7 Types of Forum Members You Should Get to Know

Two weeks ago I posted about the ins and outs for forum marketing. When joining a community, especially if you plan to market to them, it is important to understand the dynamics behind a lot of the interactions.

Below are what I’ve noticed as the different types of prominent forum members.

The Worker Bees. These are the people that keep the forum moving. When someone posts a question they are quick to research the answer. When someone posts for advice, they give it. When someone need hugs, or encouragement they are there to offer it. These forum members will rarely cause controversy but they are the heart and soul of the community. They are the ones that keep coming back to make it lively.

Protector of the Community. Calls out trolls, like to keep threads organized, and tries to diffuse drama. These people take pride in their community and are protective of it. It is the neighborhood they hang out in. They like to see it organized. If there are multiple threads started about a similar topic they will often take on the moderator role and helpfully funnel the traffic into one centralized location. If they suspect a user is a “troll” or someone that does not contribute to the community, they are quick to call them out, or even report to moderators. If things are slow, they are likely to start threads to keep people engaged.

The Poster with a Cause. This user type has one cause or belief that they feel terribly strongly about. Whether it is the environment, a particular charity, animal rescue, whatever is it, this poster cannot help to inject this cause into the majority of their responses on a thread. At times it can be helpful additional information; at times it can turn this user into a thread hijacker. The user name may be reflective of this cause.

The Thread Hijacker. They have a hard time staying on topic. This person will derail a thread to oblivion annoying the protectors of the community the most. An example of a typical exchange with a thread hijacker:

Thread Topic: “How can I get my dog to eat all of his food?”
Thread Hijacker: “I don’t know the answer to your question, but does anybody have any experience with (insert random dog food name here)?

Sometimes it takes, and sometimes it doesn’t.

The Ring Leader. This is a person that can change the tide of the thread. They are key influencers. An opposing view from the majority is welcome from this poster by other members. I’ve found people that I would put into this category are well thought out, and can also be extremely supportive of their peers. They wield their power carefully, but make no mistake that they have it. Once a ring leader has made up their mind about you or your product their minions are likely to follow or at least be influenced.

The Controversy Starter. Always looking to call a poster out. Loves to stir up controversy. There can be a thread about a controversial topic, where everyone is doing their best to remain civil, and sure enough the controversy starter comes along and immediately calls someone out. This group differs from the ring leader in that they are not there to lead; they are there to create a stir. They will argue points down to molecular levels. I usually see the old “Sorry to offend but you can’t really tell my tone over the computer” defense when people are trying to get away from the controversy starter. The controvery starter rarely changes their stance during a discussion.

The Evangelist. This is the group that you want to make sure you put your best foot forward to (should you be trying to raise awareness for a product). Once the evangelist has found a product that they love they are quick to recommend it, review it, and go so far as to offer help with it to users. If there is negativity about a product that an evangelist endorses they are quick to defend it. Be careful with this group. They can be your biggest asset or a huge negative. Should they use a product that they DO NOT LIKE or have a bad experience with, they will be quick to vocalize that as well.

If there is a good forum out there that you would like to use to help market your products, it’s important to try and identify these 7 types of people. See which ones might be a good fit to help you get your message out there and who wouldn’t. Investing a little bit of extra time doing this can make a huge difference.

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