Onboarding is important.

[Shawn]

I am a paid community manager for Copyblogger, a long-standing website. I believe around 2006 is when it opened.

 

Anyways, online community retention is successful through onboarding.

 

We get new members (paid) and then onboard them to be successful at learning how to be a copywriter.

 

I feel the same tactic is needed on forums.

 

How many members join and then that's it, they become inactive?

 

If you create an onboarding strategy where you engage the members and get them to seamlessly integrate into the community, you'll likely have more active members and higher engagement rates.

 

What do you all think about this idea?

[AWS]

There is a definite need for forum mentors. People that will guide a new user along. Most people that join a community either don't post because they are intimidated or because they are shy.

 

If there were mentor who's job it was to message the new user and get them involved communities would thrive.

[Shawn]

There is a definite need for forum mentors. People that will guide a new user along. Most people that join a community either don't post because they are intimidated or because they are shy.

 

If there were mentor who's job it was to message the new user and get them involved communities would thrive.

I agree with that.

 

A community manager role would be good for this on a forum, but as the forum grows bigger, the CM could appoint mentors and change their role to lead them.