New members???

[Kanablz]

Im just curious about something and was wondering if others were thinking the same thing. I really dig this forum...its got great members and good info...

But since I joined I have seen 10 or so people join but none of them have really posted at all!!!??? Is that common for this board? Are they Lurkers or Bots?

Im just stumped why no one has really jumped into the fray with us? I may be a little excessive getting my blue belt in like 3 weeks or less but you would think they would have at least 10 -15 posts if even just casual forum visitors?

[Boo]

First they are real people. Several of them are folks that I know from other forums. They might end up posting regularly once they get to know the site and they might just lurk and read.

Second, it is common on forums for only a minority of members to post. At least that has been my experience.

This came up recently on another forum. The guys were guessing that out of 6,000+ members, only about 40 were posting regularly. That's less than 1%. Our percentage is over 10 times that high, so we aren't doing too bad.

I think a lot of people just read.

[Kanablz]

I agree it is a common ocurrence but it seemed more evident to me here.... I dont know if you ever checked out the link for the Car Club WCGMP that I use to be president of. I see over there also it just seemed more pronounced here. Im sure your right Boo....

I just had to ask you know me....LOL

[welsh_lad_04]

i think its slower on here because its pretty new and not many people no about it but hopefully the longer we are up the more people will hear of us

[rightcrosslefthook]

Im just curious about something and was wondering if others were thinking the same thing. I really dig this forum...its got great members and good info...

But since I joined I have seen 10 or so people join but none of them have really posted at all!!!??? Is that common for this board? Are they Lurkers or Bots?

Im just stumped why no one has really jumped into the fray with us? I may be a little excessive getting my blue belt in like 3 weeks or less but you would think they would have at least 10 -15 posts if even just casual forum visitors?


I'm glad you started this thread b/c I was wondering the same thing. Here's what I think is at partly to blame for the low posts from new members; All of the veteran mmaworld.org members are very chummy. You guys know each other pretty well or at least well enough to chat in a personal way. Although I think that's great it is a little off-putting at first. I mean its hard for a newbie to just join in a personal convo right? If you're at a party and you don't know anyone there, that's intimidating. I believe this is partly to blame b/c that's exactly how I felt at first. I read a lot of posts, monitored the shout box but didn't feel comfortable enough to join in right away. Please don't get me wrong, I don't think that anyone should change at all. I love being a member of this forum for the exact reason I described above. It just takes a while for new members, that's all.

[Boo]

Very insightful. I'm sure that is part of it.

I should go back and look at some of my first posts. Though I suspect I came barreling in like, "Hey I'm here, we can start now." LOL

[strife]

Lurkers are real peoples?

[duran]

What a timely thread. Kanablz & rclh, you guys nailed it. In the last 10 days-2 weeks I noticed how many new registrants there have been. I made a mental note that there will probably be some new names making posts and was looking forward to their contributions and comments. Not just a day or two ago i wondered why this was not happening and almost commented on it. It struck me the same way - although the word that came to my mind was "elitist", although I think "chummy" is probably a better word. It occurred to me that someone who just logged on might think we are "elitist" or too "chummy" in spite of the "Welcome _____ to the Forum" thread at the top of the forum. We all talk and bust on each other like we know each other from school or work and that is very cool, but in print, like I said, it appears that this is the personal domain of about a dozen MMA addicts. The Shoutbox especially strikes you that way. A new guy I am sure feels like he does not want to "crash the party" and interrupt, and I am not just referring to the Shoutbox. A lot of new registrants are probably a little gun shy from getting blasted or "flamed", as they say, on other forums and it takes a while before they read a post that addresses an issue that they are real passionate or knowledgeable about for them to take the plunge with a post. I experienced this somewhat on a Lehigh wrestling forum a few years ago. Most of the posters there are OLD alum and contributors who think they are shareholders. They are very knowledgeable, but they are LEHIGH WRESTLING fans and they are not objective enough. If you disagree slightly, the old guard gangs up on you and then there is a page of posts where they "high five" each other, if you will, for blasting you. Anyone who has ever lurked on another MMA forum, let's say for instance, Suredogg (any resemblance to any website or forum, real or fictional, is purely coincidental) knows what i am talking about.

I don't have any solutions other than to hope that new registrants read this thread and know that nobody gets blasted on this forum. If you get busted on, it is because people like your posts and respect your knowledge of the sport. I post less and less on another forum because it gets more Suredoggish weekly, and I will continue to post there. I do like it for the activity and volume, which I hope this thread inspires more of here. I also like this forum because there are a couple of active fighters who post here.

[brvheart]

Stickied and last post added as announcement...hope this helps...

[Freestyler]

I'm glad you started this thread b/c I was wondering the same thing. Here's what I think is at partly to blame for the low posts from new members; All of the veteran mmaworld.org members are very chummy. You guys know each other pretty well or at least well enough to chat in a personal way. Although I think that's great it is a little off-putting at first. I mean its hard for a newbie to just join in a personal convo right? If you're at a party and you don't know anyone there, that's intimidating. I believe this is partly to blame b/c that's exactly how I felt at first. I read a lot of posts, monitored the shout box but didn't feel comfortable enough to join in right away. Please don't get me wrong, I don't think that anyone should change at all. I love being a member of this forum for the exact reason I described above. It just takes a while for new members, that's all.

^ This is exactly word for word what I was thinking.

And @ Duran, you hit the nail on the head bro. Good job!

Very insightful. I'm sure that is part of it.

I should go back and look at some of my first posts. Though I suspect I came barreling in like, "Hey I'm here, we can start now." LOL

^ This is exactly the way I am. LOL I just jump right in and make myself at home. Not everyone is like that though. They will come around once they see that there are no outsiders in this forum. We are a close knit family, if you think about it, and families, like farms, can grow with the right sh...... uh.... fertilizer.

[rightcrosslefthook]

What a timely thread. Kanablz & rclh, you guys nailed it. In the last 10 days-2 weeks I noticed how many new registrants there have been. I made a mental note that there will probably be some new names making posts and was looking forward to their contributions and comments. Not just a day or two ago i wondered why this was not happening and almost commented on it. It struck me the same way - although the word that came to my mind was "elitist", although I think "chummy" is probably a better word. It occurred to me that someone who just logged on might think we are "elitist" or too "chummy" in spite of the "Welcome _____ to the Forum" thread at the top of the forum. We all talk and bust on each other like we know each other from school or work and that is very cool, but in print, like I said, it appears that this is the personal domain of about a dozen MMA addicts. The Shoutbox especially strikes you that way. A new guy I am sure feels like he does not want to "crash the party" and interrupt, and I am not just referring to the Shoutbox. A lot of new registrants are probably a little gun shy from getting blasted or "flamed", as they say, on other forums and it takes a while before they read a post that addresses an issue that they are real passionate or knowledgeable about for them to take the plunge with a post. I experienced this somewhat on a Lehigh wrestling forum a few years ago. Most of the posters there are OLD alum and contributors who think they are shareholders. They are very knowledgeable, but they are LEHIGH WRESTLING fans and they are not objective enough. If you disagree slightly, the old guard gangs up on you and then there is a page of posts where they "high five" each other, if you will, for blasting you. Anyone who has ever lurked on another MMA forum, let's say for instance, Suredogg (any resemblance to any website or forum, real or fictional, is purely coincidental) knows what i am talking about.

I don't have any solutions other than to hope that new registrants read this thread and know that nobody gets blasted on this forum. If you get busted on, it is because people like your posts and respect your knowledge of the sport. I post less and less on another forum because it gets more Suredoggish weekly, and I will continue to post there. I do like it for the activity and volume, which I hope this thread inspires more of here. I also like this forum because there are a couple of active fighters who post here.

Man, I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. I was beginning to think I was just anti-social and was always going to find a reason not to get know other people. :thumb: duran

[Easye1982]

I hope with my tee shirts and fight shorts...that after my events we will have a great deal of interested new active members. "I HOPE?!?!" but I do agree that we will grow with time, all it takes is word of mouth. People are always complaining of forums, that are full of "newbs" and people that would rather flame someone asking a legit question as too just answer it in the first place. Being that this is a ZERO tollence site...our members will be happy and stay. Once they find us :D

[Kanablz]

Im glad I could be of help :P

For any new members reading the this thread...I may post like I know these guys but I have been here only 3 weeks. This site is really welcoming and easy to jump into the fray. Dont be afraid to speak up. I wasnt put off because if Im on a board with a topic I like....I just cant stop myself....LOL