How to make people talk?

[cosmindan08]

Hey guys

So my forum is tied to my main website and so far I have about 350 members in 2 months or so. The issue is that almost nobody is talking on the forum, although I have like 50 different topics. I also send them a welcome email once they purchase or register for free on the main site letting them know about the forum, I also have a free course that I give when they reach 50 posts but still nothing. Any tips or ideas would be highly appreciated.

Thanks and have a great week ahead!

 

[TPerry]

You simply can't "force" folks to "talk".
ALL you can do is generate topics that they may desire to participate in...
Classic case.. I have recently gotten several new users on my site.. but they came for the content that was there (and they didn't have to join to see). If they want to later participate.. great... but if they simply want to consume content...then that's fine also.
The majority of the content currently created on my site is by me.

The simple (and sad) fact of life is that most of society is currently consumers... VERY few of them actually generate any content, being entirely dependent on others to do so and to "guide" them. It's based upon the simple (and once more sad) fact that most of them can't take the time to actually "enjoy" life and actively participate in a "content" area and relay that data... they want to be told "how to do it".

 

[Brian Jones]

You simply can't "force" folks to "talk".
ALL you can do is generate topics that they may desire to participate in...
Classic case.. I have recently gotten several new users on my site.. but they came for the content that was there (and they didn't have to join to see). If they want to later participate.. great... but if they simply want to consume content...then that's fine also.
The majority of the content currently created on my site is by me.

The simple (and sad) fact of life is that most of society is currently consumers... VERY few of them actually generate any content, being entirely dependent on others to do so and to "guide" them. It's based upon the simple (and once more sad) fact that most of them can't take the time to actually "enjoy" life and actively participate in a "content" area and relay that data... they want to be told "how to do it".

Sad, but very true.

 

[80sDude]

The age old question how do I get members to comment. Do you end your threads with a question? Getting members to participate in threads is never easy but definitely achievable. Like Tracy mentioned above many just like to read and read.

 

[cosmindan08]

The age old question how do I get members to comment. Do you end your threads with a question? Getting members to participate in threads is never easy but definitely achievable. Like Tracy mentioned above many just like to read and read.

I really thought that you make a forum, put the topics and that's all I mean I always ask questions on videos, groups, forums, chats if I need something and my forum covers a broad audience like YouTube so there's a lot to ask about...but guess patience is the key here.

 

[80sDude]

I really thought that you make a forum, put the topics and that's all I mean I always ask questions on videos, groups, forums, chats if I need something and my forum covers a broad audience like YouTube so there's a lot to ask about...but guess patience is the key here.

Patience and more members. If you could get a few out of let’s say 100 to participate that’s a start. Don’t forget that in this age people are lazy. If you pay attention on social media people prefer to click like than comment. That’s a tell tell sign that a good percentage of people prefer to click then comment.

 

[PatriotGB]

You simply can't "force" folks to "talk".
ALL you can do is generate topics that they may desire to participate in...

Yep. You've got to "prime the pump" by creating content yourself. It's work! And it works! I don't know the main subject of your forum, but if there are aspects of the main subject that can be controversial... Gold! Post some threads that will "trigger" people (in a good way!). Post threads on topics that are IRRESISTIBLE.

Do you end your threads with a question? Getting members to participate in threads is never easy but definitely achievable.

Yep. Asking questions is a good way to get people talking, too.

I really thought that you make a forum, put the topics and that's all

By "topics" do you mean forum categories or sections? If so, then.... no. There's a LOT more to it than that. You'll need to post threads yourself. Lots of them.

Patience and more members. If you could get a few out of let’s say 100 to participate that’s a start.

Yep. A majority of members will be nothing more than lurkers or very occasional posters. But there will (eventually) be a "core group" of active posters.

 

[Alvin63]

Asking questions, setting polls maybe. Adding lots of content and posts yourself that people might want to reply to - all mentioned above. But maybe in some content on your main website you could leave "feeders" - eg a topic that goes so far and then ends with - please see our forum for further information - and have an expanded topic there and maybe a poll with it or something. In the poll have an "other - please explain" option, so if there are categories that don't fit they can explain what their preferred option is.

You can sometimes get 3 or 4 people who just love writing things and talking about things, and those three or four people can make a forum very active, which encourages others to want to post too. If it's quiet and a bit empty, people don't bother to post. You could even ask a couple of members to support it and post regularly.

 

[Suzanne O]

Make sure the members are the real deal and not spammers trying to bump your site up.

put the links to some discussions on social media.

 

[bennylava]

A majority of members will be nothing more than lurkers or very occasional posters. But there will (eventually) be a "core group" of active posters.

Would you say that this "core group" ends up generating profit for the site? Sounds like a dumb question, but I can't help but think that there's only so much the same people will buy from you. Maybe they result in more people showing up.

Make sure the members are the real deal and not spammers trying to bump your site up.

Could you please elaborate a bit on why a spammer would want to bump your site up? Do you mean bump it up in some kind of SEO rankings?

Just trying to learn all I can from you veterans!

 

[Suzanne O]

Spammers are those that sign up and can either a) post up something with links on it or b) post up porn on your site.
they bump up your member base but make it more difficult to clean up.
You're better off getting some of your mates on there because then you know they're the real deal!

 

[PatriotGB]

Would you say that this "core group" ends up generating profit for the site? Sounds like a dumb question, but I can't help but think that there's only so much the same people will buy from you. Maybe they result in more people showing up.

That question is out of my wheelhouse, really. My forum has not generated a single cent. I'm footing the bill... for now.

My forum sells nothing, so there's nothing for the core group to buy from me. My forum is a place for discussion among people who share an interest in the same hobby.

Eventually, I may incorporate advertising and / or affiliate sales links. But right now I'm focused on building a thriving forum. So far, so good!

 

[bennylava]

Would you say you've had an easy enough time making the forum thrive? Was it easy enough to get 30 or 40 core members that post fairly regularly?

 

[PatriotGB]

Would you say you've had an easy enough time making the forum thrive? Was it easy enough to get 30 or 40 core members that post fairly regularly?

Hmmmm... easy? I guess that's a matter of perspective.

I've poured a TON of energy into the forum, including creating a ton of content in the form of various threads designed to encourage participation. I've also spent countless hours tweaking the forum's sections and features / add-ons.

I did have one "advantage" in the realm of my forum's niche... not much competition. There was a previous forum that dominated in this niche, but it was abruptly shut down. A few spin-off forums were launched by members of the original forum. But they all went with free platforms. I decided to go with XenForo and it has been a hit. So, I was able to attract a number of the major players from the original (now shut down) forum.

Another possible "edge" I have is that I'm am not a control freak. I'm not a over-zealous moderator. The rules of my forum are quite simple and I don't engage in censorship. Not even "f-bombs." We're all adults, and we can comport ourselves accordingly. The forum is not "woke." At all. I think a lot of people find that refreshing these days.

The forum is almost 17 months old and is closing in on 1700 members... so about 100 new members / month. Over 32,000 messages, so far. I'll take it! The best part is the quality of the active members. Top shelf! I've had to do almost zero moderating.

So far, so good!

 

[Wing]

@PatriotGB what’s your board URL?

 

[80sDude]

Hmmmm... easy? I guess that's a matter of perspective.

I've poured a TON of energy into the forum, including creating a ton of content in the form of various threads designed to encourage participation. I've also spent countless hours tweaking the forum's sections and features / add-ons.

I did have one "advantage" in the realm of my forum's niche... not much competition. There was a previous forum that dominated in this niche, but it was abruptly shut down. A few spin-off forums were launched by members of the original forum. But they all went with free platforms. I decided to go with XenForo and it has been a hit. So, I was able to attract a number of the major players from the original (now shut down) forum.

Another possible "edge" I have is that I'm am not a control freak. I'm not a over-zealous moderator. The rules of my forum are quite simple and I don't engage in censorship. Not even "f-bombs." We're all adults, and we can comport ourselves accordingly. The forum is not "woke." At all. I think a lot of people find that refreshing these days.

The forum is almost 17 months old and is closing in on 1700 members... so about 100 new members / month. Over 32,000 messages, so far. I'll take it! The best part is the quality of the active members. Top shelf! I've had to do almost zero moderating.

So far, so good!

That’s awesome!

 

[Alvin63]

It certainly is awesome. My first forum is 2 years old and has 920 members. It ticks over nicely with plenty of people posting, but they come and go now and then. My second one is 9 months old and has 230 members. But only about a dozen core members who post regularly. Both of them reached 50 within the first 3 months. My third forum is 3 weeks old approx and had two members sign up in the last few days. Aside from the three I knew that joined up at the start to help support it. It is also being advertised on google and that helps as the ad comes up at the top with various searches. But the two new members came from blog posts that linked back to the forum. I wrote three long blog posts on other sites with links to the forum.

 

[Alvin63]

Would you say that this "core group" ends up generating profit for the site? Sounds like a dumb question, but I can't help but think that there's only so much the same people will buy from you. Maybe they result in more people showing up.

I don't sell anything either. If your forum is mainly about sales, then yes people might run out of things to talk about. It could generate some profit via having an advert on it though. None of mine are monetised. I'm also looking to build a thriving forum first. But may put a small ad on when the renewal fees come up!

 

[JoelR]

You certainly can't force anyone to talk , but there are some strategies to encourage users to participate drawn from behavioral psychology:

• Pose a statement that is clearly wrong or socially unacceptable
• Pose something controversial
• Pose something thought provoking
• Pose something that is news breaking
• Pose something incomplete
• Pose something focused on people (aka an interview, a profile of the week, etc)

While I haven't visited your website + forum, one challenge that you may want to strongly think about consolidating or removing your silos. Instead of having a separate forum section, maybe you open commenting on your main website. Or instead of having a separate website, you post long form articles in your Xenforo. Most users simply don't need to, don't want to, and don't have the time to go to another section of your website.

On a final note, think about making your community indispensable. Can users give feedback? You need to do that in the forums. Do users receive support? You need to do that in the forums? Can users download exclusive resources? You need to obtain those in the forum.

Hope this helps.

 

[Suzanne O]

Make plenty of polls asking stuff like "how did you find our forum?"
Ask questions such as "what do you do for a living?"