Fake Online Users

[Donny]

Wouldn't it be better to post under their main account and appear to be an elite forum member? That would attract more traffic and questioning IMO. And you need to start as you mean to go on, what if those 20 accounts all create a lot of traffic, and your 1 genuine member asks a question via PM to one of those 20 accounts, and you miss it, because it's confusing trying to follow 20 accounts on one forum?

Just doesn't make sense to me.

If you can create discussion by starting lots of threads informing people of a topic, and then asking people about it, you WILL get genuine members register and post - as soon as people actually find the thread.

It wouldn't half put me off a forum if the guy who ran it had 20 accounts. And it would eventually come out too I'd have thought.

I don't know a single forum that's popular, that would have started off by either paying forum posting companies to create fake discussion, or creating fake discussions themselves. I know hundreds that are popular that have created lots of content themselves first, to make it attractive to people who want to register, and then give it the best chance to rank well for those topics by optimising it well.

And it would bore me to death talking to myself to be honest.

 

[AutoMaverick]

that would have started off by either paying forum posting companies to create fake discussion, or creating fake discussions themselves. I know hundreds that are popular that have created lots of content themselves first, to make it attractive to people who want to register

What is so wrong with this (provided it is done well) ?

then give it the best chance to rank well for those topics by optimising it well.

What is so right with this (it gets more wrong the more right way you try to optimise) ?

 

[Donny]

Paying for discussion sucks IMO, even if it was paying for genuine people in the offline world who are elite in the forum topic. I just wouldn't pay for discussion. If a forum can't gain discussion naturally, it's not a forum IMO. Forum by definition means 'open discussion' and I'd like to think that it's all above board and open and honest.

If anything, paying two blokes to talk to each other to create 50 long threads, perhaps would attract some genuine traffic, and start the ball rolling. But I would like to think if I start a forum off, I can get people in who want to become part of the forum, to do that long-term. And to genuinely be genuine about it all.

I think the forum would be short-lived if you're paying somebody to talk to themselves on a forum. If you look at the original threads of some forums that are now huge, you tend to find the first threads were article-style threads and then asking for comment at the end. Or unique content/interviews/write-ups/product or service reviews etc etc that would naturally attract readers and therefore a % will always want to ask some questions so will register and join in.

So with the second quote there in your post, I'm saying if your website is well optimised, and you have unique content, you will get traffic to the forum, and you will get a % of that traffic to register, and a % of that traffic will post some threads, and a % of their threads will rank well and attract more readers, and the ball keeps rolling.

It's all about the content though, and those who pay forum posters realise that, hell, they're even paying for what I'd like to think I can get for free or do myself. But you can genuinely chat to my members and myself on my forums, and keep chatting long-term to them, they're part of the community, not paid-posters, and they'll be there in years to come.

I find out of the first 100 or so members who become regulars, a tenth of them become the guys who run the forum years down the line. They've posted to the forum because the liked the forum topic, saw they could contribute to it, help report posts not in-keeping with forum rules or guidelines (or even just spam) and do it all for free. Because that's what gets forum off the ground in my opinion and experience.

I've seen forums with no genuine traffic/threads come and go time and time again. If you need to pay to get content on your forum, you should probably just pick a different forum topic and knock on up that you can gain genuine posters on. IMO of course.

 

[mlw4428]

The problem with Cal's website is that it doesn't bring anything fresh to the market. Now arguably nothing done on the internet is entirely fresh, but there's thousands of American forums dealing with conservative/libertarian (or any other political viewpoint) ideologies. What you're in need of is something that sets you apart from the other 10,000 forums exactly like yours. Maybe look into partnerships with large grassroots organizations or political parties you're wanting to push. Do some advertising. Faking user content is pointless and truly won't grow your site, because I'm sure people are coming...they're just not staying.

 

[Cal]

The problem with Cal's website is that it doesn't bring anything fresh to the market. Now arguably nothing done on the internet is entirely fresh, but there's thousands of American forums dealing with conservative/libertarian (or any other political viewpoint) ideologies. What you're in need of is something that sets you apart from the other 10,000 forums exactly like yours. Maybe look into partnerships with large grassroots organizations or political parties you're wanting to push. Do some advertising. Faking user content is pointless and truly won't grow your site, because I'm sure people are coming...they're just not staying.

Yeah ok. Because originality is no longer fresh

I've done all of that. Which is why I've ignored this thread. It's been the most unhelpful thread to date I've ever seen on Xenforo.

 

[mlw4428]

Yeah ok. Because originality is no longer fresh

I've done all of that. Which is why I've ignored this thread. It's been the most unhelpful thread to date I've ever seen on Xenforo.

You either didn't read or didn't comprehend what I was saying. Your site isn't original. There are tends of 1000s of political forums out there. There are thousands of sites that push the very ideology that you're pushing. The only source of "originality" I could find is that you have some sort of desire to lead a new political party.

Your thread wasn't asking for help. It was asking for a way to cheat the system, so to speak. For someone who proclaims this liberty, truth, justice stance, you'd think you'd go about it a little more honestly. The people in this thread were merely trying to come up with ways to help you that had more honor than "hurrr fake accounts".

Fake accounts reek of dishonesty and few websites have ever pulled it off successfully. What you need is something to make yourself stand out, because from what I've seen your content is the same. That's the trick.

 

[Cal]

It isn't a political forum. At all. Not even close in fact. Thanks.

 

[Paul B]

Closed at the request of the thread author.