Forum Moderators: rogerd
This, I figured primarly because, the posts dont get regular updates from members. As I remain as one among the visitors, I try to make a reply-post each time the posts by others die down a bit.
As a result, I find that most posts in the homepage of the forum carry my name; which would give an impression to a new visitor that I'm the only one active.
So, I feel if making a few false profiles and conversing would get members to feel that there is something active in the forums and keep them active as well.atleast I cud do this as long as visits get fairly regular.?
The problem with shill (fake) contributors is that they are so often so obvious.
Artfully done, I suppose shill posts could help kick-start a forum,
but I wouldn't expect too much from it.
Maybe a few posts in other very related forums would help,
but don't be surprised if the shills there kick out your posts! -Larry
The downside is that members don't like to be duped, and shouldn't be. Good members can put a lot of time and effort into posts, particularly if they feel they are helping someone in need. I've seen it here, where true experts may take twenty minutes to craft a detailed set of instructions for a new member. So, I'd be very cautious in using this technique - don't put up a false plea for help or information, for example.
As soon as things are rolling, let these invented members fade into obscurity. You don't want members to find out that the person they've been conversing with for the last year is actually you. The exception is the one I noted above - you may occasionally want to make a post or express a viewpoint that can't come from the forum admin; you may want to have a profile for this purpose. If you do, though, use it judiciously and only when necessary.
Be aware, too, that some forum members are excellent at sniffing out phonies - I've seen it happen many times. A consistent spelling error, a way of saying things, even a personality trait can lead other members to conclude that Member B is the same person as Member A.
As Roger said, you could slip up and be outted when dual posting yourself, but lots of random people posting you won't have that problem (although it will be very generic, burst traffic).
