Hi everyone,
Can those of you who have installed the Facebook App tell us if you've seen your forum's pageviews and activity increase as a result? We're thinking about installing the Facebook App because we like the idea of our forum's content and links to it shared throughout Facebook, but aren't sure whether we should install it.
It already seems like an uphill battle to maintain an active community in the shadow of Facebook, the 800+ million user gorilla, and if the Facebook App allows Facebook Users to effectively participate on the forum via Facebook, we are worried about the Facebook App eliminating the reason our existing users, who are undoubtedly also on Facebook, visit our forum directly.
It seems the Facebook App could be good at increasing the content on a forum since it would effectively make the forum instantly available to so many more people, but we work on our forums for ad revenue, so if it were to ultimately reduce pageviews (by encouraging everyone to access the forum through Facebook where our ads wouldn't appear) despite increasing activity then it presumably wouldn't be good for us.
Also, as for increasing activity, since people using the Facebook App are already on Facebook and participating on the forum through it, we are concerned that there is a high risk of people deciding to simply take their discussion "offline" to their walls or any one of what are probably hundreds of thousands of Facebook Groups that are instantly available to them on Facebook.
I remember hearing that the Facebook App would promote other vBulletin forums that use the Facebook App as part of a network of forums. The last thing we want is to have other forums promoted to our users because even off topic conversation is valuable in that it builds community and keeps people coming back. Does anyone know whether the Facebook App does somehow promote or suggest other forums to your users if they access your forum through it?
Finally, are the quality of posts made through the Facebook App as high as those made directly on your forum? Maybe I am attributing too much credence to the stereotypes I hear about Facebook communication, but if Facebook users are used to wall posts like "ZOMG, I'm bored", "Yay Friday!!!", "So happy!" - "Why?" - "New puppy." - "Nice!", do they end up making posts of a similar caliber that have a tendency to diminish the value of forum content?
Or has installing the Facebook App helped your forum's pageviews and activity skyrocket? Please let us know so we can decide whether to use it.
Thank you for your time.
Can those of you who have installed the Facebook App tell us if you've seen your forum's pageviews and activity increase as a result? We're thinking about installing the Facebook App because we like the idea of our forum's content and links to it shared throughout Facebook, but aren't sure whether we should install it.
It already seems like an uphill battle to maintain an active community in the shadow of Facebook, the 800+ million user gorilla, and if the Facebook App allows Facebook Users to effectively participate on the forum via Facebook, we are worried about the Facebook App eliminating the reason our existing users, who are undoubtedly also on Facebook, visit our forum directly.
It seems the Facebook App could be good at increasing the content on a forum since it would effectively make the forum instantly available to so many more people, but we work on our forums for ad revenue, so if it were to ultimately reduce pageviews (by encouraging everyone to access the forum through Facebook where our ads wouldn't appear) despite increasing activity then it presumably wouldn't be good for us.
Also, as for increasing activity, since people using the Facebook App are already on Facebook and participating on the forum through it, we are concerned that there is a high risk of people deciding to simply take their discussion "offline" to their walls or any one of what are probably hundreds of thousands of Facebook Groups that are instantly available to them on Facebook.
I remember hearing that the Facebook App would promote other vBulletin forums that use the Facebook App as part of a network of forums. The last thing we want is to have other forums promoted to our users because even off topic conversation is valuable in that it builds community and keeps people coming back. Does anyone know whether the Facebook App does somehow promote or suggest other forums to your users if they access your forum through it?
Finally, are the quality of posts made through the Facebook App as high as those made directly on your forum? Maybe I am attributing too much credence to the stereotypes I hear about Facebook communication, but if Facebook users are used to wall posts like "ZOMG, I'm bored", "Yay Friday!!!", "So happy!" - "Why?" - "New puppy." - "Nice!", do they end up making posts of a similar caliber that have a tendency to diminish the value of forum content?
Or has installing the Facebook App helped your forum's pageviews and activity skyrocket? Please let us know so we can decide whether to use it.
Thank you for your time.
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