Keeping members !

Zerabira · Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 105

Simple things like making sure your members don't have to go elsewhere for stuff you can easily provide. Without going overboard, try to make sure your forums cover everything relevant to your topic. Observe competing forums, make sure yours are at least as or more organized and that you are covering everything relevant that they do.

A well thought out and well written set of guidelines will have your members take the site a little more seriously.

Only partly relevant to this topic, but - Easy to remember domain name, easy to type in. Something that rolls off the tongue easy will help returns and word of mouth advertising. No offense to this site but if someone asked me for a webmaster forum url I would much more likely end up sending them to sitepoint or seochat, short, snappy and easy to spell.

Make things more user friendly than your competition in the way that you organize things. Simple things make a big difference.

An easy on the eyes/atractive forum skin.
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Camron · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 110

Keeping member is not easy, As I know I run my own forum and I try very hard to keep my members. I do understand the hardness of the forum keeping members. Good luck with your website Smile

dojo · Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 88 Location: Romania

Start new threads daily and make them really feel welcome in the community. Few active members can really keep up a forum when they feel like belonging there. A relaxed atmosphere is always good
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Anncp · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 39

I do the same thing in regards to sending a welcome PM (custom not automatic) to new members, but I do that to every member and not just ones that register and don't post soon. I think it helps to make them feel like they're wanted at the forum.

I also send out a Thank You PM after they reach 100 posts to thank them for their contribution to the forums.