Online Communities | Articles

How traffic stats help you make decisions

I come across many people posting on forums asking questions such as:
- Should I used fixed width or a fluid layout for my website?
- Should I design for a 1024×768 or a 1280×1024 screen resolution?
- Should I go for some great looking Flash, or keep things lean and fast loading?
There really should be no need [...]

Have a forum you can be proud of

By adding a forum to your website you can enjoy enormous benefits but you can also make your site instantly appear amateur. How? By failing to properly integrate the forum into your website.
Integration not segregation
Your site looks professional when all your features are integrated. Visitors do not want new windows to open when they surf [...]

Think of the end result to stay motivated

Developing an online community is tough. Really tough. You need to constantly work hard at creating content and promoting your site. After working for weeks without a break and only seeing a handful of new visitors, you may struggle to remain motivated.
The feel good factor
Your body rewards you for getting things done. Remember the last [...]

Make recurring commission your preference

What would you rather earn by sending a visitor away from your site? £5 if they subscribe to your advertiser’s site or £2.50? Sometimes the smaller option could make you more money if you push for recurring commission.
Recurring commission: Short term pain for long term gain
If you are running affiliate ads on your website, you [...]

Never camouflage your forum

Camouflage can be great, but not when you are trying to convert visitors into members. If they can’t see what your site is about, or even find your forum, then you cannot expect success.
Additional content can distract attention away from your forum
I have already written about adding additional content to your community website in order [...]

The first 5 things a new forum visitor looks for

Visitors to your forum are a fickle bunch of people - if they see something they don’t like, they will leave: simple as that. You have to blow them away if you want them to register and become a valuable member of your community.
In this article, I will present you with what I feel are [...]

Keep your moderators personal but identifiable

Back in May, I wrote about how to give your site personal appeal and why it is important for you to do so. One of the methods I endorsed is doing away with names for your moderators such as ‘admin’ or ’staff’, and giving them regular user names. A small move like this can immediately [...]

Attract forum traffic through article writing

You run a forum site, your site has a forum - but does it have anything else? Bulking up your website by adding new sections and publishing articles can create a more engaging user experience, help you attract new traffic and ultimately help your forum become successful.
The more you add, the more you attract

One of [...]

Irritating members are not always a bad thing

I have written before about how to deal with abusive users. Before you do that though, you should always consider whether those irritating members who frequent your community are all that bad.
At times, irritating members can inject some humour into your site. At other times, they can create controversy and encourage discussion. Either way, you [...]

Powerful posts 9 September 2007

There are some fantastic resources out there if you know where to look. Here I will share some great articles I have recently come across in my online travels.
Maki from Dosh Dosh wrote an article that will be of interest to most readers of this blog, entitled ‘How to easily get more members for your [...]

New members feel special when welcomed

When a new member joins your community you are at a critical point - will they stay and get involved or will they leave, never to return? Ignore them, and they will soon leave and forget all about your community. Make them welcome, and they will feel valued and more likely to stick around.
It always [...]

Who are your most valuable members?

As your community develops, you will really get to know many of the individuals that make up your site. You may even start to consider some as more valuable than others - but what makes one member more valuable than another?
Who is the most valuable member of your community?
Many people would say the most valuable [...]

Always under-promise and over-achieve

Your number one priority is to keep your members happy. Members are happy if they feel valued, respected and listened to. They also need to trust you so make sure you never give reason for your members to doubt your integrity.
One way you can delight your members is to adopt the mantra, ‘under-promise and over-achieve’.
The [...]

What is the biggest challenge you face?

I know from my own experience that very often the biggest challenge faced by those developing online communities is attracting and retaining members.
Particularly in the early days, this can be really tough as nobody wants to register to join a community that only has a few members.
Members are not the only challenge
This is only one [...]