Assuming your forum has more than 365 members, chances are that it’s somebody’s birthday everyday. With Ninja Post, we recognize everyone’s birthday by automatically inserting a birthday cake next to their user name on their special day. It’s simple and fun without being overly dramatic.
We have considered doing more. For example:
- Display the cake icon next to the user name in the “user panel” at the top of the page.
- Sending users a special birthday greeting in the form of a Private Message.
- Display a special birthday message on the forum homepage for that particular user.
- Create a special page and/or link in the footer that displays “Members’ Birthdays Today”.
Of the ideas listed above, we believe the Private Message is the best way to engage a user. One reason is that this message will reach the user via email so they don’t even need to visit the forum on their special day. In turn, a customized birthday greeting from the site is likely to inspire the user to check into the site and say hello to everyone. People love celebrating birthdays, whether it’s their own or somebody else’s. One of our goals is to tap into this positive emotion.
