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Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
11–20 of 25 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
" The design wastes far too much space and does not immediately communicate a value proposition." This is one of the problems that I'm currently addressing. I'm about 40% through a re-design to address this, and many other issues. Also, you mention a point system (karma, etc). The only thing that worries me about this is users entering false reviews just to get points. Thank you though. You have given me many insight…
The only thing that worries me about this is users entering false reviews just to get points. This is what we call a "high class problem". (Since HN has an international audience I'll explain that one: it means a problem where the fact of having the problem demonstrates that you're already in a status which arouses envy. For example, "Finding parking for my gigantic luxury sedan was difficult but I finally found one.…
You're absolutely right. Worrying about those kind of details is along the lines of "counting your chickens before they hatch".
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#13You need to answer this question: what need does contributing a review solve for the reviewer? What do they get out of it? StackOverflow bet big, and won, that technically inclined people would contribute millions of dollars of free consulting if it awarded them with, essentially, the geek equivalent of WoW loot. (Pixels of no importance or cost outside the game but, critically, important to the players.) HackerNews…
Can you recommend any good reads on how web site design can influence interaction with your web site (if such a thing exists)? Or any good reads on web design in general. I already know the technical points (HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, etc), but I'm looking for more information on design best practices.
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#14Have you tried concentrating your content to a select number of schools? Whats the point of a big-bang strategy at this point in the game?
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#15I'm going to approach this from another side, and ask you what value should I as a user hope to gain from shouldigetthebook.com? I kind of see what you are driving at, but I view your site's potential and possibly its purpose differently. On the surface you are saying your site will answer that question of needing to buy the book, but does it really need answering? Enough to keep users drawn to your site? One might argue that in this day with all the connectivity and info online there is no course that couldn't be passed without buying the book, unless the professor was a stickler for the exact material in question, and even then networking with other students could assuage the need.
I think the question now becomes more philosophical. What do I want out of the course? Just a passing grade or something I can look back on and reference? When viewed that way your site can be about more than just answering that single, quite subjective, question. What I would do is try to foster discussion about the course. Let's say I want to take an art class. I go to shouldigetthebook.com and see nothing there, but I can leave an email to be notified of others inquiring and/or commenting on the same class. Chances are there would be some good discussion we could have. That's the kind of content you could foster on your site, and users would contribute because it's of interest to them. Eventually users could certainly answer the question of whether or not the course book is needed, but there is so much more that the question seems almost incidental.
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#16Have you tried concentrating your content to a select number of schools? Whats the point of a big-bang strategy at this point in the game?
That's what I'm going for right now, but it isn't obvious because of the site design. I currently have 7 or 8 schools in Michigan that I'm concentrating on.
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#17Have you tried concentrating your content to a select number of schools? Whats the point of a big-bang strategy at this point in the game?
That's what I'm going for right now, but it isn't obvious because of the site design. I currently have 7 or 8 schools in Michigan that I'm concentrating on.
Is there a reason why you haven't changed the design to reflect this?
Also have you looked into behavioral economics? Anecdotally, I know that this is a somewhat "hot" area for loyalty programs (miles, etc.).
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#18well, the fastest way would probably be to bribe them. tell them that at the end of the semester, users with N number of significant content submissions will be entered into a drawing, and the prizes will be XYZ. once you have content and stop bribing them (or, you don't necessarily have to stop), you'll have the content and will no longer have the chicken/egg problem.
Alternatively pay select students at the university to be your ambassador for you (minimum wage kind of dealie) and reward the most prolific.
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#19well, the fastest way would probably be to bribe them. tell them that at the end of the semester, users with N number of significant content submissions will be entered into a drawing, and the prizes will be XYZ. once you have content and stop bribing them (or, you don't necessarily have to stop), you'll have the content and will no longer have the chicken/egg problem.
I feel dirty bribing users as it is, but if it makes the clock tick, then so be it.
its not the only way to make the clock tick, for sure. but i've seen a lot of communities grow using this process, and it is effective and time-efficient. its not easy at all to get users to submit quality content for free.
Re: Ask HN: How can you encourage users to generate content?
#20I saw that you said somewhere in here that you are concentrating on 7-8 schools in Michigan. That's a lot of classes, a lot of books.
Maybe you should try ONE school, namely, yours. You could even prune it down further to certain majors or departments. If someone says "do you have it for English as well as Math/Computer Science?" then you know its gaining steam.
The idea of class reviews, teacher reviews, along with "do I need the book?" would be a natural progression as others have discussed.
To get more popularity with your own school, heavily brand it as long as they don't get on your back for using their logos. Because its a tool to facilitate their students they may not care, but because its a tool that could dampen their book sale profits, they might.
Another opportunity to make it easier is possibly integrate with existing school systems. I went to Virginia Tech, and for web developers inside the school system (again, speaking merely from my own experience) they had APIs that you could lock into course/class IDs, and even had an API that could authenticate with University PIDs and passwords. Doing so this way would automatically manage all of the classes and book information - then the students would merely have to thumb up or down if they found the book helpful. When you expand schools, integrating Facebook or other social networking credentials would be the obvious route, but to paraphrase 37Signals, "you don't have a scaling problem until you have a scaling problem."
You have an EXCELLENT idea - anyone who has been to college and has felt the weight of text book costs (along with the economy) would instantly see this as a great opportunity to save some beans.