Comments on: When members request new forum categories http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/ Community Building Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:34:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Get to know and understand your members » Online Community Building http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/comment-page-1/#comment-4612 Get to know and understand your members » Online Community Building Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:17:26 +0000 http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/#comment-4612 [...] I mentioned in my article entitled ‘When members request new forum categories‘, you can always introduce new features on a trial basis and see how they work out. Even if [...] [...] I mentioned in my article entitled ‘When members request new forum categories‘, you can always introduce new features on a trial basis and see how they work out. Even if [...]

]]> By: Martin Reed - Blog Author http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/comment-page-1/#comment-4405 Martin Reed - Blog Author Sun, 15 Jul 2007 05:13:49 +0000 http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/#comment-4405 <strong>Smiley</strong> - I definitely agree that an excessive number of forum categories can be a little overwhelming to some visitors! I would suggest only creating new categories if you have the content to support them and are confident that your members will utilise the new sections of your forum. <strong>Aaron</strong> - There is nothing wrong with creating categories if they are going to be used by your members. If your members want a new category, you establish it and it is populated with content, that's great - if your forum can support additional categories then go for it! The problem comes when forum administrators add huge numbers of categories which then lay dormant and empty - this gives off a bad impression of your community, making it look unpopular and unused. Smiley – I definitely agree that an excessive number of forum categories can be a little overwhelming to some visitors! I would suggest only creating new categories if you have the content to support them and are confident that your members will utilise the new sections of your forum.

Aaron – There is nothing wrong with creating categories if they are going to be used by your members. If your members want a new category, you establish it and it is populated with content, that’s great – if your forum can support additional categories then go for it!

The problem comes when forum administrators add huge numbers of categories which then lay dormant and empty – this gives off a bad impression of your community, making it look unpopular and unused.

]]> By: Smiley http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/comment-page-1/#comment-4396 Smiley Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:02:06 +0000 http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/#comment-4396 If there content is definitely going to be there, then that's great if that's what you want for your forum, I think, Aaron.. but like I said above, what about new users to forums, who are overwhelmed by dozens of different categories? If there content is definitely going to be there, then that’s great if that’s what you want for your forum, I think, Aaron.. but like I said above, what about new users to forums, who are overwhelmed by dozens of different categories?

]]> By: aaron http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/comment-page-1/#comment-4394 aaron Sat, 14 Jul 2007 21:53:42 +0000 http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/#comment-4394 Well, I struggle with this as well. While it's easy to say that you shouldn't because they will just end up empty, it's not easy to say the same when your forum gets 1000 posts per day and this forum might claim 50-100 of those. The forum could easily look fairly busy and through imports of old posts have 1,000 posts at inception. Everytime I have created new forums, the members requesting kept it alive by doing nothing but posting in those forums. My question would be, are there any negatives to new forums if they are going to get posts and not lay dormant. They might be the least active on your board, but they are still more active than others entire forums. Well, I struggle with this as well. While it’s easy to say that you shouldn’t because they will just end up empty, it’s not easy to say the same when your forum gets 1000 posts per day and this forum might claim 50-100 of those. The forum could easily look fairly busy and through imports of old posts have 1,000 posts at inception. Everytime I have created new forums, the members requesting kept it alive by doing nothing but posting in those forums. My question would be, are there any negatives to new forums if they are going to get posts and not lay dormant. They might be the least active on your board, but they are still more active than others entire forums.

]]> By: Smiley http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/comment-page-1/#comment-4386 Smiley Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:35:12 +0000 http://www.communityspark.com/when-members-request-new-forum-categories/#comment-4386 I agree 100% As you know, I cut down on categories big time, and I have benefited from doing so. It's not as much of a strain on myself and the few loyal members creating new threads in 3-4 dozen different categories, for starters !! Infact, I'm quite happy with the number of categories I have right now. Not too many so it's ridiculously unmanageable, but not too few that it's "the same as all the others" I have added one new category under a members request, that's the "Media Center" category, he private messaged me with an idea of creating this category, where people who regularly upload music to the site via the Media Center feature can then have their own thread in this category and update it letting everyone know the tracks they have uploaded. Apart from that, I haven't added any others, as everyone seems quite happy with the categories at the moment. Having too many categories is not very 'new user friendly' either in my opinion, I think you'll agree with that. If it's somebodies first time on a message board, and there's 50 different forum categories.. they're going to be overwhelmed, confused, perhaps even a little scared? I'm mainly developing my site to make it 100% new user friendly, so I'm always looking for ways to make it as easily accessible as possible. Good post! I agree 100%

As you know, I cut down on categories big time, and I have benefited from doing so. It’s not as much of a strain on myself and the few loyal members creating new threads in 3-4 dozen different categories, for starters !!

Infact, I’m quite happy with the number of categories I have right now. Not too many so it’s ridiculously unmanageable, but not too few that it’s “the same as all the others”

I have added one new category under a members request, that’s the “Media Center” category, he private messaged me with an idea of creating this category, where people who regularly upload music to the site via the Media Center feature can then have their own thread in this category and update it letting everyone know the tracks they have uploaded.

Apart from that, I haven’t added any others, as everyone seems quite happy with the categories at the moment.

Having too many categories is not very ‘new user friendly’ either in my opinion, I think you’ll agree with that. If it’s somebodies first time on a message board, and there’s 50 different forum categories.. they’re going to be overwhelmed, confused, perhaps even a little scared?

I’m mainly developing my site to make it 100% new user friendly, so I’m always looking for ways to make it as easily accessible as possible.

Good post!

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