What can we do to retain and engage members?

[Second Summer]

Well it appears VV has become a retirement home. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though as there are plenty of people left from the other board who can join us. And for the most part, this board is doing a really good job at being what it is.

I agree that there is an issue with driving new members here. This week I've done an ad campaign on FB, and I think a small handful signed up as a result, but I don't think any of them posted. Jen somehow got some kind of promotional coupon from FB worth £25 for ads, so that's what I used. If anyone else have received similar coupons, feel free to use them to promote VV. You don't need my permission or anything.

But I've noticed that we get people to join, they hang around for a couple days and then we don't hear from them again.

Yes, but I agree with LS on this, that's pretty normal. We just need a sufficient number of such new members, some of them will stick around. Of course, your question is still valid, there are always things that can be improved. E.g. perhaps I should set up some automatic emails to remind members who haven't posted yet that they signed up?

So how can we engage people so that they'll stay? In particular, how do we engage men, as we are a rare commodity at VV...

As mentioned, more threads! And while that is especially the stewards' job, that is something everyone can do if they want to. What sort of threads do a forum like VV ought to have? As for men, how about a publicly readable men's forum?

 

[Alice-Bee]

I am guilty of staying in the chat threads and general issues threads. I think to attract more members, seeing as this is Veg*n forum we need alot more Veg*n threads. Perhaps not just food either. AR and cruelty free shopping could be a good idea....Although these may be more suited to regional sub sections as some products arent available in all Countrys.

 

[Lord Snot]

What do people search for? Recipes are a big one, we should add as many as possible. And "is ___ vegan?" or "is ____ vegetarian?" so maybe we should post individual threads in the regional forums when we find something veg*n.

Karl, do you have records of what google terms are sending people here?

 

[mlp]

I think that it's obvious that most people on here have known each other for a long time, so it would be much like breaking into a little private club for new members who aren't from the old board.

And I think there is little here to interest people who are really into and active with respect to AR/AW. I think that's why SS and others didn't stick around.

I'm finding myself on here less and less because the equivalent of party conversation doesn't interest me much, and there's not a whole lot else going on. But I think that the decision to keep this site light and social was a conscious one, and that's fine. It does kind of reinforce what I described in my first paragraph, though.

 

[KLS52]

I have different views on lots of things discussed here, but I learned on the other forum how horrible the "pile on" can be, so I just keep them to myself and talk about fake cheese and smoothies.

I would tend to agree with this.

I think that it's obvious that most people on here have known each other for a long time, so it would be much like breaking into a little private club for new members who aren't from the old board.

And I think there is little here to interest people who are really into and active with respect to AR/AW. I think that's why SS and others didn't stick around.

I'm finding myself on here less and less because the equivalent of party conversation doesn't interest me much, and there's not a whole lot else going on. But I think that the decision to keep this site light and social was a conscious one, and that's fine. It does kind of reinforce what I described in my first paragraph, though.

And this.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I think that it's obvious that most people on here have known each other for a long time, so it would be much like breaking into a little private club for new members who aren't from the old board.

I found that The Vegan Forum and Veggieboards were like that for me at the start too. I was almost too scared to post anything at first as it seemed like everyone knew each other.

 

[Second Summer]

I think that it's obvious that most people on here have known each other for a long time, so it would be much like breaking into a little private club for new members who aren't from the old board.

I'm not so sure about that, but I think the demographics here are perhaps more of a problem: Mostly women, and mostly relatively younger ones.

And I think there is little here to interest people who are really into and active with respect to AR/AW. I think that's why SS and others didn't stick around.

I'm finding myself on here less and less because the equivalent of party conversation doesn't interest me much, and there's not a whole lot else going on. But I think that the decision to keep this site light and social was a conscious one, and that's fine. It does kind of reinforce what I described in my first paragraph, though.

It was a conscious decision to keep it social and community-focused. But it's not the intention to do that at the cost of neglecting other aspects of the forum, such as AR/AW issues. (And I don't think those are mutually exclusive aspects.) I suspect maybe the reason why those are not the hottest topics around here has to do with "preaching to the choir" and all that. Also, since we don't have so many newbies or as much new traffic (despite high activity), the AR/AW people (utilitarians to the bone) prefer to post elsewhere.

 

[thefadedone]

E.g. perhaps I should set up some automatic emails to remind members who haven't posted yet that they signed up?

I like that idea but I would also send a reminder to those who did post in the when they first signed up but have now vanished.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I just went over to VB and was looking at the 'UK introduction thread', and I wondered if some people might prefer a less dramatic way to introduce themselves, than to start their own thread......I know I would have preferred to just post in a thread rather than have a whole thread.

it could be a sticky.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I've seen some forums that have one intro thread for all new members to pitch in to. It might be less intimidating.
An intro thread certainly isn't required, but people might feel they have to make one.

 

[FortyTwo]

Many of us are expert vegetarians - we're veterans of a sort, and already have a great understanding of things like non-vegan ingredients and modern animal issues. So unlike VB, which was a common place for new vegetarians, we've basically reverted to general chat.

I know that's probably the most obvious thing I could have said, but I'm just throwing it out there, I guess.

 

[CrazyCatLady]

I'm not even sure whether the intension of this forum was meant to be for new or veteran veg*ns. But as a newbie I found it a really friendly forum where I wasn't judged for the ways I was going about things. I felt intimidated on other forums but the cliques that were formed already. One of the main things that stood out for me here was the members engaged with me, rather than ignoring my post and going straight to answering one of their friends posts instead.
Not sure how much this helps xxx

 

[Digger]

I think VB got a lot of traffic, at least in part, due to the frequently controversial threads which in general don't exist here. People like SevenSeas (whom I dearly miss) always kept things active and engaging by going toe-to-toe with the likes of HavocJohn and his ilk. As much as those threads infuriated me at times, I do kinda miss them in a weird way.

 

[beancounter]

I'm not even sure whether the intension of this forum was meant to be for new or veteran veg*ns. But as a newbie I found it a really friendly forum where I wasn't judged for the ways I was going about things. I felt intimidated on other forums but the cliques that were formed already.
x

Yea, most of us have been veg*ns for so long, that we've had time to brush the chip off our shoulder and put away the soapbox. So the atmosphere here is definitely nicer.

 

[Digger]

Yea, most of us have been veg*ns for so long, that we've had time to brush the chip off our shoulder and put away the soapbox. So the atmosphere here is definitely nicer.

Absolutely... but nicer doesn't necessarily equate to more traffic.

 

[beancounter]

Absolutely... but nicer doesn't necessarily equate to more traffic.

So, you're trying to saying that nice guys finish last?

 

[hungryraccoon]

Nice people might not bring people here but it might keep them around once they are here. The nice ones anyway.

Nice nice nice.

 

[Amy SF]

What can we do to retain and engage members?

Happy Hour with beer and pretzels and naked bartenders and barmaids.

Sometime the solutions are so easy.

 

[KLS52]

I like nice...but sadly, a lot of people think nice is boring.

 

[Digger]

Happy Hour with beer and pretzels and naked bartenders and barmaids.

Woo hoo!

Indian Summer: Can we get more naked folks in here?