WNU - Feedback, Suggestions, Thoughts... Reasons to stay: What do you miss? What shall we add?

I was semi-wishfully thinking that the answers would be so darn good that people couldn't resist having a lengthy conversation about it all.

My other idea is to demand a pledge. If every 10th post by people who start out in WNU isn't in WNU, a temporary ban is handed out. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle sta... er... WNU.

So, those are my ideas... a witty, conversation-generating survey. Or totalitarinism/martial law.

 

Problem with checking the New User list is that it's rather deceptive in terms of activity of new users if you're skimming recent sign ups. I try to check the profiles of everyone who posts a new topic: "Hi! I'm Here!" thread after a few hours or days to get to know them better, but also to see if they are doing ANYTHING besides introducing themselves and... no hyperbole involved... I'd estimate 9 out of every 10 I've checked have a total post count of 1. 9 out of 10 introduce themselves and never post in any actual discussions elsewhere on the whole JC, which, in itself, sorta sets one up for lack of interest in general. Not sure if there is a realistic solution, but it is something requiring consideration in a discussion like this one.

 

First I like to say, it's really cool to see you all joinng this discussion and bringen up suggestions. No matter if they are semi-serious or not, since we do some kind of brainstorming at the moment.

So far there are the following:

1. Keeping suggested boards personally and not randomly.

2. Another, shorter game?

3. Updating/re-doing Map of the Boards including a short do's and don't's.

4. A (funny) survey.

5. Stormtroopers at the doors.


I bet the stormtroopers suggestion in combination with the banning one is the best and most effictive one so far.

Na, honestly, I see problems with the survey as well, since there are only a few who are good at making great funny replies and a talk won't get really started. But I'll ask stormtroopers for the next party. I heard they like to party as well.

About the question how many new members there are... It's difficult to say, since it's unsteady. Of course, it's far away from the numbers when you, Morgaine, were mod in here. That's clear. If I get asked to say a number, I would say it's an average of 4 to 9 per week, depending on the circumstances. I wish it would be more, but that's beyond of what we can do. So even if people usually just post once, we should try to show them how great this forum is and give them reasons to stay.

So, I'm still looking forward to your suggestions! Maybe we should link this thread to a new member. Maybe they have another idea, since they are new and have a different view.

 

If you only semi-like my banning idea, consider the follow alternative. Once a newly registered member logs on for their initial forum activity, the site automatically directs them to Fecal Force in YJCC, so they understand that they have the freedom to discuss their bowel movements with fellow Star Wars fans...

 

We need to change the tag on the main TFN page to boast: "Up to the minute updates on the 3D releases!" to attract 5 or so new members.

 

Now, I could do a bad joke about MyKe's idea above about banning new users for not posting in comparison to the board problems about keeping them from posting, but... no... I don't like this problem, since it means that we don't get new users for the next days or weeks or whenever it get fixed again. THAT makes me sad!

And so our discussion is more about what we can do in the future and less right now. But we can bring up ideas and be prepared when the new-user-password-problem is solved. Would be nice, if we can get some ideas to life.



Attracting more new users would be cool as well, but currently we are talking about what we can do to give them more reasons to stay here (WNU and JCwide). Maybe later, MyKe.

Morgaine, you said you have more ideas?

 

New idea that enforc... encourages consistent WNU participation...

The rest of the boards don't get 'unlocked' for posting until after the 25-50 post count marker. The posts would have to be relatively decent in their contribution (as opposed to... say... my past 45 posts in WNU...), as spam wouldn't be tolerated, so the posts would at least be friendly, interactive, etc. After a set amount of 'practice' posts in WNU, the ability to post in other parts of the JC is made accessible. Control, I'm telling you... control is the answer. Subjugation.

 

Listen here you joyless shrew...

*smacks Harpuah in the face with a pillowcase full of rocks*













[I can do this because we are e-friends of the highest caliber]

 

Harpuah... Denied!

*puts some feathers inside of the stone pillow without Myke noticing it*


Ok, now back to topic!

Since we have got some suggestion and I think even some very good ones, I would like to talk about them a bit. Maybe bringing up some pro and cons (which I might have missed) and working on a list of ideas which we really want to try out. Of course, you are welcome to post more interesting ideas. We are just focusing a bit more on getting some ideas done.


@ Morgaine's suggestions:

Board-Threads:
This suggestion came up some time ago and I was afraid that it would clutter up WNU, but in the end I agreed, so FanForce created an introduction thread and I thought that FanFic did one as well, but I can't find it. Weird. Actually, regularly it's not the way that certain boards get mentioned more often than others. If it's this way then it's about the users who promote their boards. Only sometimes it seems that new members could be interested in FanFic, RPG or CT/OT, maybe LACWAC. (If someone is having another feeling, please, let me know. ) So I don't think posting a promoting thread will help. In my view it would make more sense to invite the new users to those boards directly (best by those regulars), maybe even suggesting certain threads, so they get involved faster.

You said new members could use it as a question/answer thread. Sadly none of the older question/answer threads worked, so I don't think they will work either. Keeping those questions within the introduction thread might be the better option.

"Topic of the week":
But I really like your idea about "Topic of the week". Somehow I have the feeling we had that idea discussed (and denied) earlier, not sure though. Doesn't matter in the end, since times chance. Within this "Topic of the week" we could include your (Morgaine) thought about "old topic for regulars, but new to new memembers". We just might need to promote this a bit - so new members learn about this option (for using it) and mods/old members for moving it when it's a new topic, which just got posted here.


@hyperspace's suggestion:

You basically mean "keeping up the good work of adoption" and "do more talking with newbies"? Did I get that right?


@Myke's suggestion:

So you want to make a game out of the JC/FF? The more you post the more parts get opened to you and in the end, when all boards are opened, belongs to the coolest person ever?



Another topic: I just realised that some threads are out-dated. Actually I wanted to update them all when we did the big move, but maybe I should put it on the to-do list no matter if we move in a few weeks or not.



List of suggestions:

1. Keeping suggested boards personally and not randomly.

2. Another, shorter game?

3. Updating/re-doing Map of the Boards including a short do's and don't's.

4. A (funny) survey.

5. Stormtroopers/Gamorrean Guards at the doors.

6. One thread per board

7. Updating all threads

8. "Topic of the week"

9. Keeping adoptions

10. More talks with newbies for make them feeling more welcomed and having a chance of getting active

 

I would consider this as the most constructive option, if we do it with the aforementioned themes being 'old to regulars/new to noobs' in nature. That way, any given week, we could possibly give a taste of the Senate in here, another week is a sample of Comms, just as examples. Comms would be fun in WNU... knowing there is a deadline for the madness to cease.

 

Wouldn't mind, if every boards wants to present themselves that way. Could be fun! And interesting for new members as well.

But I would like to have new members involved as well. But maybe we can do this by asking other mods to inform us about "old topics/new for newbies" that get posted (and locked).

 

I completely meant that it would be pre-existing topics BUT being presented in WNU for the new users to get a feel for actual conversations that take place around the JC. For instance, take a topic in the vein of "Should Fat People Be Allowed To Use Handicapped Parking Spaces", which is a topic with potential for slight debate, but also for joking, and some 'rough' posts, and put it in WNU for a week so that newer users witness/involve themselves in what to expect elsewhere on the boards.

I know my example was a potentially vitriolic topic, but that was sort of the point. One week can be discussing a new film or book or changes to the Star Wars blu ray set, etc., another week can be about middle east foreign policy, just so that the boards as a whole are represented, but also so that newer users have a 'safer', far more sterile environment to get prepped for heavier topics and the semi-faster flow generated by more involved discussions.

Of course, we could limit the topics to avoid 'Senate'-level discussions, and stick to a fanfic in here or "Lady Gaga Suxx - Discuss" or whatnot, just so it doesn't get too heavy handed, but the premise is still the same. Take something that would be an accepted topic in the Arena or YJCC or LACWAC and give it a week to breathe in here as a 'clone' of the original thread, with the hope that regulars/oldbies/midbies would support the version of the thread in WNU for the week it exists. I will certainly try to take part in the majority of any WNU versions of threads, just to get them chugging along. I could easily coerce a few regular 'personalities' on here to do the same, so long as the topics are engaging.

 

Thanks. I really think it is one of the more viable routes we could take to not only generate continued interest in WNU, but also let WNU live up to its full potential of prepping newbies to the rest of the boards. Getting regulars to participate or contribute a post to these weekly 'sample' threads will take some minor prodding, but it is quite within the realm of reality to accomplish.