Incentive idea for discussion forum participation
Nov 19, 2015 9:31:49 GMT -8
mk and davesenesac like this
Post by Admin on Nov 19, 2015 9:31:49 GMT -8
There have been several things mentioned here that I have wanted to comment on, but I get interrupted with work and when I come back there are more things I want to mention. Here is some feedback:
Where to post trip reports? The reason there is a section specifically for trip reports is so that more people have access to read them. Assuming that a trip report should be more an adventure story than a guide for locals, why not keep them collected? It is possible to add a mention in a regional board to point to a report in Storytelling. What probably is overlooked here is that there is a terrific Search function! It's been so many years since we have had a decent way to find a topic of interest that I think it's a forgotten art. But post your reports where YOU think they belong, as long as it';s not in Cooking!
This morning there is a new member who has a post that will interest you on several levels, but it's posted in International, and it is sure to get replies if found. Hint: they definitely need some help. I just used the Search to locate a list of messages that mention "first trip" and I think there are many comments already posted that will help this person get some focus.
So while the Storytelling/Trip Reports section is a quiet place, that in itself leads to another related comment: how to reward posters and keep conversations going. Dave suggests that trip reports should be answered with paragraphs of feedback, not just "Wow!" Well, I read reports and never really add even "Wow", so I can't see where I would have a need to add more than "That sounds like it was a great trip!" Tapping the Like button would suffice. Remember some years ago when there were hats for posts that were well-worth the spotlight? Hats ran out, that came to an end. Too bad.
"There are too many boards!" Well, there are the same boards as always, and a few are pretty quiet. But this is not the season for Hiking with Kids, or Nature wuastions, but the sections do get used. Mountaineering had been included when I was duplicating the forum, but it was pointed out to me that nobody used it in the old forum, so I removed it. It was replaced with a Bike board ( by request) and that gets used.
Is the forum format dying? Well, it is changing, but while some are saying this forum isn't what it once was, I have to point out that it's only been open for four months The OLD forum(s) ran for 20 years and while this one continues the series, it is absolutely a start-from-scratch forum. But with 500+ members, there are more than 15,000 posts! And since about 200 members are inactive, that shows that 300+ members are active, conversing, and helping the new people who are finding us and joining, about one a day as we go.
How is Backpacker promoting the forum? Sad fact, they aren't! I'm stumped by the fact that they still leave the old forum open to new users who then post questions that won't be seen. I post a reply to tell them to come here, but only a few have seen that (that I am aware of) and popped in here. HQ sent me an email weeks ago to ask if we could talk "tomorrow" to discuss "priorities", but that call never came. I never expected to be so disconnected from the magazine!
I had expected that once the forum was running, HQ would have the desire to take over and make changes. I did (and do) actually dread that, but I did expect it. So in the meanwhile, I am trying to open the forum to user input. Your photos used for header art. Your choices for the background art. A gallery of seasonal photos. Maybe these things don't ring your bell, but the forum does get about 80± visits from members in a 24-hour period, that's about 25 percent of the active list at least looking in, and I think that's pretty great.
If you know of expats who are on Facebook or whatever, invite them back. Offer a link, tell them we are here and active again. I watched Rodale drop the gardening forum to go all Facebook. I was told they would need a moderator for that, so g'bye, Steve! I have watched, and I fail to see how FB can replace a forum format? It's just a newsletter that allows comments, quite one-sided. But I'm not a fan of FB so my point of view is not relevant.
To conclude, I always am interested in your opinions and ideas. Send a PM.
Where to post trip reports? The reason there is a section specifically for trip reports is so that more people have access to read them. Assuming that a trip report should be more an adventure story than a guide for locals, why not keep them collected? It is possible to add a mention in a regional board to point to a report in Storytelling. What probably is overlooked here is that there is a terrific Search function! It's been so many years since we have had a decent way to find a topic of interest that I think it's a forgotten art. But post your reports where YOU think they belong, as long as it';s not in Cooking!
This morning there is a new member who has a post that will interest you on several levels, but it's posted in International, and it is sure to get replies if found. Hint: they definitely need some help. I just used the Search to locate a list of messages that mention "first trip" and I think there are many comments already posted that will help this person get some focus.
So while the Storytelling/Trip Reports section is a quiet place, that in itself leads to another related comment: how to reward posters and keep conversations going. Dave suggests that trip reports should be answered with paragraphs of feedback, not just "Wow!" Well, I read reports and never really add even "Wow", so I can't see where I would have a need to add more than "That sounds like it was a great trip!" Tapping the Like button would suffice. Remember some years ago when there were hats for posts that were well-worth the spotlight? Hats ran out, that came to an end. Too bad.
"There are too many boards!" Well, there are the same boards as always, and a few are pretty quiet. But this is not the season for Hiking with Kids, or Nature wuastions, but the sections do get used. Mountaineering had been included when I was duplicating the forum, but it was pointed out to me that nobody used it in the old forum, so I removed it. It was replaced with a Bike board ( by request) and that gets used.
Is the forum format dying? Well, it is changing, but while some are saying this forum isn't what it once was, I have to point out that it's only been open for four months The OLD forum(s) ran for 20 years and while this one continues the series, it is absolutely a start-from-scratch forum. But with 500+ members, there are more than 15,000 posts! And since about 200 members are inactive, that shows that 300+ members are active, conversing, and helping the new people who are finding us and joining, about one a day as we go.
How is Backpacker promoting the forum? Sad fact, they aren't! I'm stumped by the fact that they still leave the old forum open to new users who then post questions that won't be seen. I post a reply to tell them to come here, but only a few have seen that (that I am aware of) and popped in here. HQ sent me an email weeks ago to ask if we could talk "tomorrow" to discuss "priorities", but that call never came. I never expected to be so disconnected from the magazine!
I had expected that once the forum was running, HQ would have the desire to take over and make changes. I did (and do) actually dread that, but I did expect it. So in the meanwhile, I am trying to open the forum to user input. Your photos used for header art. Your choices for the background art. A gallery of seasonal photos. Maybe these things don't ring your bell, but the forum does get about 80± visits from members in a 24-hour period, that's about 25 percent of the active list at least looking in, and I think that's pretty great.
If you know of expats who are on Facebook or whatever, invite them back. Offer a link, tell them we are here and active again. I watched Rodale drop the gardening forum to go all Facebook. I was told they would need a moderator for that, so g'bye, Steve! I have watched, and I fail to see how FB can replace a forum format? It's just a newsletter that allows comments, quite one-sided. But I'm not a fan of FB so my point of view is not relevant.
To conclude, I always am interested in your opinions and ideas. Send a PM.