Delegation How can a mentor help your community?

[Cedric]

Have you ever noticed how a lot of people sign up but then never post? I think a big reason for that is that they're intimidated to jump into discussions. It got me thinking — what if forums had dedicated mentors to help guide new users? Could you imagine a few of your members taking on this important role?

The idea would be simple: a mentor's role would be to welcome new members, reach out with a friendly message, and help them get comfortable with posting, exploring different sections, or even just introducing themselves. Imagine someone saying, "Hey, if you ever need help or just want to chat, I'm here!" That kind of personal connection could make a world of difference.

Some thoughts:

1. Breaking the ice: Some new members might not know where to start or feel hesitant about jumping into an already established group.
2. Guidance: A mentor could guide them through how things work, suggest popular threads, or even introduce them to other members with similar interests.
3. Increased activity: Getting people involved early on means they'll be more likely to stick around and participate, which boosts overall community engagement.
4. Building relationships: A warm welcome and support system helps make the forum feel more like a community and less like a place full of strangers.

What do you all think? Would having mentors be a good idea for our community? Do you think it could help new members feel more comfortable and encourage them to be active? And if you’ve ever been a mentor (or had one), what was your experience like?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[InMyOpinion]

I think this is a fantastic idea and if done correctly could be a game changer for forums and communities. Some people are shy and don't always just want to just jump in and post or start a conversation but if there was a mentor to help those people feel more "at home" sort of speak I think it could really pay off.

There are a LOT of people who join and never post and maybe it's because they are too intimidated and don't know where or even how to start, but maybe with a mentor who is making them feel more welcomed and wanting to build a genuine connection (key word being genuine) they would come more out of their shell and feel more safe posting. It would also help the mentor know what posts/threads would be more appealing and interesting to that particular member so they could recommend such threads.

I think having a mentor could also be beneficial when there is a forum update. It's good to check in with members to know if they are up to date with what is going on with the forum and what they can expect in the next little bit. We also want to make sure that our members understand clearly what those changes are and if they have any concerns or comments about the changes.

Members want to feel like they are a part of something, and they also want to feel like what they say matters to us as forum owners. So having a mentor that would reach out and give the members a little "what to look forward to" or updates it would give the member a chance to voice what they think of things and if there is anything that we (the community owner or staff) can do that this is the safe place to do so. These little updates messages would also be a fantastic time to include posts or threads that you think this particular member would be interested in and express that you look forward to reading their replies. etc.

Having a mentor who would send out "Happy Birthday" wishes as well with a link to their "Happy Birthday" post would be awesome to add too.

I think that mentors needs to be VERY very dedicated members who ARE going to be proactive and send out messages to their designated members. I think that the forum should have more than 1 mentor and have a good members to mentor ratio so that the mentor isn't too overwhelmed or is overflowing with messages to keep up with while also staying active in the forum.

I think it's crucial that a mentor be active on the forum because we want members to feel a familiarity to these mentors and also get to know these mentors over time from posts, replies and threads.

Ultimately, I think that if you can come up with a strong team of mentors it is definitely worth it and could have a very positive impact on the forum/community and even on the stats. It will also improve the amount of members that have a post count on the forum. Though I think if you don't pick the right people and mentors for this it could be disastrous and have a horrible impact and outcome.

Loved this idea of a mentor!

 

[Bawse]

I've considered @Cpvr to be a mentor for me with community building. I've learned a lot from him over the years, and watching him build his community.

 

[InMyOpinion]

I've considered @Cpvr to be a mentor for me with community building. I've learned a lot from him over the years, and watching him build his community.

He definitely does know his stuff! And he's a great person so I'm sure he would LOVE to mentor you.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I've considered @Cpvr to be a mentor for me with community building. I've learned a lot from him over the years, and watching him build his community.

He's one of the users I remember the most. I think he's one of my oldest forum acquaintances

 

[Cedric]

@Cpvr is the GOAT!