Forum Moderators: phranque
The category has a natural high drop out rate, but I would like to keep more of the previous visitors by adding "sticky content". They probably won't buy again for a long time (several years), but that is not the primary objective......getting them hooked and returning is.
One of the few ideas for this is to add a discussion forum, which IMHO are sadly lacking in this category, virtually none exist today.
The question is how do you start this process? Putting the forum software in place is not a problem, but putting up an empty forum with only topics would not be my first choice.
Artificially posting would also not be my first choice.
Should I just put the forums in place and wait? Will people post to empty forums?
Also, any insight to moderated Vs non-moderated would be useful - not from a legal perspective, but from a user experience perspective.
Thanks for any advice :)
Otherwise you will just be open to spam, especially with such a high traffic volume.
Starting off your forum shouldnt be a problem with the traffic you are seeing, you just need to categorise the topics well - what do your users want to discuss?
Take your main subject areas of your site as your main categories (no more than say 3 or 4 to begin with) and for each dedicate a few forums on sub-categories of your main subject areas.
Start off your posts with a sticky topic in each forum about rules or purpose of the forum or something like that.
Grab a few moderators and get them to kick of related discussions.
Follow up on from some of your static articles / content on your main site and use the forums to discuss the subject. Perhaps make a few posts yourself in each forum.
Have one or two forums a kinda free for all to ease people into posting (Foo style and perhaps General Webmaster for example).
Start off with a minimum amount of forums - you can move topics later into new forums.
For example.....
Begin with "Widget forums"
A few months down the line when the posts have accumulated split it down into, "Blue widgets", "Red widgets", "Green Widgets" (I actually developed a whole new section to my main site recently after a "red widget" forum proved to be popular).
To be honest, I wouldn't worry about making a few fake posts to begin with to get things rolling. With 2 million visits a month your input should be minimal anyway.
When you are ready to launch your forum create a new static page on your main site to promote it (or a "news" item on your homepage). Sheer volume of traffic moving onto the forum will get people posting.
However, in the long term the trick will be to nuture the discussions, debates and the community so people keep coming back and posting (and get involved with each others threads too).
The problem Ive faced is that our forums (advice type on an information site) have been reliant a lot on my own input, so not many visitors are participating themselves. This has somewhat been overcome by me stepping back a allowing others to answer posts, etc.
Points to remember:
1. Enforce your standards - keep the forum tidy and spam free (and possibly flame free too depending on your industry).
2. A few fake posts to kick it off at the beginning is no problem. But if you are still doing it 6 months down the line then there is something amiss.
3. Start small and expand forums naturally as people post - I like to try to keep each with similar amounts of topics - when one is out growing the rest I split it down. Although it may be good to have a single "shooting star" forum (*cough* Google News! :)).
4. Moderating team are lifesavers when things get busy. Get people you know to begin with, then promote a few keen posters later on.
Best of luck! :)
It's not easy, but it's fun in the long term!
Scott
A method I have used in the past is to enlist the help of 20+ people who are interested (or better still qualified) in the 'subject'. I have had no problem in finding willing helpers because people like to talk about the subjects they are interested in. Then lots of inbound links to the forum for the newbies to find and then come to the forum to ask questions.
>Should I just put the forums in place and wait?
No, you and the people you have got helping you have to be very, very active (all over the web) until you reach a critical mass.
>Will people post to empty forums?
Somebody has to be the first :) No of course the more posts the better attracter it is.
>Also, any insight to moderated Vs non-moderated would be useful
Moderation is essential because they take over a good proportion of the day to day administration load and also act as ambassadors - in fact they become the "board" and if they are successful then so will be the forum.
The one key imo is start with as many helpers as you can get.
Good luck percentages :)
[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 1:46 pm (utc) on Jan. 20, 2004]
I think I can get the moderators, now that you have made me think about it a little more :)
>Enforce your standards
That will be a challenge.....but is sound advice ;)
>what do your users want to discuss?
I think I have a fair idea, they have sent tens of thousands of emails over the last couple of years, so combining those into forum topics will be a starting point.
>Take your main subject areas of your site as your main categories
Yes, combining all the historic feedback and questions into a limited number of topics seems to be the way to go.
>Get people you know to begin with
I know 300+ experts in this field, some will have some "hidden" agendas.....but they are experts.....so I guess I could do worse?
>reach a critical mass.
I think that is the key.....I live in hope & see the importance of this.....time will tell I guess. The goal being to turn the mass into something they feel is critical to them.
>start with as many helpers as you can get.
Yep, I think that will be important. Get the experts asking each other questions about their specialized topics within the category, maybe a way to overcome the initial "emptiness"?
Thanks guys.....I will move forward with a new spring in my step and new determination to make a truly "sticky site".
