The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

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marian0810
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by marian0810 »

mariank wrote:(anyone else want to add before I get to work?)
You mean besides the fact that posts like that are not allowed here? ;)

https://www.phpbb.com/rules/#show-off
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mariank
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by mariank »

marian0810 wrote:
mariank wrote:(anyone else want to add before I get to work?)
You mean besides the fact that posts like that are not allowed here? ;)

https://www.phpbb.com/rules/#show-off
OOps sorry (I guess). A post in General Discussion about ".. how do you get new users?" seems like a good place to ask other phpBB users for tips.
Peter77sx
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by Peter77sx »

If I remember right, your site is about baby's/child products and or discussion and, just my personal opinion here, I'm not sure a parent would want to get so openly social about their children on public forums.

Maybe it's different where your from, I don't know.
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mariank
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by mariank »

Peter77sx wrote:If I remember right, your site is about baby's/child products and or discussion and, just my personal opinion here, I'm not sure a parent would want to get so openly social about their children on public forums.

Maybe it's different where your from, I don't know.
That's why there are screen names.Women love forums cause you can ask all your personal questions with nobody knowing who you are. Do you know who I really am? Am I using my real name? What country do I live in? I've joined health forums with totally bogus screen names and emails.
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tbackoff
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by tbackoff »

All posts regarding the styling of that particular board have been split off into a new topic. Please continue support here: Fixing the styling of my board
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mrjon
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by mrjon »

i would say.. advertise, advertise, advertise

But where? That's the hard part. Can't post on other forums and websites. They will ban you.

I always try exchanging links with other forum members or websites. The main source is Paid Advertising. Google Adsense Banners. But it can be expensive.
poppy4
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by poppy4 »

This is an interesting subject. I've always appreciated forums for gathering information and for helping others (if I can). However, I do think that for various reasons, one of which is ease of use, these days people seem to prefer Facebook etc. Forums are losing out to social networking and there is not much to be done about that.

My forum is about one single subject and I don't know how it got going because for a fair while it was a struggle. I did spend a lot of time on it, being friendly and trying to welcome new members. I've also tried to involve members in the running of it and some of the things that have evolved have come from their suggestions. The forum is unusual in that it is a closed one. I have canvassed the members about this and they actually prefer it this way. It makes it like a friendly club. It is also the only forum covering this particular area of interest in the UK. Our Google ranking moved up gradually and now we are on page two of a search for the main subject that the forum covers.

It was quite small at first but the number of sub forums has grown as the need arises so now we have quite a few more than we had at the beginning. However, I have always sought to keep it small and simple. The newer sub forums are about the subject of the forum and we have not deviated into other areas. I totally agree with previous comments about forums that are too big and cover far too much subject matter. I think you need to hone in on a particular area of expertise/interest.

We run a very tight ship - no swearing, no abuse or nastiness and we don't discuss religion, race or politics. Everyone is made welcome but they have to post an introduction before gaining full access to the forum. I delete none posting members if they have not posted within ten days. I also delete members who have not been back for one year in an attempt to keep the membership current.

I don't have the answer to why so many forums fail but I suppose it is best not to expect too much and to be prepared to put a fair bit of effort into it. It's no good if you set one up and don't visit it for days on end. Maybe if a forum fails it is because there isn't an actual need for it.
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noth
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by noth »

Poppy I like your post (above) and am interested in your reference to Facebook

Yes I think you are right these days people seem to prefer Facebook etc. ... and the etc I take it is Twitter 8-)

The ironic thing is that these social networks are less sophisticated than a phpBB board could be e.g. different access levels to sub forums/ password entry forums and on top of that, many forums still have threads and discussions going back literally YEARS :shock:

If you look back on Facebook and Twitter how far back are you going to go? 2 weeks!?

but they do seem to be winning the war, in fact have they won it? nevertheless I am glad to see 3.1.0 on the horizon and some great praise for it evident during it's successful development - this is very heartening

the question "The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?" is quickly followed of course by "The next hardest question of all ... how do you get the new users to actually participate??" :lol:
poultrymatters
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by poultrymatters »

I think it is true that the majority are interacting on facebook etc these days. People find it easier to find, and easier to use in so many ways. That's the perception whether it's true or not. I have found that having a facebook login system for the phpbb board is very helpful for getting people to login. They don't have to remember another username and password, and when something of interest is posted on facebook they can come to the site, log in easily and take a look.

I am very hopeful that if those of us that still have boards surviving the facebook migration can hang on for another year or so, some better options might become available. The new 3.1 in development is very encouraging. I like the sound of the hook/plugin system and I'm hoping that new mods that are easier to install may be developed in time. Maybe better cross-platform integration will be developed by someone. Not likely to be done here, but maybe someone out there will realise how important it may be for the survival of phpbb boards. They are still far superior to facebook. We just need to make it easier and more desirable for people to be on them.
antonjw2
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by antonjw2 »

poultrymatters wrote:I have found that having a facebook login system for the phpbb board is very helpful for getting people to login.
Does this keep them logged in to the board once they have logged in with it once?

Also, can they still pick a forum username, or do they just go under their real (Facebook) name? Interested in which mod you have used to achieve this, if you don't mind sharing.
Holger
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by Holger »

The Alternate Login Mod is very useful and does the above (optional).
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reptileguy
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by reptileguy »

People complain about Facebook on Facebook, and then stay on Facebook :D
But the age of phpbb-forums is not over. Forums will always be more suitable for in-depth discussions. Keep your forum interesting, and people will find it ;)
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Volksdevil
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by Volksdevil »

Well, I'm just bringing back my previous post (Below) as I stuck with it and changed hosting company. And I swear that since doing that, my board has started to take off now! :D Just shows having a good host that can provide a fast and reliable site really can help!
Volksdevil wrote:Meh. :( I'm on the verge of just deleting my latest Board. I've put in so much time and effort and yet it just doesn't seem to want to get going...It's very specific with loads of personally hand written stuff too.

...Snip...
Holger
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by Holger »

reptileguy wrote:People complain about Facebook on Facebook, and then stay on Facebook :D
But the age of phpbb-forums is not over. Forums will always be more suitable for in-depth discussions. Keep your forum interesting, and people will find it ;)
There are some competing (large) FB-groups about the same (niche-)subject as my forums, but my forum had a recordmonth in terms of posts and users in January this year. So: FB is not taking over.
Show that you care about your users (we added SSL/https last month) and be present!

Volksdevil, congrats (is it the Corrado-forum?)!
Yeah, as I wrote somewhere, it is very frustrating if the website is down or slow. This is the main reason for people to only visit once!
If a website is FAST and always available but the content is not so much, people will still look at it now and then.
And if a website is FAST and available AND has rich content ... well then you have won - and you will also win over Fakebook and Twatter.
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Mick
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Re: The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Post by Mick »

reptileguy wrote:But the age of phpbb-forums is not over
Agreed. BB's are a different animal to FB and Twitter etc. and fill a different niche. I've been using BB's since compuserve days, they are still here and probably will be when social media is dead. I used to run a packet (ham radio) BBS in DOS in the 80's/90's and that was fun! Personally I find FB lame, not quite so Twitter but neither are my cup of tea.

Vive la phpBB!!
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