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Forum Software And The Power Of Weak Ties

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Mike W.

Thanks to inspiration from the book, The Power of Habit, we recently examined how strong ties, weak ties, and a sense of identity can be used to understand how forum communities start from a small group, grow to achieve critical … Read More >

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Achieving Critical Mass: How Lessons From The Civil Rights Movement Can Be Applied To Forum Communities

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Mike W.

In The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg analyzes how social phenomena evolve from nothing into powerful movements. There are three phases: Start. A movement starts because of the strong ties between close acquaintances. Growth. A movement grows thanks to … Read More >

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Why Does The Participation Rate Matter? (Hint: It’s All About The Network Effect)

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Mike W.

They say “excellence” can be defined as a lot of little things done right. You could say the same thing about achieving a high Participation Rate. There are countless “little things” that draw users into a community. Some are obvious, … Read More >

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Forum Software, Variable Rewards, And Serendipitous Flukes

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Mike W.

Last week we examined how Nir Eyal’s Hooked Model applies to forum software. We acknowledge the power of the Hooked Model and argue that as more and more users make a habit of using a given forum, powerful network effects … Read More >

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Forum Software Creates Friends And Motivators

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Mike W.

One of the strongest driving forces behind Ninja Post forum software is the desire to help users build new friendships. In this day and age, the “friendships” borne by Facebook and other social networks help classmates reconnect and colleagues (both … Read More >

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Social CRM, Content Marketing, And Forum Software

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Mike W.

Social CRM and Content Marketing are buzzwords (buzz phrases?) that are used with increasing regularity by social media experts. In this post, we examine both concepts and consider how forum software fits into this puzzle. Social CRM is defined as, … Read More >

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Three Effective Tips To Get Users To Open A Thread On Your Forum

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Mike W.

A well constructed thread title is important to grab users’ attention. To achieve this goal, we can examine research about email subject lines and apply it to crafting topics for forum threads. In his book “To Sell Is Human”, author … Read More >

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Minimum Traffic Requirements For A Successful Forum

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Mike W.

Yesterday we discussed the Empty Restaurant Problem. So what are the minimum traffic requirements to launch a successful forum? We have found that about 100 visitors per day are needed from Day 1 to safely guarantee a healthy forum. Number … Read More >

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Forum Software And The Empty Restaurant Problem

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Mike W.

Even the best forum software can’t create something out of nothing. A website with few visitors means a forum with even fewer visitors. This leads to the ’empty restaurant problem’, where a forum languishes without activity, and this lack of … Read More >

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Raving Lunatics And Legitimate Gripes

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Mike W.

One question website operators often ask is: what if I add a Ninja Post forum to my site and a rogue operator comes along and begins to speak ill about my enterprise? Chances are that your forum will primarily host … Read More >

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