Requiring users here to Log in? Good or Bad idea?

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
I am always looking at the forum and trying to figure ways to improve it,make it more active, add content etc. One thing that I have always grappled with is getting guests to register. I know we have many here that view the forum's content but for whatever reason they do not register. Thats a shame because they miss out on the benefits of interacting with the community. Its also not really a positive thing for the forum as we depend on members interacting here to keep the content interesting. Its really in the best interests of the visitors to register and get more out of the forum and by participating they would help keep this valuable resource going. So both visitor and Forum benefits like that. Unfortunately, thats a hard thing to sell.... so if you are reading this as a visitor , join... you will be happy you did.

So thats one issue, but now we have another issue, one thats more perplexing. Its how do we get the registered members that are viewing as Guests to actually log in. Theres many of these that do this daily. In our attempt to make things easier and better we have encouraged offsite photo hosting, and enabled photoviewing in most sites. Visitors and non-logged members can view all the content. Its very one sided though,and really doesn't help the forum in any way. It doesn't add content, and really doesn't benefit the members that are logging in and using the forum regularly.

This question is largely for the members that log in regularly, read, and participate, should we leave things as they are, or should we maybe try and encourage members to log in in order to view content? Logging in only takes a moment, so do you think it would be asking alot of members? The group that would be most effected I think would be the visitors, they would need to register to view content, but we could allow them to view some content as visitors to get them interested in taking the plunge and joining us.

Disclaimer... Before anyone gets on their high horse about me me changing things, or taking away their "rights" to browse our forum without logging in:bandana: I'm not advocating doing it, I am asking for a discussion on the pros and cons of it as you all see it. Oh and in full disclosure, Of course I am hoping to influence members and Visitor's behavior without making any changes at all :) I really would prefer not to do any extra work and instead enjoy my Discus and the interactions with members here. Not that I am lazy, but because I am practical!

Thoughts?

al

[dagray]

Al,
I feel it is a privilege that you allow us to log in as this forum is your house.

As this forum is your house there is no such thing as free speech as you get to make the rules (which I think are more than fair).

I am one of those who logs in most every day. I don't always post when I log in, but I do read.

Some days I feel as if the forum is moving slow with few discussions and comments, and other days it is hard to keep up with the forum, but many of us have jobs that keep us from our reading, posting, and other hobbies.

Sure I can see the value of adding incentive to visitors to create accounts and log in (i.e. let them see some content but not other content).

I think you do a wonderful job of keeping the content diverse and interesting as well as running a great forum.

I feel people here are generally very polite to one another even when we choose to come at our projects with very opposite ideas (i.e. substrate and plants vs. bare bottom).

Thank you for letting me play in your house.

Dave

[Willie]

I personally see no problem with asking people to log in. It's a cookie, so I don't even have to do anything. In general, if you're not contributing to a community, I'm not sympathetic to complaints about procedure.

I feel the same way about all communities in which I participate. We have the same issue at our local Twin Cities fish forum. Lots of people go in as guests. Others only post when they want to sell something. Hard to establish trust without putting yourself out there, so I don't buy from anyone with < 20 posts.

Willie

[LizStreithorst]

I'll get my head working on this, Al. My gut feeling that making the content more restricted is not a good idea. I'm interested in hearing what other members think, as well.

[Mando]

I'll get my head working on this, Al. My gut feeling that making the content more restricted is not a good idea. I'm interested in hearing what other members think, as well.

+1.

I feel that people come here to study concepts, get inspired with ideas, the emergency room, and just browse for simple knowledge. I'm sure I speak on behalf of many when I say that I used this forum as my encyclopedia for years before signing up. The forum provided what I needed every time without me asking questions. Unfortunately, forcing guests to sign up still will not significantly promote the response you're after. However, you can test it for a few weeks and measure the results. I've never ran a forum or seen the "behind the scenes" statistics, but visitor count and duration is one that you could potentially measure? You know what inspired me to create an account? User name Filip and my desperate need for the emergency room :). In essences, it's a great idea with both positive and negative results, and my little bit of feedback would be: if you do go private for the sake of increasing user count, keep emergency room and journals public; this is your bait.

regards,
Armando

Edit: I just re-read our post and wanted to comment on something.

The sign up process is simple, but keep in mind those users that are looking for instant gratification. Adding one simple step can have them google another web page. Damn, millennials and their instant gratifications... (millennial here). haha.

Edit #2: I always say I'm going to keep my posts less than 50 words. (KISS), but I can't.

In order to potentially increase sign ups, you could add a banner to the main page of the forum, or one that appears on every page for that matter, depicting current challenges, charities, giveaways, etc. Right now you have the grow out challenges, and just recently you had the picture challenge. These opportunities could inspire users to participate.

Getting users to sign up is always a puzzle for me. I run two Instagram pages running at 503,000 followers at the moment.

[Paul Sabucchi]

I'm probably of the opinion that restricting the access allowed to non registerd visitors may not achieve much, it will probably put off the "millennials with the attention span of a fruit fly" and even if we make some of them register it does not imply they will not just continue to read and not contribute tiddly squat.

[fljones3]

I can sympathize with the dilemma. I sign in every day.

After looking around on the site for several weeks early this year I recognized the value, signed up, and immediately contributed. I wanted to support the flow of information here. A person could spend years reading on discus to get what is here in a day! I would encourage everyone who is on the site on a regular basis to not only register but to contribute.

I don’t know if this would work but you could have some type of banner that is not obstructive but seeable that encourages people to register and login. If you restrict information I think you probably will reduce traffic. One idea, though, is to make the only the ER forum for those who register.

[Tshethar]

Agree with what others are saying here, and I think the happy medium might be general access to most content but to create incentive for ER-related issues and perhaps for advanced search functions, which you could highlight for their utility. (The site really is a library of info.)

One thing I thought to mention is that some people might hang back when they first find the site if they don't think they really have anything they can contribute. Personally, a lot about discus-keeping struck me as surprising and counter-intuitive when I first started reading here, and it was a process to start digesting what people were doing to be successful. In short, I can imagine some people feel better hanging back and "not contributing" if they don't think they can.

I know you do this already in a variety of ways, but I think it probably is a good idea to continue finding low-stakes opportunities for lurkers to break the ice, perhaps around fish-related topics but not assuming discus knowledge or experience. It seems like most people who find themselves contemplating discus have experience in the aquarium hobby, but may not feel qualified to weigh in on discus-related topics. That was me anyway, and often still is.

Maybe threads that invite shots of previous or other tanks, ways to transition from other fresh or saltwater setups, equipment to reuse or to decommission, etc. would be generative.

Whatever you decide, the forum is great!

[danotaylor]

I was a keeper of African cichlids, and an active member & moderator on the forum I frequented, Tropheus and More. As soon as I decided to move from African fish to discus I joined SD. I sign in every time and have tried to participate since day 1. 364 posts since May this year...how embarrassing :o That is my personality & temperament. Not everyone is like me, some say "thank the good Lord for that!

I believe even a simple "hey thanks for taking the time to post that useful info, it really helped me" post is giving something back, even if you don't have the knowledge or experience to really help anyone else. The person taking the time to share info & experiences gets a sense of satisfaction that they have helped someone else, feels good about it, and continues to share what they know. In the absence of some kind of real connection to others benefiting from the time & effort required to post regularly, most posters stop. We've all been there. Maybe I'm just "ole skool", but something that I believe has been lost, or is being lost, is that mutual sharing/benefiting disposition which is being replaced by "every man for himself", and "me first", well "me only" in truth.

I enjoy using the "new posts" feature. That way I can keep in touch with new content, read what takes my interest, and comment as desired. For that feature alone, I feel it is worth joining. Whether you feel you have anything to contribute, or are just here to learn, I think membership is a positive thing. Lurkers (repeat guests) who don't want or feel they need to join, are really just using the site for their own interests, interests which led them to the site initially, and sometimes lead to membership. Some might suggest this is selfish (to not join), but everyone starts here as a guest, and maybe it is simply a temperament/personality issue. The question that comes to my mind is, even when people join the community and don't really contribute anyway, is there any real benefit or purpose to the community for their membership? I do not know the answer to that question. Does that mean they should be excluded or restricted, perhaps, but again, is anything truly lost if they simply keep "guesting"? To be inspired to join, one needs access to the information that will produce that desire...

With the development of the legal domain of "intellectual property", maybe it isn't too much to ask people to "invest" in the community (membership) to access the benefits...just maybe...

So, with that said, I will leave it up to your good judgment Al as to how you proceed :)

BTW, I am Gen X...whatever that means ;)

[brewmaster15]

bump

[Cove Beach]

I'm fairly new to SD by most standards, and speaking from that perspective, i started out as a guest lurking and gathering general information for my build. I reached a point where the specific info i wanted required joining to post and take advantage of knowledge. Also being able to view the pictures was also an incentive to become part of the forum. As far as logging in every day i usually do in case i see something i want to respond to, giving back or at least sharing my experience may help others save a little or avoid a missed opportunity. As a former Reef Central member and a few other forums involving saltwater, I enjoyed the help and interaction with others, especially with local folks near me that were able to even stop over and help move a tank or just sit and trade stories. As far as generating interest the photo contest is great and I was surprised to come in second. I think the level of activity on the forum increases as the seasons keep us more indoors and we spend more time next to our 85 degree boxes of water full of beautiful family members.

[Mando]

I know your initial post also asked for suggestions.

I participate in another forum were I can buy and sell car parts. I was able to view the classified section as a guest. However, I did not have the access/privilege to create a new thread or comment on an existing thread. In order for me to post, there were a few requirements.

1. I had to create an account
2. 15 posts minimum before I could comment. Lastly,
3. I had to be a member for a month.

Setting these rules might help convert guests to users and increase activity before they are able to post in Emergency Room.


Visitors and non-logged members can view all the content.

I wanted to point out that guests and non-logged members are unable to view pictures. At least, this is my experience.

[Yom]

I agree that requiring a member to log in will increase the amount of "trackable" hits the site gets and may increase participation, it will also require the nonchalant visitor/guest to register and just maybe join as a paying member. So all in all I do think the forum/group would benefit from requiring log in.

Another issue I see; and am quite guilty of, and am not sure of a solution is somehow to link the Facebook group and the website. I use my phone multiple times a day and follow Simply Discus on Facebook and see posts and interact there frequently. How are those tracked? There are over 5000 members on the Facebook group. Is there a way to link the two sites?

[brewmaster15]

I agree that requiring a member to log in will increase the amount of "trackable" hits the site gets and may increase participation, it will also require the nonchalant visitor/guest to register and just maybe join as a paying member. So all in all I do think the forum/group would benefit from requiring log in.

Another issue I see; and am quite guilty of, and am not sure of a solution is somehow to link the Facebook group and the website. I use my phone multiple times a day and follow Simply Discus on Facebook and see posts and interact there frequently. How are those tracked? There are over 5000 members on the Facebook group. Is there a way to link the two sites?

Dale its a one way street with Facebook.There is forum software that allows integration with facebook meaning posts and thread here can show up in a facebook users wall etc. Unfortunately it doesnt work in reverse so the forum itself doesnt benefit from any content on facebook.. The only thing that makes it enticing to try out is that maybe some one on facebook sees a forum thread noted on facebook and visits the forum and stays. Id have to do some research but it doesn't look too difficult to impliment.

[jeep]

Most other forums have restrictions of some sort, so it's not uncommon. I wonder if there is some admin function that can place a closable pop-up box that invites people to log in/join, if they are not already?

As for members not being logged in, it's simple. Just check the "remember me" box...

[LizStreithorst]

A pop up box is a great idea.

I have the remember me box checked but I only need it when have deleted the forum accidentally. That means that I'm 'most always logged in.