Hi, what worked for you in early stages? I've read the other thread about converting guests to members, but since I've decided not to limit guests by hiding threads etc ... I wonder if there's some other way that worked for you? I have a little bar on top of every page for guests to see, but that's pretty much it. All ideas are more than welcome, thanks
When i visit forums and find yellow bars, popping messages and restricted pages i usually turn away.. The only thing i can think of is Content, Make sure there is alot of content on there and your always adding.
Getting the forum name out there using signature links you will find of benefit usually. For example adding your signature link on AdminAddict would possibly drive at least a few visitors and at least a few potential members. Best of luck!
this is one way, but I have found that a lot of forums don't allow you to advertise in signatures. A lot of forums will however, let you post a link to your site in certain forums for advertising or getting reviews of your site.
I agree, thats why reading their rules first and seeing what is allowed etc before even signing up will pay dividends
Content is key for us. Without content we wouldn't get more registrations. Content is vital to the growth of any community.
Thanks again for your very helpful comments, , I realize that content is the key but there is only so much that one can create ...
You don't have to create 3,000 threads to bring users, and even so, 3,000 useless threads will not bring you members, I mean, it will but not many. With 5-6 threads-- maybe less -- that have actual interesting content about your niche, you could grasp the attention of your readers and them wanting to join on the discussion. Having questions, thoughtful questions in your threads or posts will encourage posting, or encourage guests to join the discussion.
i started off with 5 threads in each section, so the forum doesnt look empty. not all of them were made by me, because before we fully opened, we invited a few close friends of ours to also post some threads and reply to them and stuff.
In addition, Removing any barriors to entry. Sometimes simplifying the registration process, or removing steps will make it easier for users to register and start posting. A good example is to look at the registration process for something like twitter. While the default registration for most forum software is all well and good, presenting it with better theme or style, and removing unncessary parts may improve registration and retention rates.
