Scott

[Scott]

It seems that the vote-off should have been the ideal activity to keep things going through the winter months, as it could easily be done indoors.   Unfortunately, that didn’t work out.   I’m concerned that people who haven’t yet lost interest and moved on, already, will likely do so well before spring.

Bamaswitch and Ed like this

[Scott]

As site administrator/moderator, There is not any good reason you shouldn’t post and be a participant.  But the mechanics of the site, the costs, the problems, probably should not normally be a subject of discussion.  If it isn’t bad enough that there is dwindling participation by both new and existing community members, complaints about the work and cost just add to the problem.  Most who visit don’t want to be a burden to you, or listen to your problems.  At this point, you are not going to get inundated with new members.  Rather, they are going to straggle in slowly, likely if at all.  The trick is going to be making them want to stay and not look elsewhere for whatever they are seeking.

So, with all you ARE doing, having run the site (and others) for several years, why do YOU think the site is not doing as well as you’d like.

[Scott]

I’ve been trying to think of what to say about this.  I still don’t know, for sure, so I’m sure this is going to be a bit jumbled, and maybe harsh, but it is intended constructively.  Whereas you seem to be concerned about “letting down” a “very small core of long-term members”, 1.) Where are they?  I think I can pretty much count the number of participants in the short couple of months I’ve been here in the low teens.   Where were they when you were trying to get the vote-off going?  2.) Is closing the site down really letting anyone down much more than simply letting it fade away due to lack of ongoing activity and engaging content that discourages new visitors while driving away existing ones?
I take you at your word that you really want to keep the site going, and I hope you do if that is what you want, but whatever the goal, doing something is almost always better than doing nothing.  I think you need to get something/anything going and revel in the activity you get, rather than lament that you don’t, and see what happens, what doesn’t work as well as what does, and use it to advance and grow the site.   Id start by getting what you already have going, the master dare list and challenges.  Keep them going and expand them so that anyone can jump in at any time, at any level they are comfortable with.  As you may have seen from the recent vote-off attempt, trying to organize it by Comittee and appeasing everyone doesn’t always work.  Inevitably you will always make some happy and others not.  But taking too long to gather consensus and decide grows tiresome to people’s short attention spans and they loose interest.  Also, there s nothing wrong with keeping it simple and making it happen.  Don’t listen to the negative garbage from people because it will likely never go away.

I totally understand the concerns of some of you mentioned detractors, and you should too.  You are dealing with subject matter that simply lends itself to anonymity, secrecy, uncertainty, and a lot of online abuse and fraud.  A lot of other sites DO generate fake members and activity to lure in new people, and a lot of them also use and share private information.  That you seem very concerned about costs and funding through community support, that you yourself are as anonymous as he rest of us, that you use Koffee and/or PayPal, or whatever which may cause concern for many, doesn’t help.   I can see people being concerned that you might get their real names, or other info, from third party payment sites.   But you don’t have to explain any of this (or at least not as much) if you have a thriving site where clearly a lot of others are  trusting enough to join in and participate.  Without that, new visitors will question why there aren’t.

Ed and Kerry like this

[Scott]

Quite often, I’ve thought that your posts have sounded like you have given up already – that you are just asking someone to make the decision for you.  The bottom line is that it is your site and your hobby, no one is going to tell you to give up or not.  But, if it is no longer enjoyable for you, you are not getting what you want out of it, it is too costly, or otherwise too much of a burden for you to continue, those things are worthy considerations.  And, maybe, there are other doors that will open and other interests to pursue.

[Scott]

Honestly, what it will take is something happening on the site more than what has been for the past couple of months, or longer.  It is really hard to see any real benefit to being a community supporter right now.  It appears that most people either don’t even stick around and/or are not active, and activities that might entice people to are not active or ongoing.

[Scott]

Not me, not brave enough.  Just as well, though, as it would probably discourage visitors from looking further.

[Scott]

People all come to the site, look, at different times.  Answering questions is fine, and one thing I’ve thought missing is a FAQ page.  However, to generate more visitors, more frequency, and more sticking around, the site needs more active and changing content.  The forums can help with that if more of those who are here contribute to them.  As For the moment, I sort of feel like the forums are more like a catch all chat room with people asking questions and making comments until the topic dies.  They could be for more in-depth topics and discussions.  I’m working on coming up with some.

Ed likes this

[Scott]

Interesting idea, and it seems tha SOMEBODY needs to get something going on this site.  Maybe you should try it?  Only things questionableare if there are enough people regularly visit ting (besides you, me, and Ed) to make it work – but we might find out, check to be sure you comply with rules for posting, and you might be stepping on Ed’s toes with regard to any potential future vote-off events?  It’s kind of like having your own vote off event – which is t necessarily a bad idea.  But, it seems, there are some who always seem to have a reason not to do something then complain that they can’t get anything going.

Kerry likes this

[Scott]

For instance:

1. I have ideas for challenges.  How do I submit them.

A. Visit our forum and start a topic to ask the community.  PM me.  Join and participate in chat.

(this one answers a likely question an the answer encourages participate in other parts of the site, even join up)

Ed likes this

[Scott]

You do a great job of summarizing what the site is about on the home page, so that kind of information you don’t want to repeat unless you feel it is very important.  But, anything else you think visitors should know as they explore the site would be appropriate.  Primarily, though, the FAQ page is answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” and can be added to as needed.  I would suggest starting with the 5 or 6 most frequently asked questions, maybe one or two of the oddest questions that you feel are appropriate, and go from there.  The idea is that it will help save you, and the forum, from answering many of the same questions over and over again.  The bonus is that, even if your site is brand new and you make up all of the e questions/answers, it gives the impression to visitors that there is other traffic and interest in the site.  It also gives an immediate impression, to those who visit but may not ask questions, that you want to help them find what they are looking for and know what they need to know.

Ed likes this

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