Growth What makes a forum user-friendly, and how do you measure the success?

[Cedric]

One of our challenges we face is to get away from the "90-9-1" rule. As you may or may not know, the 90-9-1 rule refers to 90% lurkers - 9% intermittent contributors and - 1% heavy contributors.

So thinking logically, making a forum more user-friendly could definitely give you a better success rate. Making it easy for members to find what they’re looking for, participate in discussions, and feel comfortable in the community are one of those things. It’s more than just a clean design - although that’s also important!

So we need to create an environment where members feel encouraged to engage. Do you check your online members often enough? Make them feel inclusive. Send them a private message asking how they are, every now and then. A minute of your time could make all the difference in their engagement.

At the end of the day, success for your forum is about creating a home away from home that keeps people coming back. So, how do you measure it in your community? Is it more about active members, or do you focus on the quality of engagement?

 

[InMyOpinion]

This is such an important conversation! The 90-9-1 rule is definitely something we all have to work around, but the good news is there are ways to shift the balance.

I love the idea of making members feel included with little personal touches like check-ins. A simple message can go a long way in making someone feel like they belong. I also think structuring discussions in a way that invites participation helps a ton. Open-ended questions, fun challenges, or even a "What’s on your mind?" type thread can give lurkers a reason to dip their toes in.

For me, engagement isn’t just about numbers, it’s about creating a space where people want to participate because they feel valued. A forum should feel like a warm, welcoming spot to hang out, not just a place to consume content and leave.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I usually don't reach out to my members, but maybe I'll start doing this to see how they're doing. They should feel at home while posting on our forums anyways, I wouldn't want to be on a forum where I felt that I didn't belong.

 

[Senkusha]

Oh! Actually, maybe this could be a good idea for a service you could offer: Roast My Site review. Having other sets of eyeballs judging the interactive use of a site could be very beneficial for Admins. I know that I'm particularly biased as how I want my site to look and feel, and perhaps I'm blinded by that look and feel that potential members are turned away before I can even ask for their input.

I know that I've added a few different themes to my site so that members can change things up if they don't like what look I'm trying to go for, but also, maybe the wording of things could be off-putting as well. I also know that most people tend to ignore disabilities such as color and tone. In the past, I've designed some pretty loud looking color themes that I thought the colors contrasted very loudly, only to be told from somebody who was truly color blind said everything looked the same color, and the site was completely unreadable to them.

 

[1stop]

It is very important to track the engagement metrics like post frequency, thread creation and member retention to measure the success rate of your forum. Conducting regular surveys or feedback sessions is important to establish areas that need improvement. Also, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and provide more information on what is well received among the audience.