JoelR

Definitely a win for Stripe clients! Should add functionality for digital sales

Pages in v5 gives us new widget areas and widget designs with powerful new capabilities and options. Are there any pages that you're planning to redo on v5? One thing I've always wanted to do is a custom homepage for each major member type (eg a new member versus a superuser) that brings in resources from around the community, instead of using the stock forum index.

This is not meant to be a depressing post (really!) This is an acknowledgement that forums have lost all of the users that we were going to lose, we aren't likely to lose more, and we are plateauing with a nominal amount of users. To put it another way, our forums are simply another website competing for user attentions. But being a forum doesn't bring any advantages that it used to bring. Forums are one of many options for users searching for answers.

We can have a whole discussion about this, but forums are not the same as social networks. Do we overlap for the attention of users? Yes, absolutely. But are we the same structure? No. The real question is if users would have stayed on our forums to post their status updates, or if they would have gone to Facebook anyways.

Genuine question. How many of your members actually use status updates, and what's that proportion to your total active userbase? How do they use status updates? Most forums - and this is a personal observation, but a strong one - don't rely on or use status updates in a meaningful manner. So I'd love to see a community that's using status updates in a cool manner!

The alpha releases of IPS is making the rounds, and one thing that's come up again (not new, it's something that IPS has previously announced) is that status updates are being deprecated. Are you devastated? Or is this a non-issue? Do you have many users who rely on status updates? In my primary community, I have a small subset of users who do use Status Updates similar to social media. They'll post their life updates and photos on their profile page. They exist in their own little world, and I find it fascinating that some of them post such consistent updates even though these updates are never mixed in or integrated to the broader community. But they're happy doing their own little things. I've personally used status updates to communicate moderator events that are very mild. Something like, "hey I moved your topic, thank you so much for posting" or "hey I didn't approve your file because it wasn't zipped." They were like a public message to the user.

Hi @lordi welcome to Invisioneer! You've been running your IPS community for exactly as long as I have. I remember getting started with IPB 3.2 or similar, and being totally confused with Pages.

What strategies do you think we can implement to improve how we communicate? Any particular tools or approaches you find effective?

Okay. I just want to take a moment to say that IPS has really upped their video walkthroughs from upbeat electronic music to poetic rhyming to describe new features. So, what's new in their new Page Builder, something that we've been expecting for awhile with v5? New widget designs: grid, featured, wallpaper, rows (table), minimal, minimal grid, and carousel that works with all of the other options. New widget areas: allows stacking or side-by-side widgets. Are you planning on overhauling any pages? Are you looking to build new pages with these tools?

I recently stumbled upon a fascinating article from The Washington Post titled "Pearls Before Breakfast." It’s about this intriguing experiment where Joshua Bell, one of the world's greatest violinists, played incognito in a DC Metro station during rush hour. Days before, he had filled the house at Boston's Symphony Hall, where seats were sold for $100. You’d think a world-class musician performing an intricate Bach piece on a $3.5 million Stradivarius would draw a huge crowd, right? Wrong. Hardly anyone stopped to listen. This experiment got me thinking about the age-old debate: context vs. content. In the world of online communities, we often emphasize the importance of creating high-quality content. But Joshua Bell’s experiment is a powerful reminder that sometimes, context can matter even more than content. Here’s why context can be a game-changer: Audience Perception: In the Metro, people were in a rush, focused on getting to their destinations. They weren’t expecting a concert, so they didn’t recognize the brilliance right in front of them. Similarly, in our communities, if the audience isn’t in the right mindset or place to appreciate the content, it might go unnoticed. Environment: Just as the Metro isn’t the ideal venue for a classical performance, the platform we choose for our content can greatly influence its reception. Are we posting in the right forum? Is the timing right? Are we using the right format for the platform? Expectation: When people buy tickets to see Joshua Bell, they expect to be wowed by his talent. In the Metro, there was no such expectation. Setting the right expectations in our communities and marketing efforts can significantly impact how content is received. Are we building anticipation? Are we signaling the value of what’s being offered? Engagement Cues: In a concert hall, applause, and engagement are part of the experience, reinforcing the performer’s talent. Online, engagement cues like comments, shares, and likes can create a similar effect. How are we encouraging and displaying these cues to highlight the value of our content? So, have you ever created what you thought was amazing content, only for it to fall flat? How did the context play a role in that? Conversely, have you had content that exceeded expectations because it was placed in just the right context? Ref: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/pearls-before-breakfast-can-one-of-the-nations-great-musicians-cut-through-the-fog-of-a-dc-rush-hour-lets-find-out/2014/09/23/8a6d46da-4331-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html

In light of IPS new stance on tagging in v5, I wanted to ask other forum admins about their experiences with open versus closed tagging systems. Open System: Pros: Anyone can create tags, which could capture more nuanced topics. Cons: It can get messy quick, with duplicate or irrelevant tags everywhere. Closed System: Pros: It's tidy, with a controlled set of tags that keeps things organized. Cons: Might be too restrictive and not cover all relevant topics, potentially stifling discussion. Have you found one system clearly better than the other in managing community content? How do you handle the challenges that come with your chosen tagging system? In my primary community, I use an open tagging system. Although I started out in the beginning with a very tight closed tagging system, I soon discovered that my organizational hierarchy made sense only to me, and that others were challenged in some of the nomenclature and organization that I used. I've also been fortunate to grow a community to a size where there's such a large breadth of content, it would be impossible to predefine all tags in advance.

I agree, and I fully plan on keeping this free Marketplace Directory alive for many years! As long as there are developers who are willing to list on here, I'm willing to keep this place open 🙂

To build on this discussion, here's an article from Fast Company about the death of the "chronological internet." One of the interesting tidbits is that the Internet has become one big "For You" page. In an attempt to surface most engaging content, most sites are pushing down recent content and replies. https://www.fastcompany.com/91140587/chronological-internet-social-media-algorithm