What can we do to help ATS grow?

I've been visitin ATS since before I even knew it had a forum. I love the ATS community and want to help it grow. What can we all do to help it grow?

I know writing quality articles for ATSNN and thinking about our posts help. But it really gets me down to look at BigBoards.com and see a forum for Mustang owners ranking ahead of us.

Anyone got some good ideas?

I think we just have to keep doing what we're doing !

members making good posts !


I think another large "key" to the success of ATS will be the ATSNN !! I think that growth there would help, growth how, I don't know exactly, but I'm sure someone has ideas.

Contests... keep'em coming, the more fun you can have on a board the more people you're going to attract.



[edit on 20-7-2004 by elevatedone]

You could try downloading the Alexa Toolbar and using it while you browse ATS. To help boost ATS' Alexa rankings. It is fairly pleasant as far as toolbars go.

Thanks Kano...

download complete at work, will do so once I get home too !

Give the new members to ATS quick and easy access to how the boards work and function - not everyone was born with a PC in their lap - I've started the thread FAQ and Tutorial Need Updating, and in response to that thread, the thread Answers to FAQs not in the FAQ was created.

I think having a fully functional and active set of members is a must for any growing message board. I try to help answer questions when I see them, and I think every member should take a moment to look at the introductions posts, say hello, and answer any questions they have - make them feel welcome while also directing them to the threads listed above so they don't clutter the boards with repeat questions....this will create growth, less hassle for mods and experienced members, and new input from well-informed and updated newer members

[edit on 7/20/2004 by EnronOutrunHomerun]

[edit on 7/20/2004 by EnronOutrunHomerun]

oh, i'll have to get that one kano!

i remember once long ago someone mentioned in a thread about getting a booth for ATS at a comic or sci-fi convention. i think any sort of convention like that would be a good thing. and there has been some press on ATS, but i think we need an actual PR to help spread the word around on and offline.

EDIT: i go back to the manpage and i found this: www.abovetopsecret.com... hah! not to mention there's a get-together in michigan soon!

[edit on 7/20/2004 by cmdrkeenkid]

When I start at UNC Charlotte next year, I'll be sure to get people interested about ATS. Colleges are great places to spread the word!

You could always advertise ATS ...
just tell a few of ur friends or post it on a website ...that should help the community grow

I wrestle in my official ATS t-shirt ... wearing one of those about certainly will get attention.

Yours won't have the neat bloodstains mine does, though, so your mileage may vary.

originally posted by lockheed
When I start at UNC Charlotte next year...

*hides*

Yeah I had heard somebody brought up a point about Fox repoting a lot of ATSNN stories after ATSNN posts them. You know if this is true think how much publicity we would get if Fox gave credit to our reporters and other people who have posted news. Whatever you do don't use spam to advertise ATS. If I see a site by spam I feel compelled to swear revenge on the advirtised site. Sadly all my friends call me crazy when I talk about anything on this site.

If a day went by when I did not email someone a link to an ATS article or mention something that I read or posted here, my friends and family would have the police come check on me. So, my primary method of promotion has been word-of-mouth. I also have an ATS T-shirt but get significantly less public attention than Banshee!

I like the idea of a presence at a convention, since I am always looking for an excuse to go to one.

More broad-field analysis (and good analysis) will also put us in the spotlight. One of the big sources of any website's hits is search engine traffic. Good news, good commentary, good research projects will do it.

Since our current traffic patterns indicate that about 75% of all traffic to ATS is from non-registered guests and lurkers, it's a clear signal that quality prevails here on ATS, and quality is what will continue to fuel our growth.

This is why a strategy was adopted to burden these guest users with most of the advertising impressions. Members, who create the quality that is obviously in demand by the Internet public, receive a minimum of ads.

While there are a number of tactical things that can be done to incrementally improve the popularity of ATS, the long-term strategy has always been, and will always be the support of quality content.

So if you ask, "what can be done help ATS popularity", the simple answer will always be to make an effort to create threads of a high-quality, and respond to threads with a well-thought contribution to the collective knowledge that is ATS.

I'd like to make it more complex for you, but it's really that simple.

Originally posted by lockheed
When I start at UNC Charlotte next year...

Hey! Another one. Lots of us live near Hitler City*, North Carolina it seems.

*Simpson's reference, which should in no way be construed as anti-Charlotte or Pro-Hitler. I reserve all such vitriol for my disdain of all North Carolina in general, including, but not limited to Cary, NC the real Hitler City with it's continued annexation of the known Universe for it's dastardley plan to standardize and regulate all of creation into a giant strip mall with cutesy signs promoting it's Nazi agenda as "Shoppes."

This message brought to you by Laramie Cigarttes.

I suppose the other thing you can do is use alot of highly specific and charged words people will Google.

[Edited on 21-7-2004 by RANT]

Originally posted by elevatedone
I think we just have to keep doing what we're doing !

members making good posts !


I think another large "key" to the success of ATS will be the ATSNN !! I think that growth there would help, growth how, I don't know exactly, but I'm sure someone has ideas.

Contests... keep'em coming, the more fun you can have on a board the more people you're going to attract.



[edit on 20-7-2004 by elevatedone]

I already have 126 points, how I got those and what they are really for I have no idea..LOL

Fancy

Excellent posts, interesting threads and friendly members will help to increase traffic. I know of forums that force lurkers to sign up before viewing, but that doesn't always work, 70% probably won't come back. A anti-troll campaign might help aswell