What Brings New Members to the Forum?

I was invited by philatelia, and I am SOOO glad she did!

I found TSF through an online search. I must say I am impressed of the level of knowledge in combination with the friendly tone in all threads without any remarks regarding use of correct language. As a non-native English speaker what sometimes struggle to find the correct phrase or preposition, that is reassuring.

I already knew about the forum, but I've been absent for a while. I've been trying other forums to see which might be the best fit for me, since changing gears to collecting worldwide. I had been more active in a rival forum, but their search functionality isn't useful, and too many negative vibes from some, especially towards Steiner pages. When I was here in the past, it was basically as a specialist in a few countries, and there didn't seem to be much interest/activity in them here. But, like I said, I recently moved to collecting worldwide so the chances are much better I can contribute something on many different threads and topics. Also, the search functionality is very useful. It also doesn't hurt that once I figured out the image hosting thing, it's a snap!

I think I've found my new home...

Online search for an outlet to curb the Corvid19 blues and decided to mix it up a little.

I knew that I had been a member of an English-speaking stamp forum years ago, but couldn't remember each one. Trying to recover my old membership, I typed "stamp forum" on Google and ended here. i loved the environment and never knew the original forum I used to be a member, as i liked it here and stayed....

I found this forum here: stampcollectingspot.com/7-super-stamp-collecting-forums

Re: new members intro


There should be at least a paragraph on Intro for a new member - This is getting ridiculous - We can say that we have 100 new members in the past month........how many are seen again after having been warmly received by members.....+ they are never seen again........
For me this occupies space and posts without the value of a good introduction.....but I am not the BOSS !!

René

Well I will make my list later as I am having dinner in a few minutes - but it will include
1) a proper introduction with at least a paragraph of 4-5 lines
2) an idea where the potential member says he is from
3) an incentive in follow-ups by member to be after reading the important stuff on the Forum (as links)
4) understanding that 50 posts are necessary to become a "member", meanwhile, any post judged inappropriate would delete any possibility to continue on this Forum

BTW presently newcomers are occupying precious space (in posts), giveaways, auctions, etc.

René
more to come as I am sure other members will write something for this TSF ! that we like - there are numerous Forums  but ours should be special

Ryan

Much respect to a fellow Canadian member - I must have it wrong somewhere or it is just the format that bothers me. New people (not members) should be seen on a separate thread so we continue our business....my way but necessarily the way - .......when you post something worth more than just  ........it should not go on page 2 or 3 in less than 1 week - all depends how you use/participate on TSF

Thanks for sharing your thoughts........which I respect much

René

Nice to have a civilized discussion - Thanks but I know that we are caring for potential and or new members who have other desires.....

René

My sense is that most do both of these...



I'd be curious to hear what you mean by #3. What incentive? You're putting the burden of participation on the new member here. That's a stretch. The burden should be on us - the existing members - to draw the new members into the conversations...

#4 seems to be spelled out on a consistent basis. 

I agree - it is frustrating to see the constant stream of new members. My view is that the majority say hello in an intro - warmly welcomed by numerous members - and never to be heard from again...

From my perspective, I find the number of topics of interest - on any random daily basis - to be extremely thin. I won't typically respond to a topic unless I have something substantive to add or if I have a specific interest. These seem to be rare. 

I would also note - (not scientific analysis!) - that many of the new members have very specific interests. They don't see anything of interest in the first few days - and then they disappear. 

Rene's comments seem to indicate frustration - which I agree with. (Not anger...) My guess is the trick is to have a broader topic base - where the new folks feel comfortable to respond and have something to offer. The board - on any given day - is a very (very!) narrow topic base...

197!!

That's true Nghia (guilloutran ), but only because you have used the word "forum" in your search.

If you try using other terms like: online, chat, stamps, boards, community, etc., without explicitly using the word "forum", TSF is not near the top.  At least, that's how it appears to me.  This is just an observation, not a criticism.

When I originally found TSF through an online search, it came about because I was looking for info on a specific stamp-related subject.  I searched for that subject, and a TSF thread popped up near the top of the search list.  I wonder if others who found TSF through an online search were just looking for an online stamp site generally, or if, like me, they came to TSF because they searched for a specific topic.

Edit:  In fact, I just searched through Google for "online stamp chat site", and after looking through 7 pages of hits, nothing at all on TSF.  "Stamp Boards" and "Stamp Community" and "Stamp Domain" and APS are all on the first page, but nothing at all on TSF.  So, it's clear that how you search plays a big role in what you find.

Search engine optimization to get noticed is an art and science.