Smiley – Thanks for sharing! That competition looks like a lot of fun – which is a good thing; after all, if a community isn’t fun, members won’t stick around!

But it makes them feel involved. If you’d like a quick peek at this week’s “weekly theme” thread to get a taster of how it works:
http://www.friendlychatforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9204

I create a thread saying “nominate this week’s theme”, all the regs put in what they’d like to see on the poll. The most frequent/popular nominations make it to a poll and the members vote. I announce the winner and they all run off to Google Images, or in this week’s case, banner making sites to get their signature for the week. They love it.

Same goes for the member of the month awards, all member-ran. I give the more loyal regulars little ‘jobs’ to do on the forums. That’s why I like them segregated because it’s its own little community by its self. I am thinking of adding a new forum to the chat site though, and keep it more chat related. But I do really love the atmosphere of these forums, I genuinely enjoy visiting and posting with my members, this time last year I was posting to mainly myself. So I’m really soaking it up at the moment, especially the nice comments.

Here’s a gander at how the MOTM works. The regular ‘Hedwig’ with his little title “Member Awards Boss” runs them. Every month without fail he puts every effort into them.
http://www.friendlychatforums.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=72

He’s in nominations mode at the moment, in a few days or so he’ll put up polls where the members choose. I’ve installed the mod that lets me see who votes for what to make sure there’s no cheaters, if there are then I tell him who to knock points off, that’s my only involvement.

And thanks so much for your kind words regarding my ideas. My site, or more accurately, my members have changed me a lot – I just do my best for them and think about ways to give them a bit of fun. A reason to keep coming back!

John

You have some great, original ideas and I have no doubt they are helping you to make a success of your community.

Jeremy – If you have a responsive community, creating contests that invite members to submit photos is a great idea. Being able to see other members brings a community together – it helps build relationships and reminds your members that behind every username is a unique individual.

Thorb – 39 members is a good start for a 2 week old community; just don’t lose the momentum and get as many of those members involved and interacting as possible. As per Smiley’s comment, member of the month contests can definitely be successful – just make sure you keep the emphasis on fun so you don’t upset those that miss out on the accolade!

Greg – Thanks for your kind comment Just because your community is doing well, doesn’t mean you can’t hold a fun competition!

Angela – Everyone loves surprises; especially members of online communities. Another good idea is to send out ‘Get Well Soon’ cards to members who are unwell. So many online communities fail to exploit ‘real world’ opportunities (such as physical mail and prizes) to develop relationships.

Nicole – Exactly. As soon as your prizes and contests feel like bribes, they probably are.

Stephie – I would never reward members with cash because they have made the most posts. After all, they may have made 1,000 posts of pure drivel – I would rather ‘reward’ the member who has made 50 insightful, engaging posts.

Amish – What if you no longer want to give away prizes, or genuine, passionate members start resenting those that are clearly involved in the community solely for the rewards on offer? Mercenaries are no good in an online community.

Rico – You make a good point; the more relevant you can make any contests or prizes to your online community, the better. I love the fact you had clear aims and goals, and the creativity it promoted!

Michelle – T-shirts could work, but it seems every site offers them. Think of something a little more original. You run a local community, right? How about offering tickets to a local event, or a voucher for a local spa?

Hunter – I am glad you enjoyed the article; thanks for your comment

Jennifer – I agree; sentiment is still alive and well online (well, in some places at least!)