Maybe your members just need a reminder?

"Noticed you registered but never posted?" e-mail got my attention

[whoisgregg]

It begins as so many projects do -- a frantic hunt for the best sites to find info, registering like mad at the relevant looking forums, then getting distracted by a shinier new toy. A forum I registered at two months ago sent me an e-mail today (paraphrased per TOS):

Hi <user nickname>,

Today I checked all user accounts at <my forum> and saw you registered for awhile, but never posted in our forums.

If you had any problems posting, just let me know. If you need any help, just ask one of our Moderators.

If you can't post, you probably did not activate your account, which can be done using the following link:
<snipped activation link>

Thanks,
<Forum Admin>

I know this worked on me, I visited that site and looked around again and will be posting shortly. Does anyone else use this kind of auto e-mail to nudge your lurkers? How well does it work for you? Any complaints of "I didn't ask for this e-mail?"

Related to, but different topic than other current lurker thread, IMHO.

[richlowe]

If I received this email I would delete it as spam. In my opinion, until the confirmation step any emails, excluding the confirmation email, are spam.

[rogerd]

I don't find this e-mail overly intrusive. In my experience, a fair number of members don't receive their password or verification URL or lose it before they have a chance to use it. This is a nice way to help out those people who might participate with a little help.

[whoisgregg]

I know it worked on me and I am typically vehement about unsolicited e-mail. I did register at the site, just got distracted before I could start participating and this reminder really helped. I know a lot of forum owners would be nervous about sending any e-mails but if the user is "gone" anyway, there's little left to lose... my .02 :)

[4css]

I think that the "reminder letter" is a good idea for some forums but not for all of them.

I have a medical forum, and most of the time the people would rather not deal with emails. Most of them can only be at a computer for a limted amount of time. As much as I would love to send out an email like this, I don't think in my forum sitation it would be a good idea. My mods had even suggested this be done. I'm just not sure its a good idea.

For a forum such as this, I think its a great idea. If most people are anything like me, they are signed up at tons of web related forums. And even though bookmarked, I'm sure forget about them.

The reminder email is a good idea, in my opnion though I feel it depends on the focus of your forum.

[sidyadav]

I once received this kind of a mail from a forum I never post in, and to be honest - that mail didn't make any difference.

I put it in the same category as the e-mail from a trial product I had dowloaded about a month ago, which said:

Hey <name>,

We have noticed that you downloaded our product and still haven't paid for it. Let us introduce you to.. <bla bla bla>

Regards,
<The Product> Management Team

They may be a little different, but to me they both mean the same.

Sid

[chadmg]

One way to skirt the issue of spamming your disappeared members is to offer a newsletter. Place an option for the newletter at signup, and then you can send out a newsletter which is like an official reminder to visit your website. Even if you don't have a newsletter it's nice to add that option for the future. Anyone who is diligent about blocking unsolicited email will probably opt to not recieve your newsletter so then your not angering those people with a reminder email. I tend to try and always wear a white hat with these issues. You may not be reminding all of your ghosted members, but you will reach some. And if they were interested in reading your newletter in the first place, then those are probably the people you want coming back to your forum anyway.

[gethan]

I'm thinking of tring this - but with the added section:

If you do not wish to be contacted again, or use the forum. You do not need to do anything, in 7 days all details of your account will be automatically removed.

I think that this will mean I get users that are interested in participating, allow me to remove dormant accounts, and not worry about annoying people with later reminders.

[asp4bunnies]

My forum sends a Happy Birthday letter on each member's birthday. I don't think of it as spam at all, just a clever way of reminding them about the forum and sending them well wishes (we also include a "use the games section for a day free" coupon with the email as a birthday present).

Also, the cool thing about this is that it means that everyone is eventually emailed (even those who have posted and dropped off), they are flattered by us "remembering" their birthday. We have nearly 100,000 members and not a single person has ever complained about receiving it, though we do get a ton "Hey, thanks!"

Just make it sound personalized and not commercial at all and you're golden.

[AAnnAArchy]

My forum sends a happy birthday message too, but in a private message. It's written in a way that everyone thinks it's just for them. We get lots of people saying thanks and appreciating us thinking about them. Also, at the top of the board, on people's birthdays, it flashes a huge "Happy Birthday!" message that only they can see. Even though it's automated and I know that, it still cheers me when I see it on my own birthday.

[rogerd]

Interesting point, AAnnAArchy. Jumping over to the physical world, the club where I work out must trigger a similar display for the check-in person. When I check in on that day, I get a cheery, "Happy birthday, rogerd!". Despite the fact that I know she didn't actually remember my birthday on her own (and might be hard pressed to remember anything about me before she scanned my card), it is still pleasant.

Asp4bunnies, the birthday e-mail is a good idea for many communities. It's hard to imagine anyone being very ticked off about receiving a birthday greeting, and your own experience seems to confirm that.