New blog at:

http://www.absolute-community.com/index.ph...=blog&blogid=1&

Please could all executive members read this as it outlines the Absolute Community approach to customer service, with regards to new members.

I will be starting a marketing push for the community area soon and need to be sure that all executives know how to treat the new members.

Many thanks

Jim

(link updated)

The link doesn't seem to be working Jim...... well for me anyway.

http://www.absolute-community.com/index.ph...=blog&blogid=1&

That's a new link above - changed as a result of the new Absolute Community changes...

The link works fine for me. That is very well written. And I have no doubt that some of the new members are feeling some what shy when they make their first post. As they become more familiar with the board and the board members that shyness will go away in time. I know, cause I went through that. Still, go easy with the new members and I am sure they will do fine.

Whatever u said is right but i still dont see any member post anywhere I go.

it was not nethun like this when i joined at least

despite such well thought preparation of our members in the welcoming area and don't see too much people registering and still hanging around!I wonder why's that!?

because people can be easily intimidated by joining a new forum if they dont know anyone. besides this is also a gaming site...they probably thought they had to register to play in the arcade?

I know how they feel, being a little fish in a big pond

But I think there's more to it than that, I had trouble posting a few dsays ago, and still have trouble, because there isn't enough topics that catch my attention or interest me.

Now this is less of an issue for me because I already know the majority of people here,, but when I do join a new forum, the biggest impedement is that there are no topics that I can voice up in

For example, the gaming help sections are all near empty or full or years old topics. I'd love to chat about xbox games, but there are no topics there. I'll assume that's because anyone else who likes xbox is assuming they're the only ones, so what's the point in making a topic?

I think all we need to do is wait, and post more. In a couple of weeks, there will be more content on the site and that will give new members more variety into what they can talk about with us.

Something just came to mind, and I'm wondering if this may be part of the "problem". Now, not being a newbie here myself, I'm not sure about this theory, so someone please clarify it for me if I'm off base.

According to Jim's Blog...
My question is: Do the new members know this!?!? Is it made clear in the email that's sent to them when they activate their registration, or in some other way? (maybe it's told to them in the PM that Jim mentions in the previous paragraph of his Blog, but it's not real clear to me) Maybe they don't realize that they need to make a "Hi, nice to meet ya!" type of post in the New Members forum first before they can open up anything else, so they come in, see only the one forum, and leave? Just an idea. I could be wrong, just shooting in the dark here.

That could well be a huge factor, some forum just give guests the ability to veiw one or two sections, then they get the whole shebang when they join.

But I reiterate, no one here posts enough. The forums are moving too sloooooowly. If I had just joined this place I would be checking back every few days to check out new content.

The new site is fantastic, honestly. The arcade is cool and the blogs are nice. The WWI battle system is also brilliant, I'm really enjoying it so far. But the games wont make newbies post, and the blogs won't interest them because they don't know who the people writing them. The battle will seem complicated unless they browse around and find the guide.

I really like this site, but if we want to get new members posting I need to be honest here.
Now, at the minute, the only thing I can see that would invite newbies to stick around would be the WWI battle. But they join here to be part of a forum, where people spend the day chatting about just everything.
But nobody posts often enough. I refresh the index dozens of times a day, but only about 5 posts are made along the day, it's hard to keep the intrest.
I'm part of a few other foums, and one inparticular moves very fast. People post roughly a dozen times a day, often more. When I have spare time and am using my computer, I refresh the index every few minutes to see the new content.

The speed of a forum is very important in making people want to post. There are tons of topics floating about here, with loads of veiws, but only one or two replies. Why hang around in a forum where nobody talks?

If we all just talked more and voiced our opinions on more topics, we'd have a busier and more interesting community.
All IMO, of course.

Yes, I see your point Duke, and I've been guilty of not taking the time of "digging around" enough to find something to talk about, just glance at the main page, see nothing new/interesting and keep on going. I, for one, will fix that in myself, POST HASTE. (or, PRE haste, since I think that's quicker! ) I think most of us know by now that I can be sort of gabby. Why just the other day, when I was talking with my Mother-in-Law....

<gets dragged away by the hair>..........

well im a n00b :P i was well aware that you had to activate an account before you were able to view the whole forum. i found it clear enough

Logging out shows you exactly what you get btw. They can see the entire forums except for the forums that obviously are not for them. Executive members, Squad members, Battle team specific forums.... You know, the stuff that even a regular member wouldn't be seeing.

Thank you Ms. Marshmallows and Mad, that 'splains it! I was just shooting in the dark, ya know.. trying to figure out anything I could think of to help.

I've also started my own little personal 'thing' where, any time I see a New Member logged in, I send them a little PM just to say "hi" and let them know I'm happy they're here. Nothing special, just a personal recognition of their existance.

I have tried to welcome all the new members in the new members area, but after not being here for quite a while I now have almost 4 full pages of new members to welcome now. I simply do not have the time to devote to that. So I think I am only going to welcome members who have taken the time to post at least one message. I have found that a lot of the members I have welcomed haven't even responded to the confirmation e-mail. So who says they will even return? A member who takes the time to make a least one post is likely more to return than an member who hasn't even confirmed their e-mail address.

I don't know, am I wrong?