Lurker Central

[Bren]

Every day I check the board and see people that come on and never post. Does anyone have a theory as to why that is or how it could be changed?

[Bob]

I was on another forum once, which was having some trouble with inactivity. When asked about it, someone said something to the effect that they don't post because there aren't any interesting topics (or posts).

That might sound ludicrous, but the fact is that some members, for whatever reasons, are not naturally inclined to get things going on their own, although they may be good at reacting or following up, and they might make new content once they see a lot of other people are doing it.

So, activity causes activity.

Also, I've said in the past something to the effect that the most important thing that the staff can do to improve activity is to lead by example, and I still think that's true; having the leadership active and available has a disproportionate impact beyond their actual contributions.

[Monica Stone]

I used to be a lurker just because I didn't feel committed enough to get an account. I just liked reading the thoughts of others. That changed during the infamous quarantine of 2020 and I haven't looked back.

[Danadelfos]

I guess it's a little bit like social media. I could get 50 likes on a post and 0 comments. It's just easier to read things and appreciate them?

[Catspaw]

I feel the need to post and agree with Danadelfos instead of just nodding my head at home. I think sometimes people feel like they don't have anything special to add so they might read something and be glad that they did but not actually post. While the low activity does make me want people to post their thoughts more often, I understand and sometimes also do the same. A thread with ten people saying, "Yes" or "I read that" doesn't really add to a discussion. Sharing specific reasons does add to a discussion because it gives someone else another thought or point to potentially trigger their own thought that might inspire a post.

[Jonathan]

Organization might be a factor as well. Too many sub-forums spreads out activity, making it seem like there is less activity, leading to less activity. Harlequin Theater is a favorite example of mine; do we really need three sub-forums in addition to the main Harlequin forum? Edit--I'm looking at the main page, and Finneman has the same exact problem. Do we really need that much division of one part of the site?

[jelly]

Ditto.






(plz don't ban me)

[The Top Crusader]

I guess it's a little bit like social media. I could get 50 likes on a post and 0 comments. It's just easier to read things and appreciate them?

I'm pretty sure that means its time to add a "like" feature to the board.

[Marvin D.]

I guess it's a little bit like social media. I could get 50 likes on a post and 0 comments. It's just easier to read things and appreciate them?

I'm pretty sure that means its time to add a "like" feature to the board.

oh my i remember this discussion and how...passionate people were

[Danadelfos]

Organization might be a factor as well. Too many sub-forums spreads out activity, making it seem like there is less activity, leading to less activity. Harlequin Theater is a favorite example of mine; do we really need three sub-forums in addition to the main Harlequin forum? Edit--I'm looking at the main page, and Finneman has the same exact problem. Do we really need that much division of one part of the site?

Hmm, there is this feature -- search.php?search_id=active_topics but the issue I'm seeing is that it doesn't include the sub-sub forums. I wonder if there's a way to fix this so that it includes them. @Catspaw is there a way that we could get it to include the sub sub forums like Holstein's Books?

[Catspaw]

Organization might be a factor as well. Too many sub-forums spreads out activity, making it seem like there is less activity, leading to less activity. Harlequin Theater is a favorite example of mine; do we really need three sub-forums in addition to the main Harlequin forum? Edit--I'm looking at the main page, and Finneman has the same exact problem. Do we really need that much division of one part of the site?

Hmm, there is this feature -- search.php?search_id=active_topics but the issue I'm seeing is that it doesn't include the sub-sub forums. I wonder if there's a way to fix this so that it includes them. @Catspaw is there a way that we could get it to include the sub sub forums like Holstein's Books?

@Eugene is probably a better person to ask that kind of question. I'm just the pretty face.

[Danadelfos]

Organization might be a factor as well. Too many sub-forums spreads out activity, making it seem like there is less activity, leading to less activity. Harlequin Theater is a favorite example of mine; do we really need three sub-forums in addition to the main Harlequin forum? Edit--I'm looking at the main page, and Finneman has the same exact problem. Do we really need that much division of one part of the site?

Hmm, there is this feature -- search.php?search_id=active_topics but the issue I'm seeing is that it doesn't include the sub-sub forums. I wonder if there's a way to fix this so that it includes them. @Catspaw is there a way that we could get it to include the sub sub forums like Holstein's Books?

@Eugene is probably a better person to ask that kind of question. I'm just the pretty face.

@Eugene! We are in need of assistance! I like this mention feature.

[snubs]

Yeah, a lot of times I read stuff on here and am just like "huh, that's interesting." So I don't see much point in posting that.