How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (Full Version)

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candystripper -> How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 5:31:17 AM)

According to board statistics, 243878 Registered users have made 279560 posts in 32 forums. There are currently 25736 topics. This is itself a small percential of CM users at large. i can only state that anecdotally, though i have asked Support for a rough estimate. However, i think there's a consensus that the vast majority of CM users never come here. How could participation be increased?

1. Change login/signup to include both a CM profile and a board profile, ensuring that all new users are ready and aware of the boards, should they choose to use them.

Would this work? Well, we as board members could do nothing; it would require programming changes. And query whether we would want "login" to be difficult, as some once found creating a board profile to be.

2. Run a banner on the Home Page, announcing the boards and inviting people.

Again, this isn't something we could do; and banner space is now on reserve for advertisers.

3. Encourage nonparticipants that we know. i have done this, with very little success. New people sometimes run afoul of the mods, or other members, who are familiar with board protocol. Most people i have tried to "bring over" have given up in frustration.

4. Reduce complexity of establishing a board profile.

Again, not something we could do, but most eventually get help if they need it and get on with posting (only to freak at being nick'ed "vanilla", LOL.)

5. Increase Sections.

Whether this would really increase interest is unknown; what is known is that the boards would no longer fit on a single page, which might be a key programming goal. However, if it is worth considering, e.g., the major fetishes might get their own sections. It isn't something board members could affect.

6. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

i see a loss of something valuable in the fact that most CM members do not post. However, the site might get bogged down if they did; familiarity and reputation opportunities would decline in a larger crowd; and the added strain on the CM system might be a problem. So while increasing participation sounds like a great idea, maybe it's not.

What do Y/you think?

candystripper



UtopianRanger -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 5:50:23 AM)

quote:

What do Y/you think?

candystripper


This won't be popular.... but I say make things more interesting by letting them ''fly''. In other words... decrease intervention by the moderators; Let the natural order of the thread come to pass.


JMHO.

- The Ranger



RavenMuse -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 5:51:39 AM)

Personaly sweetie I think the forums are already obvious. But then given it was the first place I headed when I joined I probably would say that.

I know there are lurkers out there (Waves to one in particular.... Unless your Master objects then I WILL get you over that shyness [:D]) and personaly I don't understand what stops them from joining in. But then I don't suffer from being shy!

I don't think there is anything that can be done by the site in order to get more folks to participate, they DO know its here and it is obvious that it is of benifit with experiences, opinions and information from members with a huge range of diffrent experience.

When I find and collar MY girl then she will be required to participate if only so she has access to support and information other than myself (Something I consider healthy). Also with friends who don't post I encourage them to do so. I doubt that anything more can really be done. You can't lead them by the hand and force them to if they are too shy or appathetic to do so.



LuckyAlbatross -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 6:02:10 AM)

If you get more than 5% participation in any online forum, you're doing pretty well. On any online forum, a great majority of the posting is done by a great minority of the people, and a huge amount of people come to simply lurk. That's just how it is.

Online forums have life cycles, new people will come in as old people drop off. SOmetimes their's a glut and you get too many personality conflicts and sometimes there's a drought and too many cliques. Eventually it evens itself out.



windchymes -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 6:35:06 AM)

As forums go, this one kicks ass and is hopping all the time. If it got much busier, it would be almost impossible to keep up with. I think it's just fine the way it is. And yes, statistically, it usually is about 95% lurkers and 5% posters. You have to really enjoy writing to do this regularly, and most of the general population really doesn't.



MsIncognito -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 6:35:41 AM)

I don't feel there is any need to try and get more peopel to post. I think that a significant increase in board traffic would probably just make the boards unmanageable. Topics would move so quickly it would probably be difficult to keep up with any thread unless one spends a lot of time every day online monitoring discussions. As it is if I don't check threads for a couple of days they're all way down on page 2 or 3 and page one has all new threads on it. Unless the site owners have expressed an interest in increasing traffic on the boards (which they may have done elsewhere since I don't read every thread on the boards) I don't think we need to concern ourselves with doing them the favour of increasing traffic for them.



MsIncognito -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 6:37:38 AM)

Why am I getting "Lord of the Flies" visuals now? [;)]

quote:

ORIGINAL: UtopianRanger
This won't be popular.... but I say make things more interesting by letting them ''fly''. In other words... decrease intervention by the moderators; Let the natural order of the thread come to pass.



incognitoinmass -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 7:03:48 AM)

quote:

Topics would move so quickly it would probably be difficult to keep up with any thread unless one spends a lot of time every day online monitoring discussions.


I have seen that become a problem on other boards. Years ago I used to enjoy posting on the NYT's boards. They eventually became so popular that by the time you could post a response the thread had advanced a couple of pages. Crazy.



champagnewishes -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 7:23:27 AM)

I applaud your enthusiasm in wanting to get more people involved. I have tried to bring people over myself in the past with not much luck.

I was on the other side for a year and never made it over here. Now that i am back and semi retired, i have more time to devote. But i must add also, that if the boards became much busier, i would not have the time nor the inclination to keep up with them.



Mercnbeth -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 8:42:24 AM)

this seems to be the only suggestion you offer that is within the "power" of "WE" as board members and participants as opposed to the other stuff that you suggested that really has nothing to do with the "WE" in your subject line(unless you are including the ones who control the site in your "WE"):

quote:

3. Encourage nonparticipants that we know. i have done this, with very little success. New people sometimes run afoul of the mods, or other members, who are familiar with board protocol. Most people i have tried to "bring over" have given up in frustration.


have you done any research into why all the frustration? is it really the layout, or complexity of profile creation? the protocol seems, at least to this slave, to be spelled out pretty well in the TOS~it would seem common sense to read the TOS and be prepared to follow the guideleines or be prepared to "run afoul" BEFORE you agree to it. also, folks should be prepared to meet up with opinions that are not carbon copies of their own, agree to disagree and maybe even thicken up their skin a little--sometimes the topics here are not all flowers and romance and personalities will clash, just like in other online message boards (and offline social groups as well).



incognitoinmass -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 8:57:12 AM)

quote:

also, folks should be prepared to meet up with opinions that are not carbon copies of their own, agree to disagree and maybe even thicken up their skin a little--sometimes the topics here are not all flowers and romance and personalities will clash, just like in other online message boards (and offline social groups as well).


Indeed. Good advice.



proudsub -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 9:52:58 AM)

I'm having trouble now keeping up with all the posts. A few years ago i used to read every thread but now i am having to skip a lot of them. Participation has increased a lot over the last few years.



slavejali -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 11:43:34 AM)

Maybe more people welcoming new people on the introduction section would help candy? After all if they have made an introduction it shows they are willing to post, maybe they just need a little encouragement?



candystripper -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 1:11:09 PM)

Support responded; about 250,000 people are members of CM. if Y/you assume each person wrote, say, 100 xs, then about 2,300 people are members here, or less than one percent. Is that ratio good? Bad? Doesn't matter?

slavejali; i agree we should welcome newcomers but i feel we also try hard not to run them off.

candystripper



LuckyAlbatross -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 1:13:26 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: candystripper
Support responded; about 250,000 people are members of CM. if Y/you assume each person wrote, say, 100 xs, then about 2,300 people are members here, or less than one percent. Is that ratio good? Bad? Doesn't matter?

slavejali; i agree we should welcome newcomers but i feel we also try hard not to run them off.

candystripper

To me that's like asking who has a Yahoo email address and how many of those people are on a Yahoo Group. I see the Forums as a separate but connected entity from the personals side.

I think we've got a good, healthy mix and don't see signs of that changing.



cloudboy -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 2:03:26 PM)

Less is better.



KarbonCopy -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 4:21:27 PM)

get rid of all the stupid "you mistresses like this" bullshit threads.

oh and all the nobs that hang around looking for freaking fap material.
Hell I dont even know why I check this site anymore, it has made me grow contempt for the lifestyle.



Gauge -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 5:46:25 PM)

quote:

How could participation be increased?



Offer a free dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for every 100 posts.



windchymes -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 5:54:50 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Gauge

quote:

How could participation be increased?



Offer a free dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for every 100 posts.


If they did that, I'd be well into the thousands by now! [:D]



FelinePersuasion -> RE: How Can We Increase Participation on the Boards? (3/3/2006 6:01:50 PM)

I guess mods delated Padrigs posts about sugestions to improve email because it's gone



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