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Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 1:30 am
by DISJT
Given the fact there are "Total members 11537" on this forum

And at this exact moment "In total there are 120 users online :: 17 registered, 1 hidden and 102 guests"

And "Most users ever online was 342 on Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:28 pm" (a pitiful approx 3%)


Why is it,
1) that such a small percentage of registered users visit the forum?
2) even fewer generate any form of content?
3) the "guests" don't feel inclined to register?

And yes I do realise the stupidity of the question as, the people that know the answers are the same people who choose not to participate in the forum.

I'm just curious as to what people suppose the reasons are...

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 2:27 am
by gwells
many of the "guests" on message boards are often bots. some are like google, trolling for search engines. others could bots for sites like watchrecon.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 2:38 am
by DISJT
A good point. It does list the common bots in the tag at the bottom of threads. Google and bing are often present.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:13 am
by gaf1958
The forum's been around for about then years. Many members join following a purchase, or in preparation for a purchase, post a few times and never participate again afterwards.

The vast majority have never posted at all.

You can view the forum statistics ordered by post count. Looking at it that way you'll see that it's a very small percentage that post for any ongoing period.

Mind you, the information posted by those is a potential goldmine of information for the vast majority that never post. For 90% of questions, a few searches will probably get them the information they need, without them having to post a question and wait for a response.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:49 am
by mvlow
wells wrote:many of the "guests" on message boards are often bots. some are like google, trolling for search engines. others could bots for sites like watchrecon.
Could you explain what the bots are and what they actually do? I've heard the term before, but never understood what their actual purpose is. Thanks.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:02 am
by nordwulf

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:00 am
by Watchamacallit
I am also inclined to think it is more about a person getting excited about CW but fading away. Either they are about to make their first purchase or after making that first purchase they join the forum in order to ask a few questions but do not stick around very long. Especially since there are other bigger watch forums that can capture their attention if they are really into watches and not committed to CW or a single brand.

Personally I joined this forum in order to post a few pictures and thoughts about the CW watch that I had bought. Since I had discovered this forum when doing google searches and learned more about these watch(es) I wanted to pay back in some way. That maybe a photo or comment I made about my CW purchase would be helpful to the next person who may or may not ultimately buy.

Which leads to one small negative comment, is that the moderation of my first five posts were nearly a deterrent to posting more. I understand and appreciate the motivation behind that policy, but as a new person just wanting to post a few pictures and move on, initially was annoying and may hold back some posters. I have stayed around much longer than I imagined thought I go through droughts where I do not log in for weeks or months. And I have bought more CW watches than I originally imagined. That is a testament to moderation and content available on this forum and watches being sold by CW.

Finally when it comes to statistics I took a quick peak at another forum I am a member of on a late Sunday night when the participation would be lighter than normal. It is a small USA-centric non-watch forum but larger than CW. Still I was surprised to see a similar ratio between members/non-members.
  • For instance here on CW 120 online/17 registered = 7.06 ratio
    This other unnamed forum had 1204 online/162 registered = 7.43 ratio
So in both cases the ratio of online to registered members was about 7 to 1. I might imagine many people are visiting as a result of google search hits, but I would also like to understand what is behind this ratio.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:33 am
by tikkathree
DISJT wrote:Given the fact there are "Total members 11537" on this forum

And at this exact moment "In total there are 120 users online :: 17 registered, 1 hidden and 102 guests"

And "Most users ever online was 342 on Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:28 pm" (a pitiful approx 3%)


Why is it,
1) that such a small percentage of registered users visit the forum?
2) even fewer generate any form of content?
3) the "guests" don't feel inclined to register?

And yes I do realise the stupidity of the question as, the people that know the answers are the same people who choose not to participate in the forum.

I'm just curious as to what people suppose the reasons are...
Hey, you're a "Senior Forum Guru" already!!

No question is ever stupid.

I've never met a "bot" in person as far as I know.

We could make a list of reasons including all the above responses plus:

people want to know a bit about the brand and why they offer watches well below the RRP,

people want to understand the mystique of the online marketing process including knowing when prices will be reduced,

people want to know how to buy CW watches at a discount in order then to make millions of £££££ by reselling them on EBay

people have heard that this is a really friendly forum where people can have a bit of craic without being slapped down by some sad adolescent clown with one minute of fame on their mind.

What do you think?

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:39 am
by copemanphoto
I know I started posting here because I wanted to get in to the inner sanctum.......the sales area!

This alone can be a great incentive for folks who come here to visit, but maybe there could be other areas made off limits to guest visitors so more people would start posting or getting involved in threads.

When folks just come to visit, it is like window shopping and not being able to see what the used stuff is going for, but there is so much more.....if you have questions the senior members have tons of knowledge they willing share. When you contribute there is a feeling of belonging to a like minded group plus we all benefit from your experience as well.

BTW I get more from reading/replying and contributing, even in a small way to these forums, than I did when I was an unregistered guest.

Cheers, Mike.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:54 am
by suicidal_orange
I'm usually one of the 'guests' as I read lots on my mobile which logs me out (I think) after an hour of inactivity or if I move between wifi, 3g and 4g. I don't have a big watch collection to warrant daily photos, I'm not looking to buy or sell so I don't notice new releases or reviews to share and I don't have much knowledge to help others, so I don't post much.

As mentioned above I can see everything without logging on, so I don't.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:58 am
by hughesyn
I'm not sure it's valid to claim there is very little content generated.

Given that CW is a small company selling under 20,000 units per year, I would say a forum with half a million posts in 10 years is quite impressive.
Perhaps Kip can enlighten but the posts per year must be significantly more in recent years than the early days.

As for active participants vs viewers, sure the forum isn't quite Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
However, compared to traditional media books, magazines, radio, tv, newspapers the participation ratio is very high.

I read a number of forums that I can't be bothered to register on and post.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:10 am
by golfjunky
Under 20,000. I thought it would be more than that by now

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:18 am
by scooter
When I joined in November 2011 there were less than 3000 members. There are now 11538. Or are there?

The Forum began on December 11 2005, therefore going almost 12 years.

Here's a rough breakdown of the 11538.

6450 have posted 0 times
2500 have posted 1 - 5 times
600 have posted 6 - 10 times
600 have posted 11 - 29 times
550 have posted 30 - 50 times
1400 have posted 51 - 100 times
350 have posted 101 - 500 times
50 have posted 501 - 1500 times
50 have posted 1501 - 3000 times
50 have posted 3001 - 29926 times

There would appear to be at most about 50 - 100 members who post regularly.

Many probably viewed once or twice and left. I have joined Forums and left out of boredom/loss of interest soon afterwards.

I'm sure a huge amount joined to access Sales Corner and then melted away when realising that it wasn't actually the Nirvana they were anticipating.

Most of the main posters who were here when I joined have subsequently left but some are still around on other Forums I visit.

There are even threads on 'Where Are They Now".

That's why it's great when the likes of Lamps and Clarky return occasionally to say "Hello'.

scooter

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 1:35 pm
by Kip
Here is a topic I posted a couple of years ago. A bit outdated now, but it will give you an idea.

I have planned to update this at the end of the year and will post then.

Re: Reasons there is so little content generated?

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:40 pm
by jupera2005
In my case I try to participate, but as I only have one CW watch I don't have much interesting things to say. Maybe this could be a reason for most people

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