Any Ideas for this forum?

[wvvdiup1]

I was discussing at some length with Emmabeth about bring something to this forum that will keep members interested and keep coming back to this forum. Not saying that talking about dogs or anything related to dogs isn't interesting in itself, but something needs to be done for this forum to keep people coming back and potential members still interested in this forum. I don't know if any of you noticed, but for as many members there are here, there is only a small fraction of us who come here regularly. I, for one, would like to see or hear from those other members too!

I was thinking about us having contests and games. Does any one have any ideas we could use on these forums, and if so, tell us? Remember, there isn't any idea that's "stupid", "too weird", or ridiculous, so please post your ideas or what you think!

[emmabeth]

Yep, any ideas people have (or, if you would prefer NOT to have contests/competitions, thats a valid point too!), lets hear em!

Do bear in mind that anything we do will need permission from Admin first!

[JudyN]

I think it's normal that only a small fraction of members hang around. The number of people who register, post once, or never, or never even log on is very high on my forum too. So I think you have to get away from the idea that you're not getting something right. In a way, a forum will be what it will be and if it turns out to be a place where many people join to ask a specific question, get a reply, and then leave again (possibly disappointed because the answer they get isn't quite what they were expecting and sounds like too much hard work), then so be it. I'm a member of several forums which I joined for genuine reasons but I can't contribute to all of them.

However, some ideas for 'fun' threads I have are:

1) Word association thread
2) Joke thread
3) 'Seeding' a few more threads in the chat area - not necessarily dog related.
4) One of my recent favourites was the 'In my pants' thread: people come up with a song title followed by 'in my pants', e.g. 'Great balls of fire in my pants' It can get even ruder than that though....
5) Photo competition - 'dog of the month'. Or an 'online dog show', possibly with one of Victoria's books as a prize.

One thing I wonder about is whether some people are put off posting replies in the advice section because we have a few people who are clear experts so they feel their own contributions aren't worth making or they may give 'wrong' advice. I can't quite decide if this is a problem, though - or if it is, how to overcome it

I shall ponder further... but I think this is a great forum and it's not necessarily in the slightest bit broke so don't be too sure that you need to fix it!

[ladybug1802]

I also tihnk its normal for a lot of people only to stick around for answers to their post....a lot of people just need help with one problem, and once they get that they dont need to come back.

I did suggest a long time ago maybe running a photo competition....but it didnt get any further. Other than that, I am not sure.....I think the purpose of the forum is to discuss dogs, dog related issues and for people to get support and assistance, so not sure that a variety of competitions etc will be of too much benefit? The problem with running competitions is you then need to be able to offer prizes! But what do others think?

[Suzette]

I have to agree that a forum of this type (that is designed to address training issues, feeding issues, etc.) will keep the majority of folks coming and going. But I think you can create more of a community here by offering other topics to post to that are more general or fun. Some that come to mind are:

Tea & Sympathy -- a place where we can share a loss or a difficulty in our lives (animal related or not) where we aren't necessarily looking for advice, just a sympathetic ear.

The Funnies -- where we can post anything funny, humorous or just plain silly that will give others a chuckle.

Photo Fridays -- (or any day really, I just like the catchy double F sound to the name ) Every Saturday the moderator picks a different theme for that week (for example, "Fun in the Sun" or say "Sleepy Heads") and those who choose to participate post pictures on the following Friday of their pets that reflect that weeks theme. That gives you all week to either snap some photos or pull up some older ones you already have that just happen to meet that weeks theme. This is a nice variation on the photo contests in that no weekly or monthly prize is needed (though could certainly be incorporated if folks like that idea).

These are a just a few ideas that come to mind for me that I think would be a nice addition to our forum.

[ladybug1802]

The thing is....I thought we already had an area for this? The General Chat area?

[JudyN]

There is a danger with some of these ideas that you create a 'two-tier' membership of those who just come to ask 'How can I stop my dog doing X?' and those who want to be part of a community. Sometimes, this can create an apparent clique as some members obviously know each other (even if they've never met). Some people can be very sensitive to feeling left out. Not necessarily a problem, just something to be aware of.

My forum has two very long 'chat threads'. In the Tea room there is much tea and sympathy, and everyone is extremely supportive of everyone else. In the Bar, there's a lot more joking, teasing and banter. It wasn't planned this way, it just sort of evolved, but it works for us (even if the Bar does attract some very strange characters...). Having two long threads as opposed to lots of individual ones means that the dialogue can keep flowing a bit more.

Just occasionally here I've spotted a post that has had no, or few, replies. As there's only one mod, albeit an awesome one, I wonder if it would be an idea to assign regulars to sections (either as additional mods or just as volunteers with no mod abilities) just to ensure that everyone, particularly newbies, receives some sort of help or comment.

[Suzette]

The thing is....I thought we already had an area for this? The General Chat area?

Well, General Chat is very broad. Breaking it down into specific topics makes it easier for both posting and reading.

There is a danger with some of these ideas that you create a 'two-tier' membership of those who just come to ask 'How can I stop my dog doing X?' and those who want to be part of a community. Sometimes, this can create an apparent clique as some members obviously know each other (even if they've never met). Some people can be very sensitive to feeling left out. Not necessarily a problem, just something to be aware of.

Well, I don't see this as a problem only because those in the "first tier" (who are only here to post, get their response and leave) won't really care or feel left out of the "second tier community" of folks who hang around and get to know one another. It's up to us a community to make all feel welcome to stay should they want to and then make them feel part of the group by responding to their posts and contributions.

Also, remember that many of these new topics won't require one of the experts to answer, so you shouldn't find many posts with no responses since many more of us who are regular members can add to that post. But that's just my take on this.

[ladybug1802]

I agree with the two-tier thing....I was on a forum which essentially started as a horse forum, to discuss all things horse related. A friend of mine set it up. As time went on more and more people members knew were 'invited' to join, and as a result it did become very cliquey. People knew each other, and were discussing, asking and raising matters that were done in a very over-familiar tone, which made a lot of other members feel awkward. I no longer go on that forum.....it is very nice being familiar with people and 'knowing' them, but I think when it just becomes somewhere where friends go to chat, it defeats the real purpose of a forum, in my opinon. These people on the other forum i was mentioning, are also on F*cebo*k, and often discuss the same things on there anyway.

I would hate people to feel uncomfortable on here because they got the impression other members are too familiar.

[jacksdad]

please keep in mind the risk of cliquery (is that even word? ) happening even if it's just the appearance, is a legitimate concern with any change to promote a more social feel. drama erupted not too long after I joined due to one persons feeling that this was the case here. which it wasn't. which I can prove due to I got listed as one of the "in crowd" .

[Suzette]

Well, there is a lot to be said for the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, but I also don't see the problem with adding some other 'fun' topics to post to on here. Frankly, I'm okay either way. I come here for great dog advice and to expand my canine knowledge. If nothing changes, I'll still love it here. But some positive additions would be okay with me too.

As for cliques, I hate to tell you guys this, but it can happen here with the site just as it is. Adding topics won't make it a certainty any more than not adding them will make it impossible for it to happen here right now. It's all about the members who make up the core of the site to keep it open and friendly to all. On any forum, they are the ones who set the whole overall tone.

[MPbandmom]

Forums and chat groups are generally set up to discuss a particular issue/interest. I feel like for those who want games and contests and such there are other options like facebook. When I first signed on, I was so intent on Dog Training Advice that I didn't even notice the General Chat section for quite a while. Honestly, I wasn't interested in chat, I was desparate for help. Once things settled down and I wasn't so desparate for help, I became interested in the chat.

I come to this forum pretty much anytime I log onto my computer these days. I also check my email and facebook and read the news headline offerings of my home page. I am also a member of a couple of yahoo groups relating to Dog Scouts, dog scootering, and letterboxing. Each site has it's purpose in my life and interests.

I feel like this forum is set up very well for it's intended purpose and also provides a place for us to get to know each other a little better, share a joke or two and share pictures of our pets. It is simple and uncluttered much the way I like my facebook wall to be. On my facebook I hide contests and games that my friends play, because I'm just not interested in that stuff. (Okay I admit it I do have a farmville, but haven't been to it in quite some time because it quickly became boring and they are constantly coming up with new this that and the other thing that pretty much require constant attention to one's farm to keep up with. )

[wvvdiup1]

I see good ideas and good, valid points in regard to this topic! I am very pleased and hope you all will keep them coming!

I do know we have a "Funnies" thread, and not too long ago, I posted a thread "What are you listening to right now?" or something like that. The idea was -and still is- is for us to discuss our interests or get to know one another other than just about how we relate to our dogs, if you want to call it that. We're human beings (or at least I hope so) that we can talk about or share with one another as a community, while at the same time, have fun too! We can do this without having a "third party app" as Facebook and other social networking sites have, and I don't know about the rest of you, I'm not comfortable with because I don't know the developer or the company who produced that app, and secondly, I don't want something that could potentially wreck havoc on my computers by infecting my computers with some virus or whatever else is out there. Interestingly, I don't play many games from my Facebook account either. In fact, the last game I've played was "Car Town" and the last time I saw my car, it was in the desert not too far from Las Vegas! At any rate, any games or whatever we create here, with the permission from the administrators/owners, etc., we have that control of our activities.

As for contests, this is what I say: Whoever sponsors a contest with a prize being offered, should be the person responsible or liable for carrying out their contractual obligations to the winner. Therefore, any liability and legal obligations are not the responsibilities of this forum, the administrators, the moderators, BoardHost, other members, and so on of this website forum. Those liabilities are the sole responsibilities of the contest sponsor.

Keep those ideas and valid points coming! You"re doing great!

Respectfully...

[dontpugme]

There was one forum I was on a long time ago (it was for a fan site for a book series) which had this really simple, strange game that was actually really fun called Race to 40. We'd play in between books when there wasn't much hype going on. Nothing would need to be changed on the current forum to play.

There would be only one thread for this game.(Duplicates were deleted) First person would say "1." Second would post "2." And so on until the mod (emms in this case) came on and posted "0" and we'd have to start all over again. You could only post 3 times a day in that thread and at least one other user would have to post before you could post the next number. We got really into it.

[wvvdiup1]

Sounds like a fun game, Dontpugme!

By the way, I've noticed under the "Breed Questions" section that there are a lot of questions of "What breed is my dog?", which could be a good contest starter, if we're given permission to have a contest on this forum!

Keep the good ideas and good, valid points coming! I know you all can do it! Remember, you're a part of this community, so please post your ideas or points!