Building a better mousetrap

There has been much discussion lately about what Fauna should or shouldn't be and what individual members would like to see happen here.

The Board of Inquiry is obviously the primary draw on this site. But, there is also a great deal of participation in other areas.

I'm curious. What is it that makes a forum worthy of your participation?

Are you looking for a sense of community?
Are you looking for straight informational reporting?
Are you looking for drama?
Are you looking for....?

I think it would be very interesting to examine why people come here and what you would do if this was your forum to make it a place that would entice people to come and participate.

Thank you,

I'm looking for intelligence and information. I've found both here, so it fits..Most of the time.

I do like the sense of community, I've made friends here and met interesting people
I like the idea of the BOI, since I returned to owning reptiles after decades away while raising my children; and the BOI helps build a marketplace that is more trustworthy
I hate the nastiness and dramas that surface among the stronger personalities
I like the thoughtful posts started by some, both reading them and participating in such threads, even if it is on totally non reptile subjects, like the recent thread about fave books

Alright, Curtis, Lucille, So if each of you were going to start a forum of your own, how would you set it up? Curtis, Would it be strictly informational? Lucille, Would it be broad-based to cover a myriad of interests? What do you think would draw people to it and get them to return, once they had visited?

I would say sense of community is the number one thing, followed by a positive atmosphere in general and good, fair, across the board sitewide moderation (the two of those go hand in hand usually). An easy to navigate layout is important, and of course, an intelligent member base. :-)

Consistency.

Whatever you're going to have, however you're going to call things, do it consitently.

Originally Posted by Mike Greathouse

Alright, Curtis, Lucille, So if each of you were going to start a forum of your own, how would you set it up? Curtis, Would it be strictly informational? Lucille, Would it be broad-based to cover a myriad of interests? What do you think would draw people to it and get them to return, once they had visited?

I did have a forum of my own (not a site, a forum). Had several. Still have one.
There were posts that asked for opinions and preferences and I had good response in those.
Some people liked polls and some didn't, but the ones who did responded well and often added posts as well as voting the polls.
The poll asking about what people looked like continues to be very popular as the community shares pictures of themselves and their families.
I think for that thread at least what got people to return is their interest in what others had posted and to see pictures of others in our community and their families and provide comments, banter, and just get to know the other posters better.

Originally Posted by Wilomn

Consistency.

Whatever you're going to have, however you're going to call things, do it consitently.

Agreed - good point.

Originally Posted by KelliH

I would say sense of community is the number one thing, followed by a positive atmosphere in general and good, fair, across the board sitewide moderation (the two of those go hand in hand usually). An easy to navigate layout is important, and of course, an intelligent member base. :-)

Kelli,
Certainly, you can speak from experience, more so then many here.
Let me ask you this: Did your plans change from when you started your forum, to when you had an established membership base? Did you find that you need to make any adjustments to ensure the longevity of the site?

Originally Posted by lucille

I did have a forum of my own (not a site, a forum). Had several. Still have one.
There were posts that asked for opinions and preferences and I had good response in those.
Some people liked polls and some didn't, but the ones who did responded well and often added posts as well as voting the polls.
The poll asking about what people looked like continues to be very popular as the community shares pictures of themselves and their families.
I think for that thread at least what got people to return is their interest in what others had posted and to see pictures of others in our community and their families and provide comments, banter, and just get to know the other posters better.

Lucille,
There is no denying that many of the threads initiated by you have become mainstays on this site. In your opinion, do you think that your style of forum would lend itself well to an entire site, or is it better suited as a subforum? (A place where a more light-hearted approach can be found within a more serious forum)?