Grabbing leftover users from a closing forum

phreak

Hi alle,

It's too funny, i have to share this story with you. One of my forums is located in austria and there are maybe around 4-5 big forums in my segment (Baby and Family). My board is well known (because of the look of Vanilla) nevertheless one of the little brothers within the big forums.

Now one of those big boards decided to close its doors in Austria and asks all local users to join their german forum. In Austria and Germany german is spoken among almost all people. But Austrians are not likely to join a forum of the big sister country with 8 times more population. So rumors are running round, discussions are starting in the other forum. People are asking each other and themselves "should we join this forum or that forum" or "no i'll never switch to the forum in germany" and so on.

I now thought of a little campaign, a funny welcome picture picking up the situation to tell that my forum is good option. I've looked into starforce pictures thinking about a text on it like "they left you alone, but we come to pick you up" (battlestar galactica) or other pictures and sentences arous in my head.

I just wanted to share this story with you, because it does probably not happen to often... or it does, but you don't realize it as we seldom look deeper into other communities.

Ok, i have to go now back to business, i have to save all this desorientad users and bring them to the new world. Maybe you or others have a funny idea or picture in mind.

Greetz

vrijvlinder

oy vey !!

UnderDog

@phreak said:

Ok, i have to go now back to business, i have to save all this desorientad users and bring them to the new world. Maybe you or others have a funny idea or picture in mind.

Besides the funny part, I'm also looking at the interesting part. Are you looking to convert those users from the old forum? Then you need their backup, right? sortof. Do you know which forum script they are using & any special plugins?

vrijvlinder

i have to save all this desorientad users and bring them to the new world

Bring them here to Vanillareich stalag 2.0 almost 2.1 , we will sort them out

@UnderDog said: Do you know which forum script they are using & any special plugins?

Are you looking for an angle? sounds ingenious , clone what they liked and were used to and say "same forum under new management" ....

phreak

@UnderDog: No, its custom forum software and a heavy competitor in the market, i just like to find ideas to get them switching over to me instead of wandering to other boards.