Guests(lurkers)/members ratio

[Reciprocum]

I hate seeing 132 guests and 2 members online... people that do not even make the effort to sign-up get to benefit from the content and effort of the few that do...

 

[J.Duffy]

I was a lurker for awhile. I'd do a Google search on a lens, camera or question and Google would suggest this page. I would read the thread about what I was searching for then leave. Eventually I actually started coming straight here and searching, then I joined, then I became a pro-member. I love this forum! Maybe they are just taking baby steps...

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Sadly, every forum is like this, more so since Facebook took off, but it is irritating

 

[Tim Mayo]

Unfortunately there are more guests than members online at the same time, although in the guest numbers are also robots like web crawlers, although they only account for around 15 percent, you can see the breakdown here: https://www.alphashooters.com/community/online/

What I can do is stop guests from viewing the images here without registering, although this can have the opposite effect as they just simply get frustrated and leave the site, whereas after viewing for a while they might sign-up. If I visit a forum where I'm forced to register before I can view the content, I typically just leave the site. But I might experiment with this.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Unfortunately there are more guests than members online at the same time, although in the guest numbers are also robots like web crawlers, although they only account for around 15 percent, you can see the breakdown here: https://www.alphashooters.com/community/online/

What I can do is stop guests from viewing the images here without registering, although this can have the opposite effect as they just simply get frustrated and leave the site, whereas after viewing for a while they might sign-up. If I visit a forum where I'm forced to register before I can view the content, I typically just leave the site. But I might experiment with this.

I also rarely sign up if I can't have a look first, because it might not be worth my time. Interesting Bot stats, bloody ridiculous really.

 

[garuda]

What I can do is stop guests from viewing the images here without registering, although this can have the opposite effect as they just simply get frustrated and leave the site, whereas after viewing for a while they might sign-up.

I agree, Might retard new "sign-ups" as you said.

If I visit a forum where I'm forced to register before I can view the content, I typically just leave the site. But I might experiment with this.

Is it possible to have a button or check box in profile for individual members to prevent only guests from seeing that members libs/media/etc? So that member gets choice, but guests can still surf forum.
.
Or is possible to notify guests they get 5 free uses of forum, then precluded further until reg'g as a member?

 

[Tim Mayo]

Is it possible to have a button or check box in profile for individual members to prevent only guests from seeing that members libs/media/etc? So that member gets choice, but guests can still surf forum.
.
Or is possible to notify guests they get 5 free uses of forum, then precluded further until reg'g as a member?

It's not something that is possible out of the box unfortunately, at least not with publicly shared content. It is already possible to restrict albums that you have created to only registered members or members that you specify, you'll see these options when creating an album.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Sadly, every forum is like this, more so since Facebook took off, but it is irritating

Exactly. I used to moderate a fishing forum, and I lamented the same thing.

 

[Ralph]

Back in the dark days when Disgracebook was getting going and people could post their photos there.
It was good for them because on there they got good shot even if it was a black blob in the middle of the photo.
No one was willing to be honest in case it upset them. So as I say Discracebook was a kiss arse place and people liked this.
But on a forum back then if you posted the same thing you were told in no uncertain words how bad it was.
Yes back then the truth hurt them so they didn't come to forums as they didn't want the truth.

I hope that forum stay with the truth on shots as I rather have the truth over a kiss arse reply.
You learn nothing from them. So when this one came along and being to do with my camera I joined up.
With the hope if I post a bad one I am told that.

This is what I think people do come to look on forums and look. They want to see what is going on.
As most as I have seen here are very good shots. Disgracebook its closer to 50/50.
Forums are for truth and the other is for vanity.

 

[garuda]

Tim, this is a petty rant comment that needs no reply, just thinking out loud. As sophisticated and comprehensive as this excellent forum software package is --- I'm surprised the software don't incorporate an option to invoke a restriction that allows guests to visit 5 times and then requires them to join or refuses them further access. Five times is enough to get a feel for the climate of the forum. Can't the software record the guests' IP and keep track of five-times?

After all, there’s no fee or requirement to join. And constantly the guests out number the members 10-20 to 1. Is society degenerating into robots and commitment phobes?

 

[Tim Mayo]

That would be a nice feature, I guess similar to how some online papers work by allowing you to read so many articles before throwing the paywall at you. The only downside to this is that Google would also be blocked which means a lot of helpful content wouldn't appear in the search results, as a result the visitor numbers and also members joining up would drop off a cliff unfortunately. I don't allow Google to index all content in the forums, only threads that I think people will find helpful. As by allowing everything to be indexed including threads with no replies etc this can look like thin content to Google, and too much of this might result in a penalty for the site and it looses rankings and traffic. I have made one change and now unregistered members can't view larger images in the forums, when they click on them they will be asked to register. Unfortunately there's no easy way to do this for the media gallery at present.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Tim, this is a petty rant comment that needs no reply, just thinking out loud. As sophisticated and comprehensive as this excellent forum software package is --- I'm surprised the software don't incorporate an option to invoke a restriction that allows guests to visit 5 times and then requires them to join or refuses them further access. Five times is enough to get a feel for the climate of the forum. Can't the software record the guests' IP and keep track of five-times?

After all, there’s no fee or requirement to join. And constantly the guests out number the members 10-20 to 1. Is society degenerating into robots and commitment phobes?

Perhaps a warning saying "All lurkers will be hunted down and beaten with a wet lettuce"