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 How do we generate more "word of mouth" ("buz") presence on the internet?
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| Author | Topic: How do we generate more "word of mouth" ("buz") presence on the internet? |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 12-04-2017 11:08 AM
  
At the Silver Salon Forums our membership shares a common interest in antique silver. Some of us join in the discussion & others are just interested lurkers. To our disappointment there are many more lurkers than those who join in the discussion. Although our Silver Salon Forms visitor rate ("hits") remains very high, its not as high as it once was. People continue to register but I am unsure why they register since they never post. Its not "robots" or "SPAM"ers registering since most are requesting manual registration because of banned email domains. As most of you know, June and I don't have a very large family. And the family doesn't use social media. So June & I are not social media users or even social media aware. Advertising is expensive. And doesn't really work for a small enterprise with limited resources. So the small enterprise like the Silver Salon Forums has to either have a great local (brick & mortar) presence or large "word of mouth" ("buz") presence on the internet. June & my time is booked up just keeping us and the Silver Salon Forums going. We suspect the solution to a more engaged Silver Salon Forum is centered in the world of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. We can't add more to our to do list. So how do we generate more "word of mouth" ("buz") presence on the internet? IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 12-04-2017 12:25 PM
Scott, I'm convinced the reason more people don't post is that they're intimidated by the rules. Every time someone new posts, they're confined to the New Members forum, and even there, they get their photos snipped and get scolded for not reading the rules, for not introducing themselves, and perhaps for asking forbidden questions. It's certainly your right to impose these rules on the forum, but the result is that people don't post here anymore. People with a casual interest have gone to more welcoming places instead, such as one or more of the several facebook groups devoted to discussing silver. IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 12-04-2017 03:24 PM
Polly, We very much appreciate just how active you are at the Silver Salon Forums. If the lurking membership was more like you then this thread wouldn't have been started. You may be correct and a long time ago there were no guidelines..... The Guidelines were learned and implemented after problems, after problems and after reoccurring problems.... If the SSF membership that does actively participate would be more proactive about helping new members with things like the need to introduce themselves and proper photo posting then there would be less "snipping". (when time permits ...I fix instead of snip --- and the new member returns to do it again...there is no learning). What you are describing (eliminating all or part of the Guidelines) makes way too much everyday work for us. Also it undermines the civility that makes the SSF a nice informative place to visit. We believe generating more "word of mouth" ("buz") on the internet is not something June & I can do alone. Right now we do what we can... for example, at the antiques shows we go to, we distribute info/invites about the SSF. We wear our SSF T-shirts. When a person emails us asking for free info we politely direct them to the SSF... we look for every opportunity to integrate promoting the SSF into our normal course of our daily lives and business. The SSF community will continue to shrink unless the existing SSF membership invites and guides more new SSF members. We believe the "buz" needs to come from the SSF membership or it won't happen at all. For the SSF community to grow it will happen because the SSF membership makes it happen. IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 12-04-2017 04:23 PM
I've been on here long enough that I don't recall how I originally found the site. I am assuming through a search engine. IP: Logged |
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June Martin Forum Master Posts: 1326 |
posted 12-05-2017 11:51 AM
I think what Scott is suggesting is that for those of you who are active on social media, would you consider incorporating the SSF into your social media to the extent it makes sense. We would love to see more active and broadened membership and social media is an avenue to that. We do recognize that the forum guidelines put some folks off, but we really do equate the forums to our home. An introduction and quick read of posting instructions (rules of etiquette) doesn’t seem a lot to ask although we recognize that this is not the norm in today’s world. But then again, we’re not aiming to be like all the other sites. We’re striving to be a little bit better. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 12-05-2017 01:34 PM
I am on several non silver forums on Facebook an have looked for ways to send people to this site by simply posting a link when something comes up. There are many design similarities between silver and ceramic articles that speak to the influence of one decorative field to another. The forums on Facebook are narrower in scope than this Forum. For example I am on one for English ceramics, but there is a different one for Staffordshire figures and another one for Scottish ceramics. Searching on one site does not search the other sites. I am rambling, but it seems to me that I see a lot less silver for sale in the time period I am primarily interested in. Most of the silver I have brought or studied falls in the category “American silver before the sterling standard.” IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 12-05-2017 03:00 PM
Scott, I wasn't suggesting you do anything different. I just think that the problem isn't people finding the forums, but being intimidated and hesitant to post once they do find them. I'm happy to link to threads in my social media, when it comes up. I already do sometimes, but I will make a point of trying to do it more often. IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 12-05-2017 03:30 PM
Thank you, asheland, June, ahwt & Polly IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 12-06-2017 11:03 PM
This might help & make it easier: IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 12-07-2017 05:31 PM
June says I wasn't being clear.....  Instead of typing: www.smpub.com/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgi You just need to type: SilverSalonForums.com Both get you to the Silver Salon Forums IP: Logged |
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..... After addressing one complaint, after another... The guidelines were developed/written by members....then through trial and error the guidelines were refined and rewritten more than once. The guidelines are best at making a even playing field for our membership. And as the guidelines evolved the majority of the problems went away. Without the guidelines the SSF was no longer a nice place to visit. Without guidelines the Silver Salon Forums was chaos & anarchy 
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