set one up, I'll get on it Eagle :thumbup:

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  • Offline Clock'd 0Ne

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