engagement - Blogs - Ning Creators Social Network2024-03-28T15:24:53Zhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/feed/tag/engagementThank you NING & Creators!... (member engagement)https://creators.ning.com/blogs/thank-you-ning-amp-creators2011-06-19T07:34:51.000Z2011-06-19T07:34:51.000ZTherese Legerhttps://creators.ning.com/members/ThereseLeger<div><p>I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me with advice on how to get members more engaged with my network...</p>
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<p>I am just a baby network right now, but in less than 24 hours I had 4 new sign ups and they weren't people that I asked to join. It was word of mouth. Not only that but most of the members that joined immediately were engaged with the network, and I am so much more confident in the potential growth of this site.</p>
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<p>One of the main problems I had in the beginning was the fact I didn't want to go overboard with adding too many graphics or colors. So instead, I went to the other extreme and made it look more bland than facebook in some ways. I had the content, but I was missing the pizazz needed for my kind of network.</p>
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<p>Since my network is for artists, I realized that artists aren't attracted to bland looking things. Even I hated the look of my own network but thought it would be better to go with simple. My look and feel is still pretty simple but I added a new logo that pretty much defines everything I was hoping the network to be. I then changed up my colors to compliment the logo, and presto! I think my site looks a lot more appealing to artists and even I feel like I want to log in everyday. Pretty much as soon as I changed up my look, and posted the new logo I had 3 new sign ups without even asking anyone to join.</p>
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<p>Here are my before and after photos for my logos: can you guess which one is which?</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868404?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868404?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868526?profile=original"></a></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868526?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868526?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"></a></p>
<p>Ok, so another thing I did was well I have many artists friends on facebook, and I of course read my friends updates often, and when I see someone post something that is relevant to a discussion happening on my network I message them about it. For example: One of my friends posted an update on facebook asking if anyone new of any art shows around down. So I messaged him and copied and pasted a discussion about planning an art show at a local venue that was happening within my network, and in turn he messaged me back and told me he would check it out. A few days later he joined, bringing with him a couple of other friends. Cool, yeah?</p>
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<p>Something else I've been doing is when someone signs up I read their "about me" information in their profile. After I welcome them to the site I mention something going on, discussion, blog, conversation or a piece of art they might be interested in relevant to what I read about them. Or perhaps if I know they have a group in facebook, I invite them to create a group in my network as well and to invite new people to get involved in what they're already doing.</p>
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<p>Also, if I read something in their profile that seems intriguing or interesting/unique and they haven't posted anything about it really, I ask them about it and ask if they can upload a photo/video and share it with everyone.</p>
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<p>These are just a few tidbits that I've been doing and it seems to be helping a lot- some of them were ideas from the Creators Network and some of them I thought of myself.. but the ones i thought of myself I think were born out of what others told me.</p>
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<p>So, Thank you all!</p>
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<p>-Therese</p>
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<p> </p></div>My Modern Metropolis discusses member engagementhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/my-modern-metropolis-discusses2009-12-16T19:30:00.000Z2009-12-16T19:30:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p><a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/alice"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868257?profile=original" alt="" style="float: right;"></a>Alice Yoo is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/" target="_blank">My Modern Metropolis</a>, a Ning Network and community blog where artists, trendspotters and design lovers share today's best modern day experiences. Alice shares some great tips with Ning on welcoming new members and rewarding active members.</p>
<p><b>Why did you start My Modern Metropolis?</b></p>
<p>I started theMET because I wanted to create a place where artists, trendspotters and design lovers could share today's best modern day experiences. At our core, we focus on art, design and photography.</p>
<p><b>How would you describe your typical member?</b></p>
<p>Our typical member is creative, opinionated and open to new experiences. They're not only on top of current events but they're also interesting in spotting trends.</p>
<p><b>What is your strategy for welcoming new members? Tell us a little about the process.</b></p>
<p>We personally greet every new member of the site. We also respond to them if or when they reply. Everyday, we actively engage with them on the forum and blog section so that they know that there are real people behind the social network. In our Welcome section we also have a link called "say hello" where new members can introduce themselves to the group.</p>
<p><b>What has the feedback been from new members? Do you find they engage more when they are welcomed to the community?</b></p>
<p>The feedback has been phenomenal. Almost every time we welcome them they leave a comment on our page, thanking us. What's interesting is that a lot of the time we'll find out that members have been quietly visiting us for months. We've had more than a few members tell us that after they start to feel comfortable, they sign up. What this tells me is that trust builds over time.</p>
<p><b>How do you reward your members? Has this increased engagement?</b></p>
<p>We started a section about six months ago called Rock Star Bloggers. It's where we recognize our community members that write up their own blog posts. If we feature their post on the front page, we show their name and how many blog posts they've written for that month. After we put up that section we saw a huge increase in the number of members putting up their own posts. Not only did it spark competition, it gave our dedicated members some much deserved recognition.</p>
<p><b>How did you come up with the idea for theMET's Rock Star Bloggers?</b></p>
<p>We saw how other sites gave recognition to their members through badges or lists. Our Rock Star Bloggers list is the perfect way to show our members that we value them.</p>
<p><b>What had member feedback been? Has it promoted more activity?</b></p>
<p>Our dedicated members love the list. We've had many of them thank us for giving them recognition. It's definitely prompted more activity, as well. We saw a huge spike in custom blog posts coming from our members after we created this section.</p>
<p><b>What is the process for highlighting bloggers?</b></p>
<p>The process is really simple and straightforward. When we feature a blog post, we update our list. We add in the name of the blogger and we tally up how many posts get featured on the front page.</p>
<p><b>Any other tips you would like to add about promoting member engagement on your Ning Network?</b></p>
<p>• Every so often, we'll also write up a custom blog post called Met Member Spotlight where we introduce the community to a core member. We've found that this not only creates more of a community feel, it really gives recognition to the people who make the site what it is. Here's an example. <<a href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/met-member-spotlight-mark"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/met-member-spotlight-mark%3E">http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/met-member-spotlight-mark></a>;• Granting admin status to core members is also a great way to keep your active members involved.• Your social network will only be as active as you make it. Members and visitors can see how much work you put into your site by how fresh and relevant your content is. This gives people a reason to come back.• Not only should the Creator lead discussions, they should also actively participate in their community by listening and responding to questions. This will keep your members engaged.• It takes a lot of time and effort to get members actively engaged. Though hundreds of thousands of visitors come to our site each month, it's only a handful that actively participate. Ultimately, it's important to remember that it's the quality of the content that's most important.<a href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/" target="_blank"></a></p>
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