40,466 people visited our site - no comment

[Anthony]

I'm a little puzzled here. We averaging 20,000 and up to 40,000 visits per month depending on the news, and whats going on. I know this probably not much comparing to other networks, but the problem here is that, how can a site received 20,000 to 40,000 monthly visits and not receiving any comment. 

We will get a few people signing up, but they never do anything else, sometime I'm wondering why the Hell they wasting time signing up. 

 

If you notice below, 92% are new visits, and almost 8% are returning visits. From that 8% returning visit, probably less than 1% are members.

One thing I notice is that people are sharing our content, before they make a comment on our site, they copy the content and bring it over to Facebook where their friends at.

 

My last few post are news related, so I sent them to Google news. 

 

Views: 13985, no comment, well the only comment was from a member trying to figure out where I got the video from. He just simply want to bring it over to Facebook.

Views: 3690, no comment.

Views: 2931, no comment.

Views: 1744, no comment.

And so on.

 

Our network is more of a network on current news, and social events relating to the Caribbean. No one really going to sign up to a social network when all their friends on Facebook. I can't compete with Facebook, I don't have the millions to hype up our site. This is why we NEED the option to open our site so guess don't have to become a member simply to comment. At this point my interest isn't for membership, that's optional for us, Its for comments. We need the option for guess to make comment, I think this will be better off for our site in the long run.

 

Visits: 43,265

Unique Visitors: 40,466

Pageviews: 65,645

 

92.40% New Visitor 39,977 Visits

 

7.60%Returning Visitor 3,288 Visits

[Armani Rouse]

Excellent idea and forget competing with facebook because if our networks had the ability for guest to leave comments we'd actually finally have something that facebook doesnt! It would be perfect, a "guest" profile where you would be able to comment on certain content that the NC's would have control to set. Just create an option for our networks to allow visitors to "sign in as a guest"...something like using the "guest wifi"if someone has 2 routers :)....excellent idea!

[Rowald]

Good point, and we are all waiting for FB comments. In my opinion FB is so big that's the only one we really need for commenting options besides comments from our regular members.

[Thiago Santos de Moraes]

No, I prefer Disqus comments. They are more efficients than FB comments.

[Eric Suesz]

Great conversation starter, Anthony.

It sounds like you are doing a good job of getting organic traffic, but people are jumping off once they land on your site. What's the average visit duration?

I guess one thing to think about is what is in it for these prospective members? Why should they join? Will you send them a regular newsletter? Why should they comment? You might want to explicitly ask them to comment or ask for a specific type of comment. For example, in a blog post like this, you could ask people what they think he is worth. Or, "Is this guy worth $30 Million when this other guy is only getting $9 Million?" Provocative questions encourage people to respond. 

I do think that Facebook comments (which is on our roadmap still and will be coming) will help some NCs, although I don't think it will be the cure-all that some people think it will be. I think the new blog feature is something you'll be able to use more effectively than most other people. 

[Anthony]

I agree with some of your talking points, I do try to stimulate conversation sometime when it deserving, I don't really do it just for the hell of it, or for people to comment, when it happen it happen. For example, "Social Media Dont Like Carl Lewis," with almost 3,000 views is a topic to aggravate Carl Lewis fans, but people not going to sign-up and become a member just to comment on that one post.

One or two person comments can stimulate most visitors to jump in the conversation, but if a person have to spend 5, 10 minutes to sign-up and verify their account is just too much for them it seems.

Originally, our site direction was to be a Caribbean Social Network, however, that change to a Caribbean Network that shares, socialize, or organized around social events on whats going on in the Caribbean. The type of traffic we received aren't the type of people who interested in becoming members and share baby pictures. Most members are over 30 years of age, and talk to few of them, they let me know that they are busy. 

My audience are over 30 and 40, they not the type to become members of social network if they already members of of the big ones. Furthermore, most of our traffic coming from Google news, Google News traffic really becomes members, they just want to know whats going on. 

Below is my Clicky stats for the last 28 days.

[Eric Suesz]

Totally agree that you are one of the NCs who could use these types of non-member comments. It seems like you are more focused on publishing content and less on community interaction. That new blog feature will be right up your alley. 

[SweetPotato]

Hi Eric,
Will third party commenting be extended to other social platforms or limited just to Facebook? I've long advocated that whatever system you opt for, the comments need to be moderated at a member level, i.e if a comment arrives via Facebook on a member's blog post then that member can authorise it or not, it should not fall on the NC, although usual admin rights will still apply that can override everything.
Similarly, It would be great if all third party comments were archiveable in the json files.
Any ideas on either of these two things?
Cheers
SP

[Thiago Santos de Moraes]

I prefer these comments moderated at NC level, not at a member level.

[SweetPotato]

you might be very busy then. also, imagine if Facebook moderated what appeared on your wall. wouldn't be happy would you?

[Thiago Santos de Moraes]

Well, I have time and I will take this option.

[Thiago Santos de Moraes]

Now, I remembered, in Disqus we can put ADM´s too, so all the work will not be for the NC. It is goot to note that this comment system now has a social ethos.

[SweetPotato]

On my site members will want to moderate third party comments, not leave to the arbitrary decision of a site owner or admin. if we end up with Disquss in its current form then that would be useless for my purposes.
Sp