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Am3 Community - Ideas/Feature Requests: Increase forum traffic

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      CommentAuthorowlmountain
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2009 edited
     
    I would like to start a new discussion and probe those few members that visit and are active in the forums for ideas on how to increase the usage and what can we do to encourage others to be more active here.

    Any thoughts ?
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      CommentAuthorjason (Admin)
    • CommentTimeApr 3rd 2009
     
    Thanks for kick starting this initiative!

    The forums do seem underused - not sure why - perhaps people are not aware of them or dont't think to come here to ask/answer questions? Perhaps we should start a forum post asking why people don't use the forum :)

    Maybe one way to get more people using it is to keep posting new topics and reference these on your blog using URL link back to the forum topic.
  3.  
    Not sure if this really applies to this topic.
    As a beginner in Photography I joined this site to get advise / idea's from other like minded people and to have my work criticized by fellow photographers, although i must admit it is nice to have "well done", "nice shot" commented on your photo i would rather have, actually I would have done it this way or wrong ISO etc etc.
    Maybe if others where more willing to share How they do things or How they achieve images and to give advise and criticize in a constructive manor then I believe More and More people would start to use this forum.
    Just to finish, this is a great site.
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      CommentAuthorowlmountain
    • CommentTimeApr 3rd 2009 edited
     
    I like your idea Jason of referencing new topics or something interesting in the forums on your blog using URL link. And the best place for it, I think, is in your announcement text box on your profile page. This could be easily updated every so often.

    And hi Steve, good to see you joining in on this discussion. You have a very good point there that we see too often in our comments simple statement like "great", "wow", or "nice shot" that actually don't mean much in terms of giving you some ideas of what somebody really thinks about the image.
    I think most people just rush through as many posts as they can, leaving one or two words in the hopes that it will draw more traffic to their own blogs. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that and we've all done it. Or maybe some are just a little too shy to say what they really think because they don't want to offend the photographer.
    But that's why I think the critique forum is the perfect place for this, where we can say what we really think. Take a look at it Steve, if you're looking for an advise/ideas.
  5.  
    I started referencing few discussions here on my blog by showing the URL links. Hopefully others will do the same.
  6.  
    Any more new ideas on how to increase the traffic and use of the forums ???

    Come on guys, I know you're better than this !!!!.....
  7.  
    Forums could be added to the right side of the blog page navigation bar i.e Forums Am3 Img which might generate more clicks than being only under the Am3 member page.

    My personal experience is that shooting new material, responding to comments, and commenting on watched blogs consumes all the available time. I was an active long time member at fredmiranda.com forums, but dropped it in favor of Am3 because I couldn't keep up with both. I also have a Blogger account which has suffered greatly, and have parked both of my domain names : ] I check the forums on average once a week. best...jerry
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      CommentAuthordanfoy
    • CommentTimeApr 16th 2009
     
    I agree with ordinaryimages, I stumbled across this forum almost by accident (and was also quite confused when I couldn't log into it before my account was activated - this wasn't explained when my username/password were rejected). It would be good to have better linkage to this and perhaps more presence on the am3 settings page.
  9.  
    Very good points guys and I hope the AM3 admins can do something about it.
    • CommentAuthordagilmar
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2009
     
    Hello, guys. I would like to join the discussion by trying to explain the main drawbacks I have found when using aminus3.com forums. I hope you don't mind I write a summary with the cons and my suggestions for overcoming them. Also, excuse my English. It's a second language for me.
    1.- The access to the forum is kind of hidden. It was not until I was told by another user to visit the forum, that I realised there was a forum in here. By the way, I found it just by clicking the link he provided me, otherwise I would still be searching for it.
    Solution 1.- Posting the link to the forum in the announcement text box on our profile page is a good idea as long as most of us do that, however I consider it wiser the aminus3 administrators place a Forum Access Icon/Link/Button on the main pages (like the Blog Watch one).
    2.- Comments are posted and you are not notified unless you enter the forum discussion page and click F5 every five minutes. This makes the discussion slow and little dynamic.
    Solution 2.- A sort of "Watch this discussion" feature you can be automatically emailed any time a new comment is posted. This should also be applied to the comment section on photographs. Aminus3 could advise us by email or on our home page any time a friend (on the blog watch list) uploads a picture and allow us to remove the notification once we have visited/commented the image. Also, a comment is posted concerning a previous comment made by me and we are not told any way. This makes the whole aminus3.com site very disperse. The forum, viewing pictures, commenting pictures and receiving feedback on comments become separate things. It is very difficult to keep all connected.
    Well, what do you think about it?
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      CommentAuthordanfoy
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2009
     
    I agree with daglimar's points and would also add that it would be good if discussions are 'watched' automatically within your account and it is possible to check threads that you have posted in for additional posts, v-bulletin style.

    It also feels very much as if the forums were almost tacked on as an afterthought. I'm guessing that they run on completely different platforms with a 'bridge' sharing usernames and passwords. It would be great if the am3 coders could add some more hooked to, for instance, show new posts in threads that you have participated in on the am3 admin page, perhaps near to the comments inbox. Also unless I'm missing something, there is no link back to 'main am3' from 'forum am3'. This is a little frustrating.

    Ahh I feel like I am being really negative :-P It really isn't intended, although I am very new here I think the service provided is excellent, certainly the most usable photoblog network I have come across so far.
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      CommentAuthorowlmountain
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2009 edited
     
    This discussion here is a proof that the AM3 members want to participate and use the forums !! You guys brought so many great points and suggestions that the AM3 admins should really take a note.

    Come on Jason !!!... you're in the limelight !!!
    • CommentAuthorupsadaisy
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2009
     
    Hi, I agree with all the points made. I found the forum by clicking and messing around. Which is something I seem to do......

    When commenting on photographs where people are asking for constructive criticism, I have been directing them to the "critique my photo" section, explaining they will get much more detailed and helpful suggestions this way. So far ALL of these people have thanked me and stated that they did not know there was a forum until I had pointed it out.

    This has to tell us that the forum is not well known across the AM3 users.

    Sounds like Roman is putting you in the spotlight Jason........
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      CommentAuthorjason (Admin)
    • CommentTimeApr 22nd 2009
     
    Ha - sorry for my late arrival !

    Some excellent points have been made. We are adding a link to the Forum from the main page in our next update (due out very soon) and I believe the forum should have the same footer as the new public pages which should allow you to link back to your blog and the main Am3 site.

    As Danfoy has observed, the forum is using a different platform and as a result causes a bit of confusion. We can do our best to make it as seamless as possible but there will always be some inconsistencies. Your ideas will be noted and we'll look at how to get this working smoother.

    One note on subscribing to updates... notice on the left side of the forum it says "Notifications"
    You can ask to be notified when any forum topic is updates, when any category is updated and when a particular discussion is updated.

    The suggestion to turn this on by default is a good one (I thought it was on by default but see it's not) - again, we'll take a closer look at this and see where we can tighten things up.

    thanks,
    jason
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      CommentAuthorhelen
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2009
     
    Oh yippee! Thanks Jason. I'd love that link back and forth between platforms to happen.
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      CommentAuthorhelen
    • CommentTimeMay 15th 2009 edited
     
    I've finally decided to have a say about the Forum. I like it and visit frequently, so guys I thought I'd give you my views and what is intended as constructive feedback, no intention to criticise here.

    I was actually prompted to write this when hitting the Am3 link from my blog. You arrive at the News and Views page. What a page! (There is so much here to satisfy the Am3 user! General control panel on the right, a very flashy scroller with feeds from all over the place, then on the left General Announcement, Site Enhancement, Article/Tutorial, Event/Competition, Interesting Pics.) ….. Anyway … let’s continue .
    It was the News and Views tab that prompted me to write this because I thought, “Isn’t that a header in the Forum?” Then I had a good look at the page.
    Many of the headers on the News & Views page exist in the Forum. Mmm ......
    One needs to ask oneself why would a user NEED to go to the Forum?
    To communicate, I hear you say ..

    Some users have been valiantly working to drum up user interest in the Forum and questioning why it isn’t being used more. Many good reasons have been mooted. I believe that much is to do with being strong enough to get your eyes past the News and Views page to even click the Forum tab. Even seasoned Forum users need to be strong to resist the urge to click on an external link before clicking on the Forum link. I think the Forum is perhaps being treated as a feature rather than a space so the idea to include it on all pages is an excellent one.

    Once in the Forum we have a formidable amount of options to choose from on the Menu. Despite this, I must admit, I often need to stop and consider where I will post. It is not often easy and ask myself “Is it General or is it Photograph? Or both?”

    The Forum categories are General, Photography, Am3 Community. I note General is very under utilised. It seems to me there are two purposes people visit the Forum.

    1. To discuss photography with other Am3 users. This discussion is either artistic or technical
    2. To ask Q & A about how to use the Am3 blog or the Forum,
    or to discuss or suggest features,
    or to catch up with news about the site
    or features of Am3. (most of this is already on the aforementioned News and Views page anyway and read before they arrive)

    So ….. instead of raving on any more here are some suggestions.

    • Treat the Forum like a space and put a link to the Forum on all pages as suggested (Am3 Img Forum).
    • Put a link at the top somewhere that says Unread posts so it is obvious you hit up on what you have missed.
    (I do use notifications, but the notion of sending users away from Am3 to find out what is going on in Am3 is a rather extraordinary concept)
    • Reconsider the Forum Categories

    Photography
    General Photography discussion
    Critique My Image
    Interesting Images/Galleries
    Themes and Challenges

    Technical
    Camera Equipment
    Computers and Technology
    Post-Production/Photo-Editing
    Tips/Tutorials
    Support

    Am3 Forum
    What’s New?
    Welcome/Introductions
    Suggestions/Requests
    Local Meetings/Networking
    Off-Topic Chat
    FAQ (this could link back to the Help & Support page)

    I must take this opportunity to thank you all, not only for the fabulous work you do on Am3, but for the opportunity to give and receive your feedback. This is a very special place.
  17.  
    I was going to suggest a link from the main page, but I just read it's in the works. Excellent!

    I have an idea that might help direct more traffic directly to the forum from the main page. If it's possible, perhaps you could halve the recent comments section to four and add the four most recent posts of the forum beneath them. It would keep that block around the same size and would show community members what kind of things are discussed here. =)

    T
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      CommentAuthorjason (Admin)
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2009
     
    I've been meaning to come back around to Helen's excellent post (I skipped town around the time she posted it and just got home a few days ago)

    I'll re-read through this and see how we can improve things on our end.

    cheers and keep those great ideas coming !

    jason

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