Forum Moderators: rogerd
Strange, I've been involved with the widgets they talk about for 30 years, and have a lot to offer. I also have quite a bit of experience with using forum software and posting things in the right place, so I'm not exactly a newbie.
After feeling rejected and dejected for about 15 seconds (don't worry, I'll get over it) I got to thinking that maybe the new way to build up a community is to actually make it so exclusive that everyone wants to join to be part of that exclusivity?
Strangely, I was only asked three questions, which were answered along the lines of:-
1) Since I was 6 (thirty years)
2) Blue widgets and Grey widgets
3) No, I'm not a commercial entity
I signed up with a "real" email addy and allowed cookies.
Something obviously panicked the administration and they rejected me, but I came to WebmasterWorld for the same reasons (to ask a question) and ended up answering many questions for others and 6,000 odd posts under my belt. And I also help with the running of the place. And I've made donations. So I feel I've made a positive contribution.
There's a risk with an exclusivity tactic that you throw out members who potentially could make a contribution.
Anyone here employing such a tactic succesfully?
Actually, now I come to think about it, I haven't even heard them mentioned lately. perhaps they're self-limiting after a while.
Did the forum ask for your URL? Maybe a rival is a mod? Someone you met on another forum?
And even a few hundred normal ones! ;)
If you want to try applying again, we can write letters of recommendation for you!
Seriously, I respect communities that control participation tightly. They are unlikely to get huge, but they can provide focused, high quality discussion. Once you are in the door, you don't want to burn yourself by picking fights, trolling, etc.
When they are so stingy with acceptances that they turn down potentially valuable members, though, they may be sowing the seeds for their eventual demise.
>Something obviously panicked the administration
>and they rejected me
Is it possible they see you as a competitive threat? Or think you might be there to divert traffic?
Was your name included? Maybe they searched around on your name or username and something scared them.
If it were a tactic to make membership exclusive, it seems like you would have qualified.
Is it possible they see you as a competitive threat?
I really don't think so. I'm not, and there isn't anything on the web that would indicate that I would be.
Or think you might be there to divert traffic?
That's my only thought on it that seems possible, although it's not correct. I genuinely wanted to start an interesting thread.
Was your name included? Maybe they searched around on your name or username and something scared them.
Yes. And, yes, maybe that's what did it, although I honestly don't know how someone could have reached that conclusion. I'm not a threat to them, and I'm not out to spam them.
you may be seen as over-qualified
Not on the subject matter, no. I know a fair bit, but many of the guys in that forum are Oracles. Maybe that's the problem.
I'm still interested to hear if any members here are running forums with an exclusivity policy. I have to say it's the first time I've come across it.
Yep, a bunch of us has decided to set a quite a high hurdle to join our talking shop, with NO automatic registration or posting. It was the best way we could think of to eliminate SPAMming and trolling.
It will almost certainly cost us a few potentially valuable members, but it will even more certainly save us a lot of admin effort, temper and time.
Horses for courses...
Rgds
Damon
That can cover a lot of territory. We have manufacturers (including competing manufacturers), widget retailers, widget accessory designers, widget journalists, and so on. The forum is not intended for widget consumers.
The most common reason for rejection is that someone didn't provide enough information for us to verify that they are indeed widget professionals. We never reject someone without trying to phone them first, but if they haven't provided a phone number and they don't show up in the usual places we check, bye bye.
The rejection letter simply says that we were unable to verify their professional connection with the widget industry, and invites them to re-apply with more complete information. Some do.
After 4+ years membership is over 2500. I think our percentages of lurkers, occasional posters and active posters are pretty normal. The discussions are generally pretty useful ... lots of widget industry news, gossip, and shop talk.
We occasionally have to remind people to remember that even though the discussions usually have a "just among friends" feel, they need to remember that hundreds of people will read what they say, including direct competitors.
The forum populace is generally pretty civilized, and the few flame wars we have come from a couple of predictable cliques. The biggest trouble spot is the topic of competing with discounters. Those threads can quickly degenerate into legally hazardous discussions about price fixing. We've had to declare that "what to do about discounters" is a "don't go there" topic.
What would be really useful is a way to screen for idiots and airheads!
I see an opportunity there to create a more open forum of your own!
Damon - what do you do to "screen"?
Incidentally, I'm not bothered that I got rejected. I'm happy to assume that they're right and it's not the right place for me. I don't want to appear to be ranting over it.
I'm far more interested now in the overall philosophy of whether or not a community based on exclusivity of member is a good way to go. It's worked in the real World for hundreds of years with members only clubs and restricted application.
If you do that, do you publish the forum content or just keep all and sundry out other than the members? If the latter, how would you go about monetising such an animal? Could something like this be achieved subscription only, rather like WebmasterWorld's own Subscriber Forum, but for the entire site?
Does that kind of vibe work on a medium that essentially was designed to be free and open?
We ask the applicant to demonstrate their style and skills in an intro, and we keep what they post under review. If they subsequently turn out to have primarily wanted to SPAM us, we gently dissuade them!
Anyone (and SEs) can read what our forum members can; they just can't write/post without passing our litmus test.
Rgds
Damon
[edited by: DamonHD at 3:55 pm (utc) on May 10, 2007]
do you publish the forum content or just keep all and sundry out other than the members? If the latter, how would you go about monetising such an animal?
In our case, only registered members can access the forums and search engines are kept out.
The forum is not monetized directly. Despite occasional hassles, the owner considers it an investment like any other public relations exercise. It's a valuable source of ideas and insights, and as a result of watching discussions among retailers he has made several changes I'm aware of to fine tune his business procedures. That probably helps him to sell more widgets overall.
Retailers also learn a lot from each other, and the owner considers that a good thing. "What strengthens my partner strengthens me," he says.
--Is it possible they see you as a competitive threat?--I really don't think so. I'm not, and there isn't anything on the web that would indicate that I would be.
--Or think you might be there to divert traffic?--
That's my only thought on it that seems possible, although it's not correct. I genuinely wanted to start an interesting thread.
--Was your name included? Maybe they searched around on your name or username and something scared them.--
Yes. And, yes, maybe that's what did it, although I honestly don't know how someone could have reached that conclusion. I'm not a threat to them, and I'm not out to spam them.
--you may be seen as over-qualified--
Not on the subject matter, no. I know a fair bit, but many of the guys in that forum are Oracles. Maybe that's the problem.
I'm still interested to hear if any members here are running forums with an exclusivity policy. I have to say it's the first time I've come across it.
From what I've read so far, I am 99% sure it is a marketing strategy live and kicking here. At least, I don't see any other reason why to reject you in the case. The discussion here is getting more and more interesting, keep it going. Maybe the answer will pop up somewhere on the way.
