Limiting forum to quests?

[the xcx]

What if we limit the forum to guests, so they are forced to register? Just lock up some sections or give some kind of time limit.
Point of this is that they will sooner or later register, that means they could also become active posters, and we can become more active?.
Just a thought tho.

[zarola]

I'm sorry is English your first language? I'm finding it very difficult to understand this.

Guests are limited, they can read but they cannot post, what is it exactly that you're asking?

[the xcx]

I'm sorry is English your first language? I'm finding it very difficult to understand this.

Guests are limited, they can read but they cannot post, what is it exactly that you're asking?

Nope it isint btw, what I meant is that the forum should more private towards lurkers/guests. To completely make the forum avaible for themselves is to register. That means we could get more posters.

[guest7]

No it's their choice if they want to come or not. I've been a lurker if they like the site they will eventually join

[Pedram]

Don't force people to join the forum.

[BarrileteCosmico]

That would increase membership but not necessarily participation.

[RealGunner]

i was a lurker at some warez forum years back, used to *cough*download*cough* stuff there. THen they made every forum private. i registered and continued downloading lool

[the xcx]

Yeah it was a stupid idea. Mods delete or lock this thread, please

[RealGunner]

no idea is stupid mate.

[Albiceleste]

It was a good thought, maybe it would help who knows

[lenear1030]

we should just make a pop up that comes on for guests that says "HEY I SEE YOU LURKING! DONT HESITATE TO SIGN UP AND BE ACTIVE"

[zarola]

I dont think it's a stupid idea I just didnt understand what you were suggesting. It is a good problem to raise, just the solution probably won't work.

I'd think the only way to increase posting would be to make benefits for posting (ex. Cant post threads until x amount of posts, cant use sigs/avys until x amount of posts)... But this wouldnt decrease guests.

The lurkers we have now are just waiting for the season to start to post, since we dont have any non-goal.com members.

[Nishankly]

I agree, force them to Register and you do any thing until you get like 100 posts

And its usually them who are giving all the negative crap.

[M99]

I used to be a lurker on a particular forum. Everything was open for guests but later they locked particular sections which guests can't see. We can do something like this imo.

[dostoevsky]

That would increase membership but not necessarily participation.

I'd see this as a problem, however I believe it would be more likely to affect long term participation. With the posting option constantly activated they'd be more tempted to leave short thoughts on a topic, from which participation would either stem if they were involved in a decent discussion, or they could be scared off by a bunch of petty trolls flaming them.

We'd get a few more posters possibly, however we might also make it more annoying for those who discover the site, as opposed to those who are still lurking from goal.com, possibly because they're embarrassed about their English or they are simply reluctant to participate. If I recommend the site to a friend however, I think they'd be more likely to consider it if they could just lurk for a few weeks freely. People are very different though, so it might help others, those are just my thoughts.

[Art Morte]

Everyone on here would probably like more lurkers to register and start posting, but I'd keep it the way it is. Let them lurk and see what an amazing place this is until they cannot resist joining in and become addicted, soon distracted from studies and/or work, eventually get kicked out of school or get fired, slowly lose all their friends and other real world social contacts, a little by little start getting in trouble with the law, the first charges are raised against them within 18-24 months of registering and eventually there's no escaping their downward spiral, despite of those occasional mornings when they - with tears of self-hatred in their eyes - decide to search for help, find that slight recovery for a few days when they actually open the curtains of their sorry, mould-damaged small one-room apartment that they call home and say "hi" to the checkout worker at the store for the first time in weeks, hoping that she won't ask you to show the contents of your old backpack, until again and again succumbing to the delicious, intoxicating allure of the Goallegacy forums

[JuvenelCuore]

Hahaha Art, that was brilliant.

I agree though, eventually they will have to bite.

I would register if I saw some comment I badly disagreed with.

[Nishankly]

Heskey > Maradona..

Come at me, Lurkers..

[BarrileteCosmico]

Everyone on here would probably like more lurkers to register and start posting, but I'd keep it the way it is. Let them lurk and see what an amazing place this is until they cannot resist joining in and become addicted, soon distracted from studies and/or work, eventually get kicked out of school or get fired, slowly lose all their friends and other real world social contacts, a little by little start getting in trouble with the law, the first charges are raised against them within 18-24 months of registering and eventually there's no escaping their downward spiral, despite of those occasional mornings when they - with tears of self-hatred in their eyes - decide to search for help, find that slight recovery for a few days when they actually open the curtains of their sorry, mould-damaged small one-room apartment that they call home and say "hi" to the checkout worker at the store for the first time in weeks, hoping that she won't ask you to show the contents of your old backpack, until again and again succumbing to the delicious, intoxicating allure of the Goallegacy forums

Epic post

[M99]

Everyone on here would probably like more lurkers to register and start posting, but I'd keep it the way it is. Let them lurk and see what an amazing place this is until they cannot resist joining in and become addicted, soon distracted from studies and/or work, eventually get kicked out of school or get fired, slowly lose all their friends and other real world social contacts, a little by little start getting in trouble with the law, the first charges are raised against them within 18-24 months of registering and eventually there's no escaping their downward spiral, despite of those occasional mornings when they - with tears of self-hatred in their eyes - decide to search for help, find that slight recovery for a few days when they actually open the curtains of their sorry, mould-damaged small one-room apartment that they call home and say "hi" to the checkout worker at the store for the first time in weeks, hoping that she won't ask you to show the contents of your old backpack, until again and again succumbing to the delicious, intoxicating allure of the Goallegacy forums

Epic

[beatrixasdfghjk.]

Well, I personally find forums with a minimum amount of posts before you can do stuff thoroughly annoying, and people usually just spam posts until they can get to that minimum.
So I don't think it'd be clever :L

[mr-r34]

Has any ever thought the lurkers are just members who haven't logged on yet. Anyways the idea in itself is a good one, don't know why so much people think its shit.

[El Chelsea Fuerte]

why do people even care

they will just register and never post again whats the use?

they will naturally register if they want to post and increasing the number of users wont matter

[Guest]

I don't understand it really. sure we can't force them to join, though it's a shame they are taking advantage of the forums by reading our news and etc... They should at least register for it, it stupid to see more guests than people who are actually registered. They should at least participate in some ways in such they can read at the same time.

[Pedram]

Who knows, maybe some of them are Goal.com's writers. they actually use our ideas at their articles sometimes.

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