Shawn Gossman

I agree with that. Too many "starter" or "filler" topics these days. I almost feel like axing the Off Topic section at times and just linking to my off topic forum, as an alternative.

Jack Ryan on Prime. I've become addicted to it, lately.

The local country music station :)

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I really try to take care of it as quickly as possible. I figure the sooner it's off your forum, the better chance your forum will survive that little mishap and you set an example of being fast to act on BS.

Yes - 100%. I've found that ads on social media work way better for a forum than ones on Google. You can usually spend less, too. Back in the old days, I was very much like that. I'd give up quick. Nowadays, I know nothing is going to routinely get that big for at least a year. I try to tell folks making any sort of website to give it at least a year.

I go to PM and explain to them that constant negativity is a guideline violation. I'll explain why to them. I'm nice about it. I don't even say that I'll ban if they continue. I just hope they get the picture. If they keep it up, I'll take action. Mitigate a toxic forum at all costs.

Totally agree :) You'll get to those slumps where it stops at like 20 members and then the next thing you know, you're hitting 100 members. It's awesome to watch :) It's like when I hit 1,000 subscribers on YouTube. I watched it happen live. It was celebration time and then it went down to 9,99 again LOL Of course, I just hit 6,000 the other day.

Another Admin Forum updates: https://anotheradminforum.com/ Out Forum of the Month contest is in voting status. We'll be launching the second Forum of the Month contest on December 1. It will still include a cash prize but I'll be adding a generous posting package onto the prize roster. Each contest each month will get more prizes added :) We have some more cool interviews to check out Thanks for reading my update. I hope to see you on the forum soon!

I have noticed something about forums that have expanded organization charts - they are typically more active. What does expanded org charts mean? A few good example would be promotion and admin forums that have community team members, posting package team members, marketing package team members, etc. Another great example is forum software forums that have forum admins, support team members, customization members, etc. In general, most forums just use the traditional "admin" and "moderator" org chart which is plain, simple, and likely pretty bland. But with expanded charts, there is more leadership in play and a feeling of being able to get promoted and transfer and such. Do you all agree with this? Do you think having more positions can influencer a more engaging team? I'd love to see your thoughts on this. :)

Individual member loyalty targeting... It's a term I just created off the top of my head, LOL. But the practice is something that is realistic. In the paid community space, onboarding is important. It helps to keep a newly paid member stay as a paid member the next time they have to pay. We target members on an individual basis to see what kind of member they'll be. If we determine that they just joined to see what was going on and aren't really going to do a lot, we segment them into an inactive user bucket and assume they won't renew. But if they have some enthusiasm about them, they get segmented into a more active user bucket and we focus on onboarding them the best we can and keeping them active. The same concept can be used on forums that don't charge. It does take work, though. You have to give members attention individually and develop a relationship with them. It also looks better when the owner of the forum is doing it, too, as many members want to have closer relationships with forum owners I have noticed. So, my question to you all, is would you do this or are you doing it? Do you think this is a good way to build a high-valued and loyal community?

I suppose that makes sense. However, if you get any new members who post a topic and never get replies, they'll leave your community in most cases. Those are the topics that I would focus on the most - the no-reply ones. If you don't resonate, ask more about it as if you want the member to help you understand it more or teach you about something new. People love to do that, as well. :)

Another good thing is to reply to every post and use AI to help you if you can't think of what to say :)

Did some graffiti removal in the National Forest today :) Always nice to make it look natural again!

Sounds to me like this would be their response if I made a "What was your biggest mistake in your forum career?" LOL

If you get the images on a CDN, does that tend to help?

Without being too much of a brown noser here, I've always looked to Pete for programming advice and thoughts. He's good!

Do you need a shop where you can actually sell things? Personally, I've found WooCommerce with WordPress to be a good, reliable source for this. I've sold quite a bit on it and never had any issues.

My teacher used to call me that in school, back in the 80s lol

I'm finally sitting down and trying to learn PHP so this is all gold to me. Hopefully as I learn, it will all start to make some sense.

I need an interpreter here. [mention=79]Arantor[/mention], what does all this mean? :P

If there are ads placed on the forums, that's why they get them. The content will still get served online, and the ads will still make their revenue if just a little bit at a time. If I spent money on a forum, I'd aim to be the most active member.

I'm a motormouth when it comes to forums. I can post quite a bit if I set my mind to it. :D

I agree with you on this one. I'm not at all good with graphics. But you always have Fiverr and you can find designers there for a pretty cheap rate. If you use them enough, they'll usually take care of you. I hear that, man. One thing I always tried to at least do is post one really interesting topic each day - even if it's just one post.

My AAF forum just awarded me with Addicted because I went over 1,000 posts. It looks like I'm playing my part here :D Usually, I retain a lot of posts. There is only one person that I had to struggle to maintain a post count on my forum. He knows who he is :P