How to be a Great Elgg Community Member ;-)

Whether you’re after a quick answer to a question or you’re looking to meet people you can bounce ideas off of or get inspiration from,

There are certain things that you need to know if you want to make the most of any online community.

It’s about more than just following the rules and not getting banned; it’s about knowing how to find and use the resources that are available to your best advantage.

The first point to remember is that everyone was new once—both to the forum and to the web development industry as a whole.

Most of us had an “I hope they don’t think I’m stupid for asking this” moment, whether it was here or off at some other forum.

For every person who entertains this thought and asks the question anyway, there are 100 people that benefit from the answer.

So take the plunge ;-O

  • mmm....

    and they elGGed haPPilY eVer afTer :)

     

    HaPPy ElGGinG :)

    Do GooD :)

  • wait... there is banning here? since when?

  • Said a lot of ours' heart, DhrupDeScoop!

  • Don't forget there is also a search function at the top of elgg in case you aren't sure about things. But I agree with D take the plunge and see what you get from it.

  • Help!

    The one factor that you should know is where you can go for help. Elgg Com has a set of guidelines available for reading. The Elgg guidelines can be found elsewherre. Sometimes these are called "FAQs".

    If you’re unable to find the advice you seek, your next step would be to post to some correct Group. The easiest way to find which Groups are correct is to look for the list of currently Groups via the listing.

    You can contact any of these Groups for help. The best way to do this is to post topic comment in a appropriate Group. Do not send them PM (or private message). More on this in a little bit later.

    Of course, the way a Elgg works is that everyone helps each other -- (that means is I help you with some code for free.. you help everyone with code for free, ie.e.do not be a leacher and just take, take, take, take.. with never giving anything in return LOLZ).

    So within here, you’re welcome to post in the appropriate groups and you’ll no doubt be inundated with advice from the Elggalaxy.

  • Leech less, love longer.

  • What can I do to make you like me?

    Well, there are a few ways you can do to endear yourself to other forum members. The most obvious is to behave. One of the most important factors to keep in mind when you’re in a forum is that everyone is there to learn. No one likes a school bully, and we have a particular dislike of like bullies here at Elgg Comm. They certainly won’t be tolerated in most communities.

    When hundreds of thousands of people from different backgrounds come together, there are likely to be differences of opinion. That’s cool—it’s what makes the place interesting. It does mean that on occasion you’ll probably have to bite your tongue. There are days when it feels like I’ve bitten mine off. But I’ve also made some great friends.

    Because a forum attracts people that are brand new to a subject, it means that you’re bound to come across questions that you think are stupid. You’ll probably ask some dumb ones at some stage too, so make sure you treat everyone you come across in the same way that you’d like us to treat you. I realise that this might sound as if I’m talking down to you, but it’s amazing how many people forget it.

    The key points to remember are to be patient, supportive, and polite.

  • What can I do to make you like me? Make coffee for everyone ;)

    Bring dunkin donuts ;)

     

    lolz

  • Yea Yea Everyone Be like Me heheheh :D

     

    HaPPy ElGGInG :)

    Do GooD :)

     

  • I thought I'd post this tidbit here - some may find this interesting. The paper may be generic, but I'm sure Elgg-based site owners will be able to put the ideas to good use and hopefully make each elgg-site even more popular - and elgg more uuuubiqitosu ;-)

    Janrain (y'all do know who he is lolz ?) just published on "Creating an Effective Member Acquisition Strategy."  Key metrics for marketers have shifted with the emergence of the social web. Quality of site traffic now takes precedence over quantity, interactions on your site are far more important than just time on site, and actively sharing content from your site leads to more effective word of mouth marketing than passive page views.


    The critical foundation underlying these new success metrics is knowledge of your users. This paper outlines some easy steps you can take to accelerate both the registration process for your site and ways to encourage visitors to become engaged members on your site. Topics discussed include:

    • The "give to get" paradigm of providing incentives for visitors to register
    • Member acquisition strategies - benefits to offer your members
    • Expanding your membership through word-of-mouth marketing
    • Optimizing the registration process
    • Offering registration with an existing social network or email identity

    A complimentary copy of the paper is available here. Hopefully you will find several ideas that are relevant to you.