User Engagement Momentum

[joelr]

Have you ever felt (or been lucky to experience) the feeling of momentum on your forum? I remember the first time I noticed it in one of my communities, and even though it crept up on me, it was honestly such an exciting feeling when I identified it. It wasn’t just about new posts or threads popping up—although that helped—but it felt like there was this energy. Members were chatting back and forth quickly, new topics were being created without me having to nudge anyone, and it felt like everyone was genuinely engaged.

Looking back, I think a few things came together to create that moment. We had a clear focus, a few passionate members who kept conversations alive, and events or challenges that got people involved. But it also made me wonder—was it just luck, or was there a way to intentionally build that kind of momentum?

• Have you ever felt that momentum in a forum or community you were part of? What did it feel like?
• What do you think creates that kind of energy? Is it about the people, the activities, or something else?
• Once you’ve built momentum, how do you keep it going without burning out yourself or your members?

 

[Shawn Gossman]

During AAF 1.0 back in the day, myself and @Arantor would go on posting sprees. I often wondered if we were really competing against each other in posting counts, haha, playfully of course.

But sometimes it would motivate other members to also post a lot, and I would login every day to a really active community.

Whatever you want to accomplish with your community, try to do it every day even if it's just you at first.

Set an example.

 

[Shortie]

I remember the forum I used to have, Chat Addicts, I had that forum from 2009 - 2017 and when it started to gain momentum, members were coming on daily and interacting with one another, it was an amazing feeling. I got that feeling of success and like all my hard work over the years had paid off.