General What metrics will you use to measure forum growth beyond just user count (e.g., engagement rates, retention, contribution patterns)?

[Scorpion (Girl)]

To really understand how forum is growing, we need to consider more than just how many users we have. We should look at engagement rates, like how many discussions are happening, how many comments are being made, and how many members are interacting. It’s also important to check retention rates, which show how often users come back. Finally, we should pay attention to what members are posting and how much they contribute. What metrics do you plan to use to get a better picture of your forum’s growth?

 

[InMyOpinion]

User count is nice to track, but it doesn’t mean much if people aren’t actually engaging. For me, the real signs of growth are things like:

Engagement Rate – Are members actively posting, replying, and starting discussions? A growing forum should feel alive, not just be a list of registered accounts.

Retention – Are people sticking around after signing up, or do they disappear after a few posts? Seeing familiar names pop up consistently is a great sign of a strong community.

Quality of Contributions – Are discussions meaningful, or is it just spammy one-liners? A forum grows best when members genuinely want to contribute to conversations.

New vs. Returning Users – A mix of fresh faces and loyal members shows that the forum is both attracting new people and keeping them engaged.

I’d rather have a smaller, highly active community than a huge list of inactive users.