A question for the lurkers on AFF...

[AFF Editor]

It's always great to see so many people posting on AFF - asking questions, giving their opinions and sharing their experiences. We're really lucky to have such an active, vibrant and diverse forum.

For every person posting on AFF, there are many more people who read the forum but never post - known affectionately in online communities as "lurkers". It always amazes me when people tell me they've been reading the forum daily for many years, but never posted.

Of course, we appreciate everyone who reads AFF and we're glad to have you here even if you don't post! But if you're one of those "lurkers", I have a question for you:

What would encourage you to start posting on the AFF forum?

A very warm welcome to anyone who makes their first AFF post in this thread. This thread is a judgement-free zone and any feedback is welcome

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

No reply from the lurkers!

 

[VPS]

Did you really expect them to reply?

 

[DC3]

Did you really expect them to reply?

Crickets

 

[Scarlett]

Right now near the bottom of this page, the stats bar of people reading AFF pages says:
Total: 1,455 (members: 51, guests: 1,404)

I’d have thought the lurkers (and I guess the majority of ‘guests’) are in the cheap flight deals or credit card threads. Maybe google searches also send lots from around the world looking for QF or VA info. Can’t imagine many are reading the Open Discussion area and therefore aren’t seeing this thread.

But, then again, I’d also guess that the Ed and other AFF staff have the detailed info about where those lurkers and guests are actually going within AFF.

I’m occasionally a ‘guest’ when I look at a thread or page from a device that’s not mine, or one of mine that’s not logged in…

 

[AFF Editor]

Well, I guess they’re called lurkers for a reason

 

[Flyerwin]

guests: 1,404

I bet 90% of those "guests" are bots like search engine spiders etc...

 

[DejaBrew]

I bet 90% of those "guests" are bots like search engine spiders etc...

No doubt. I'm guessing what's of most interest to @AFF Editor is those AFFers who created an account but have elected to not post. A small portion of lurkers will be "guest" browsers, but chances are most of them are not long time lurkers.

FWIW, I originally signed up, asked a question or two, and was then largely a lurker for a long time (up until a couple of years ago). I'd suggest many lurkers are looking to absorb info and will only really start to post if they have specific questions for which they cannot find the answer.

I'm not sure what would more could be done to encourage guests to create an account in the first place, but for new account creations - and I say this in the full knowledge that it's not a 5 minute job to implement something like this and do it well - it might be useful to understand the new member's interests and motivations (as part of the sign-up process). This could help facilitate an "onboarding" process/campaign that provides a more personalised intro to AFF and where some of the relevant areas are that align with the new user's interests/motivations. This might help them become more invested in the various discussions and topics.

That being said, it's been a while since I signed up so I'm not sure if anything like this is already in place these days?