If you manage a message board community, a key to your site's
success is the lively banter between members. Without conversation,
your site will quickly die off. You can't police your forum
and respond to every post, but there are a few things you
can do as an administrator to get things moving again.
Hold a contest. Yes, who doesn't like to win something,
anything? You don't have to spend a lot of money and the
prize can be as simple as a magazine subscription, free membership
for one year to your site, or an electronic gift card for
the lucky winner. Want to go big time? Find a merchant to
sponsor a gift; in exchange for their donation give them
free advertising on your site for an agreed period of time.
Update your icons. The same old, nondescript icons
will certainly bring about the yawns. Spice things up by
swapping out one set of icons for another. Holiday themed
icons are a favorite.
Change your background or theme. Holiday themed backgrounds
that promote a warm glow in the hearts of your members will
retain your visitors like nothing else. Put away the stale,
antiseptic backgrounds and put some holiday pizzazz into
your forums.
Cyber Grab Bag. No, I haven't tried this one...yet!
However, I do know of sites where members play "Secret Santa" with
other members. This can be in the form of a surprise email,
an electronic gift, or a donation to the recipient's favorite
charity.
There are many other ways to get your site moving again.
Use this festive time of the year to come up with a plan
that is certain to spark interest in your site. If in doubt
as to what to do next, ask your members...they'll know!
Copyright 2005 -- Matthew Keegan is The
Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics
including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business,
Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel,
writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available
right online.
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