Why do so many people join this forum and so few stay?

[StephenKingman]

I have been a member of this forum for nearly 6 months now and i like the topics on books, films and current events. But since joining here, i cant help but notice that almost every day, 'fair weather' members join up with the best intentions of sticking around, creating a sense of community and generally wanting to contribute, but after about 8 or 9 posts they vanish, only to be replaced by the next set of newbies.

Bar myself, Stinkin Fascist, Fran and one or two others, very few people stay. Its a great forum with room for debate, discussion and networking if only people would stick around! I mean do we even have a moderator anymore, i remember a girl named awalker when i joined but havent seen her since.

I love this forum why dont people stay, any ideas?

[Fran]

I have been a member of this forum for nearly 6 months now and i like the topics on books, films and current events. But since joining here, i cant help but notice that almost every day, 'fair weather' members join up with the best intentions of sticking around, creating a sense of community and generally wanting to contribute, but after about 8 or 9 posts they vanish, only to be replaced by the next set of newbies.

Bar myself, Stinkin Fascist, Fran and one or two others, very few people stay. Its a great forum with room for debate, discussion and networking if only people would stick around! I mean do we even have a moderator anymore, i remember a girl named awalker when i joined but havent seen her since.

I love this forum why dont people stay, any ideas?

Yea I've noticed that too .. you are probably right about there being no moderator any longer consequently the site is filling up with a lot of rubbish and much of it unrelated to books or reading or even in the broadest sense. I joined the site to discuss books and share opinions on books I've read and get suggestions for books others find interesting, entertaining and worth a read much the same as the conversations I have in "real life" with friends and colleagues who are also book lovers. But so much of the site is taken up with what I would consider trivial nonsense and people who are really only flogging various items.
Anyway ... I do enjoy your contributions and that of a few others who seem to have a similar interest in reading to myself even if we don't exactly share the same genre!

[Kathe]

I love this forum why dont people stay, any ideas?

I am new here, so I don't know, but maybe your scary avatar frightens them off.

[Stinkin' Fascist]

I am new here, so I don't know, but maybe your scary avatar frightens them off. Shocked
Razz

Ah hahaha, she got you leprechaun!

It's all your fault, now Fran needs to get a new hairdo or something to match us, haha.

[Fee Verte]

By rubbish I assume you are making reference to the great William Topaz Mcgonagall -

I also noticed that the forum is rather like a bus station, I also saw that someone copied one of my posts and printed it verbatim Why is there no moderator? Does anyone know?

[Stinkin' Fascist]

I also noticed that the forum is rather like a bus station, I also saw that someone copied one of my posts and printed it verbatim Why is there no moderator? Does anyone know?

Yeah, I never see anything fixed or moderated.
I've had many double-posts because my computer is a donkey and no one says anything, and I constantly put more than one word in Word Association without thinking, haha, accident.

Also, what's up with all of these "new iPhone for $200!?"
I'm tired of these things popping up everywhere, people don't even put topics under the section they're supposed to be at.

[Woodland Nymph]

I've also noticed that not too many people stick around and become regular posters here. And that is a shame, because this is a nice board, full of kind and intelligent people, with interesting perspectives and opinions. So many people stay active at the Literature Network board and I've never understood why - they're generally rude over there, and tear you down if you like Harry Potter and anything else that isn't, as they say, "real literature."

[Fee Verte]

full of kind and intelligent people, with interesting perspectives and opinions. So many people stay active at the Literature Network board and I've never understood why - they're generally rude over there, and tear you down if you like Harry Potter and anything else that isn't, as they say, "real literature."

Yes, I noticed that people are generous of spirit here. To answer your second point: many people go on the internet forums and form packs, complete with rituals and jargon, as a psychological phenomenon it is fascinating. As the forum develops you get agressive behaviour and a pecking order evolves, huge rows develop over trivia and sub packs sometimes develop.

The success of either side is doubtful to this day,
And all that can be said is both armies ran away;

- The Battle of Sheriffmuir, William Topaz McGonagall

[StephenKingman]

Also, what's up with all of these "new iPhone for $200!?"
I'm tired of these things popping up everywhere, people don't even put topics under the section they're supposed to be at.

That is pure spam by companies and individuals who use forums to target select groups of people into buying their product. On most forums the moderators delete these threads and its quite again until the next load of spammers but i actually think we are intelligent enough as a board to just ignore or reject this spam and not get involved. It would be nice to have more moderator presence, if even an extra face, but i think we are civilized enough that we dont need one every day to break us up. Apart from Stinkin Fascist but she has spiky hair so she has an advantage from the start

I hope we can stick around and welcome more members to the fold, ill start up some new book club threads focusing on a particular book soon and would love some debate. Stick around folks.

[Stinkin' Fascist]

Hey now! what about my spikey hair you gory leprechaun?

I just get annoyed and failed moderating...

Yes, new book!

Though I'm loaded with State of Fear, The Color Purple, and Blood Canticle right now, haha.

[ResearchScholar]

A good forum isn't determined by the number of forummers who are online at any one time but the quality of the postings. This forum has a good number of categories, and whoever conceived of the forum certainly was on the right track in striving for something of great promise. Unfortunately, I've noticed that very few forummers are online at any one time, and the quaity of the postings are a decidedly mixed bag.

I've been here just over 2 weeks. I hope to remain as long as I can... to learn from others and also to contribute in the spirit of sharing.

[StephenKingman]

A good forum isn't determined by the number of forummers who are online at any one time but the quality of the postings. This forum has a good number of categories, and whoever conceived of the forum certainly was on the right track in striving for something of great promise. Unfortunately, I've noticed that very few forummers are online at any one time, and the quaity of the postings are a decidedly mixed bag.

I've been here just over 2 weeks. I hope to remain as long as I can... to learn from others and also to contribute in the spirit of sharing.

Well i hope you stay as well

You are right, the quality of the postings are essential to the quality of the overall forum. The problem lies not with the threads and categories, some of which are very interesting and spark great debates, but with the transient nature of the members and the nonsense spam that gets through with lax moderation, but hopefully we as members can make this community a better place.

[Stinkin' Fascist]

You are right, the quality of the postings are essential to the quality of the overall forum. The problem lies not with the threads and categories, some of which are very interesting and spark great debates, but with the transient nature of the members and the nonsense spam that gets through with lax moderation, but hopefully we as members can make this community a better place.

Absoflippinlutely!
Maybe we should appeal to Scott in some way, cause as much as it's very inviting and open to new people and talk, things are very unclear and mixed.

[jemado]

I can definitely see that there are only a select few people who really participate regularly on the site. I've been a member for a little while but haven't quite participated as much as I probably should. It's not that I don't read the site though! I actually check it almost every day to see if any new postings have been made. I guess my preferences tend to lean towards discussing particular books/authors rather than some of the more basic "what's your favorite *something*" (those sometimes end up feeling like basic response posts where people don't really start discussions-they just post their answer and are done with it).

Even so, I still think this site is really great and I should really try to participate a bit more, since I really do have every intention of sticking around for a while. Here's hoping I can get off my butt and start chiming in more often!

[StephenKingman]

You are right, the quality of the postings are essential to the quality of the overall forum. The problem lies not with the threads and categories, some of which are very interesting and spark great debates, but with the transient nature of the members and the nonsense spam that gets through with lax moderation, but hopefully we as members can make this community a better place.

Absoflippinlutely!
Maybe we should appeal to Scott in some way, cause as much as it's very inviting and open to new people and talk, things are very unclear and mixed.

Good idea, and im thinking up some new threads which will hopefully appeal to new members enough to stick around and participate and also get some of us "oldies" involved too

All you need is word of mouth to spread about a good forum for its community to develop and we can all do our bit in that regard- a forum is only as good as its members.