Forum Points and Shop Symbiosis

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Muse
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This suggestion is much more simple than my previous one so I'll keep it basic. I think the Forum having more engagement is necessary and since members engaging with other members isn't much of a focus, why not members engaging with the incentive that it leads to shop benefits...?

Say, each post makes a point or a half a point. The more you post, the more points you accumulate, the more points you have for your shop experiences...?? I dunno, it's just an idea and it's free to be changed, altered, or outright rejected.

I understand that buying things in the shop provides a certain number of points and that's pretty cool, but I think active members in the community should feel more rewarded. As it's the active members who's posts and engagements make the community, no?

Also, it'd be a great incentive to join the forum and visit the shop, so it'd put the forum in a more symbiotic relationship with the shop. Overall beneficial for both members and the CH crew. There could be more points offerings in the shop too, in order to compliment this, if the boss folks wished.

What do you guys think?


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TheTruthIsTheWay11
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This seems like a very interesting idea, that should maybe be explored. I'm not exactly sure how it would be implemented, in a sustainable and practical way, though. Maybe the points could go towards a one-time discount for members who have been extremely active for a long period of time?

While activity has picked up on the forum lately, it is still much quieter than it used to be. So, new ways to innovate the platform could help bring back the community element.


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TheTruthIsTheWay11 wrote:This seems like a very interesting idea, that should maybe be explored. I'm not exactly sure how it would be implemented, in a sustainable and practical way, though. Maybe the points could go towards a one-time discount for members who have been extremely active for a long period of time?

While activity has picked up on the forum lately, it is still much quieter than it used to be. So, new ways to innovate the platform could help bring back the community element.
Another thing they could do if they didn't want to bother giving members discounts with posts, is to let members donate to charities with their points accumulating into currency through CH funds. That way CH as a business could help make a difference with the aid of their members.

A forum I'm apart of does this. I've donated to about seven charities with points I've accumulated on that forum, it isn't, ending world hugger or anything but I've had charities thank the forum personally. One even sent photos showing an aviary they built with the members help for a bird Sanctuary. It was really cool and made you actually feel as if what you did mattered.

That forum also isn't much different than this one as far as code goes. So I'm sure implementing it, while it might be seen as extra work, wouldn't be too difficult to do. One of the owners/admins does tech stuff by himself and he did it in about a week. Maybe two and a half of you could count planning.

So in short, I have hope in CH being able to do so relatively easily since they pay an IT team to do such things.


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Regholdain
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This is an interesting idea, but I am not certain incentivizing posts via bonuses in the shop is a good idea. You would have members not actually participating, but creating posts just to earn points. Yes, I know the forum rules might handle some of that, but I still don't see it as necessary.

I don't participate in this community for incentives, but to share ideas, experiences, and gain knowledge. I don't really feel that an incentive system would increase that level of interest by itself.


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I like the idea on paper, but I could see this lowering the quality of posts.


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Regholdain wrote:This is an interesting idea, but I am not certain incentivizing posts via bonuses in the shop is a good idea. You would have members not actually participating, but creating posts just to earn points. Yes, I know the forum rules might handle some of that, but I still don't see it as necessary.

I don't participate in this community for incentives, but to share ideas, experiences, and gain knowledge. I don't really feel that an incentive system would increase that level of interest by itself.
What about the charity suggestion?
That way it wouldn't be all about the shop but about the community helping others.


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I agree, I think incentivizing posts here with benefit to the Shop would not be a good idea. The Forum predates the Shop, and the two have existed mutually exclusive, which keeps the purity of the posts true.

Activity here increases and wanes with a natural ebb & flow the more and more other websites open. When we were the only available it was natural that it grew with feverish pace, and one thing I have seen time & time again, is that people come and go to explore other places, but ultimately they end up back here because we have allowed the Forum to be a safe space for everyone and not used it as a bully pulpit or a way of controlling a group. It's a safe and free place of all the knowledge that is needed to be successful in Spirit Keeping.

In the past we've done many charitable events with the Shop, and frankly they fell flat. We've given away free services and bindings for even just $5 donations to things like St. Jude's, Make-A-Wish, and even allowed customers to choose their own charity to donate and redeem free gifts, but the time it takes to set up those events falls far short of the participants.

This way people were not compelled to spend money with us in order to donate, they could do it of their own free will and then we would give back to them, but it's not something that was greatly received.

Overall, in order to keep the purity of the Forum the post count, or making posts, cannot be linked to the Forum. It's our site, so of course they all advertise for each other, but you are not obligated to be a part of one to participate in another.


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creepyhollows wrote:I agree, I think incentivizing posts here with benefit to the Shop would not be a good idea. The Forum predates the Shop, and the two have existed mutually exclusive, which keeps the purity of the posts true.

Activity here increases and wanes with a natural ebb & flow the more and more other websites open. When we were the only available it was natural that it grew with feverish pace, and one thing I have seen time & time again, is that people come and go to explore other places, but ultimately they end up back here because we have allowed the Forum to be a safe space for everyone and not used it as a bully pulpit or a way of controlling a group. It's a safe and free place of all the knowledge that is needed to be successful in Spirit Keeping.

In the past we've done many charitable events with the Shop, and frankly they fell flat. We've given away free services and bindings for even just $5 donations to things like St. Jude's, Make-A-Wish, and even allowed customers to choose their own charity to donate and redeem free gifts, but the time it takes to set up those events falls far short of the participants.

This way people were not compelled to spend money with us in order to donate, they could do it of their own free will and then we would give back to them, but it's not something that was greatly received.

Overall, in order to keep the purity of the Forum the post count, or making posts, cannot be linked to the Forum. It's our site, so of course they all advertise for each other, but you are not obligated to be a part of one to participate in another.
Makes sense. I knew it was a shot in the dark so I'm unsurprised.


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