How do we get more people to come to Indietalk?

I've been on the forum for a few weeks now, and it's great! lot of cool people here, and it's just an ideal layout for people to discuss various film topics. There's just one problem. The population seems to have dwindled to a remarkably small number for what I'd call the best global forum for creators. I made another related post earlier, and a lot of people discussed how the audience had fractured off onto facebook, twitter, and other sites that just aren't as effective for building a real community, or finding people to team up with.

So my question is, how do we get people to start coming back here? Once I got an entire team together on this site, and we did real things, made films, hung out, moved into a house, got contracts, etc. That never happens when I go to reddit. I can't build a relationship with a meme of a squirrel complaining that "Lens rental prices are Nuts!"
 
For me, there's no better promotion than mouth-to-mouth promotion. Tell a small group of friends that you think will like to join, and let them know others! In social media usually people think is a sponsored message or whatever.
 
lots of new ppl come here, they make welcome threads. problem is they dont keep posting after
I've seen that, I just don't understand it. I've never gone somewhere, announced my prescense, and then immediately left for no reason. If they didn't like the content of the forum, why go to the trouble to sign up and post 1 time? It defies logic.
 
For me, there's no better promotion than mouth-to-mouth promotion. Tell a small group of friends that you think will like to join, and let them know others! In social media usually people think is a sponsored message or whatever.
I think that's good if you live in a large metropolitan area, but I literally have 0 filmmaker friends within a 200 mile radius. I've worked with people in Chicago, and honestly, it was terrible. That's 450 miles to drive. All the films starred the writer/director's wife or cousin.
 
I actually have a suggestion here, for all of us regulars. I think that new people might find the forum more engaging if the people that are here posted more. I've been busy but I try to post as much as I can. Often I don't really have much to say, but I think some people may loose interest in the forum simply because we aren't generating enough content to keep it interesting, so I try to post something every day if possible. If every one of the regulars posted at least 1 thing a day, even if it was something minor, I think the forum would appear way more active to newcomers. I'm sometimes seeing a day pass with only one post worldwide. I think that could be 50 or 100 if we all spent 2 minutes a day posting. Just thinking out loud.
 
I think some people may loose interest in the forum simply because we aren't generating enough content to keep it interesting, so I try to post something every day if possible. If every one of the regulars posted at least 1 thing a day, even if it was something minor, I think the forum would appear way more active to newcomers.

That could be a slippery slope: nothing would make me run away from a forum faster than a load of pointless "content" - especially when it's "something minor" posted for no reason other than to make the site (or poster) look active. That's the very reason I gave up using LinkedIn.

In principle, I have no objection to people posting all kinds of nonsense in a "safe space" on any forum, as it can be fun and/or inspire wacky but workable ideas. But that works best when the forum is a general interest platform and the "nonsense" sparks a conversation between people from different backgrounds. Once you get into special interest groups, though, the motivation isn't the same, and 50 to 100 nonsense posts per day would just add to the already huge amount of background noise polluting cyberspace these days, making it damn near impossible to find the interesting discussions.
 
I think that's a legitimate response. I'm just fishing for a way to improve new people's experience here. I try to say hello to every newcomer, and keep a large ratio of my posts from turning into insane rants, with mediocre success. I just want to build enthusiasm for this place, because I really feel like it serves a purpose.
 
I just want to build enthusiasm for this place, because I really feel like it serves a purpose.

Your crusading energy is to be commended! :clap:

But ... (there's always a but, isn't there :mope:)

The enthusiasm has to be reciprocated, and in a special interest group such as this, quality is definitely preferably to quantity. It's already been discussed on another thread quite recently, but it doesn't help at all to have a dozen new members sign up to post a request for feedback on a poorly formatted 30-page script and then never acknowledge the replies.

Similarly
I think that could be 50 or 100 if we all spent 2 minutes a day posting.
100 posts, each written in 2 minutes or less are very unlikely to contain much careful thought. The 2 minutes that I give to indietalk have to compete with the rest of the minutes in my day, and I would like to think that they were well spent - either offering useful advice, constructive criticism or contributing to a meaningful discussion. If they don't ... well, what's the point?

I was at an event last night, not exactly compliant with pandemic rules :bag: and for that reason not publicised (in fact the only "hard copy" evidence that anything was happening was this sign:
IMG-20210619-135409-788.jpg

(translation: "it's here")

There were about 20 people there, compared to the usual 100-200 that'd turn up to a similar event in normal times. But every one of those twenty had made an effort to travel to the middle of nowhere, and every one of them was fully invested in the activity, from start to finish. There was more space available than usual, which allowed for greater physical expression, and the lack of "multiple choice" meant it was easier to develop particular ideas with someone over the course of the evening, instead of always having to fall back on common ground and hoping things would just click with someone new.

That environment is different to this (or any other) forum, but the principles are the same.

And my two minutes are up. :cool:
 
I come here almost every day. I post occasionally. I can almost always find some content worth reading, but I rarely feel the urge to respond to any of it. I think you have to allow people to express themselves as they feel the need to. That's what makes a community. Communities are rarely engineered.
 
I think it has nothing to do with content, people, or any of that. It's just the fact its a forum.
Any other platform.... Facebook, Discord... INDIETALK would be flooded. That's just evolution of the social internet platform.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with the site or think anyone could do anything better.... I think its literally just what platform is utilized.
 
I think it has nothing to do with content, people, or any of that. It's just the fact its a forum.
Any other platform.... Facebook, Discord... INDIETALK would be flooded. That's just evolution of the social internet platform.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with the site or think anyone could do anything better.... I think its literally just what platform is utilized.

And Marvel movies are a far more advanced version of comic books, But I never pick up a comic book and think, oh, there's only 3 people worldwide reading one of these right now.
 
And Marvel movies are a far more advanced version of comic books, But I never pick up a comic book and think, oh, there's only 3 people worldwide reading one of these right now.
Well, if you look at it in that sense, it doesn't make any... But think of it in terms of an internet search or SEO. Where are you going to search for film advice and tips or a filmmaking community first?

My guess is either youtube, Reddit, Facebook, discord, or other sources. Forums are great, but they aren't exactly the first thing that people want to use to get a question answered.

You asked why less people are here, I gave a pretty logical answer. If its not that, then what actually is it?
 
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Well, if you look at it in that sense, it doesn't make any... But think of it in terms of an internet search or SEO. Where are you going to search for film advice and tips or a filmmaking community first?
Maybe I don't understand, my google search led me straight here???
 
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