How to FORCE new members to sign up

[dredman]

I am kidding of course, but the idea is powerful to me, given the number of referrals I have sent this way over the last 4 years. In that time, perhaps I have had 100 or more people contacting me on YouTube asking specific questions about skoolies - how-to questions typically. I always refer them here but they rarely if ever show up here? Maybe I missed them? But I do see plenty of follow-up questions, and I always ask "Did you login to skoolie.net and ask there?" Which is alway followed by a "No, I had thing, and a .... blah blah." It has frustrated me to no end, so I FORCED a follower to join. It WORKED?

Well, just thought I would ask for suggestions, maybe I am doing it wrong? How do YALL do it?

I did make a video, a promo of sorts that I can share with the others asking the same questions. It was insightful, but pretty much what I was expecting - "I was intimidated, never used a forum before, etc."
Not sure I can solve the problem, but it would be nice to know it is not just me that has this problem with referrals?

Any ideas would be helpful too?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc_C33maUaY

[EastCoastCB]

You can lead a horse to water...
But I can't get the vid to play!

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

You can lead a horse to water...
But I can't get the vid to play!

love the humour about horses - 'wouldn't play for me either - I've joined some of the schoolie pages too, and they don't have enough 'meat' in them to hold my interest - I'm more interested in getting to where I want to go and home again in safety and some sort of comfort than I am in what colour/type/pattern the curtains are - maybe we could spend more time talking about curtains than getting our hands greasy or breaking the skin on our knuckles to attract more people to this forum? ( NOT! )

[plfking]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

love the humour about horses - 'wouldn't play for me either - I've joined some of the schoolie pages too, and they don't have enough 'meat' in them to hold my interest - I'm more interested in getting to where I want to go and home again in safety and some sort of comfort than I am in what colour/type/pattern the curtains are - maybe we could spend more time talking about curtains than getting our hands greasy or breaking the skin on our knuckles to attract more people to this forum? ( NOT! )

Have to agree with you there......the other schoolie sites have nowhere near the technical know-how on display here. Makes me appreciate all of y'all even more.

[dredman]

Originally Posted by plfking

Have to agree with you there......the other schoolie sites have nowhere near the technical know-how on display here. Makes me appreciate all of y'all even more.

WHAT?
You mean there are OTHER Skoolie sites?

Sorry bout the video, it should play now?

[o1marc]

What's nice about this forum is we cover ALL THINGS SKOOLIE, not just the topics you might be interested in. I like that we talk about different appliances and different interior design techniques, to each their own. I notice a lot of single woman involved who may not be interested in the greasy how to repair, but more interested in what they are good at, whatever that might be. I say everyone is welcome and no question should not be asked. If your not interest in paint colors, don't read the forum titled Paint Colors.

[plfking]

Originally Posted by dredman

Sorry bout the video, it should play now?

It's running.

Damn, dred.......are you 6'10", or is Leah 4'3" ?

[Sleddgracer]

in addition to the things I'm learning about buses that I didn't know before, I'm starting to realise that I knew more than I thought I did about many of the subjects discussed because of experiences I've had in the past - that, and the new knowledge I'm gaining is making me more confident that a bus conversion, for me, is a practical and doable project

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by plfking

It's running.

Damn, dred.......are you 6'10", or is Leah 4'3" ?

Column A and B

You gotta meet Dredman, he's one cool dude!

[roach711]

I've found that death threats, bribery and blackmail are very effective at motivating people to stuff.

[Mark_In_MA]

The short answer is that joining the forum won't answer their question directly. There's a ton of technical knowledge on here, but I don't think anyone has time to just sit around answering specific technical questions all day. (Maybe based on some certain engine-related things there could be.) People want to know that they need this hose, this fitting, and it will be in aisle 6 at the home center. They don't want to spend a few hours searching through threads and reading topics.

I can understand some of the reluctance to sign up for things - sometimes there's just too much on the internet - or more specifically, internet personalities/brands have started to decide they have to be on every social medial platform there is - so you start on Facebook, then you end up on Youtube, with Instagram or Twitter tie-ins, a Pinterest board, a blog somewhere. . . .and as one falls out of favor, it just links to the new one. It's annoying. (Not implying that I've seen that on here, or that it's bad having multiple accounts/platforms.)



In some ways, to do a Skoolie, there's a TON of reading involved. It's a little counterintuitive to some people who get an idea, end up with a bus, and just go for it. . .until they get an oddly specific situation where they've got a pile of parts they think should make up a fresh water system, but they've got no idea how to really connect them together.

There are a lot of half-done skoolies out there (for sale), or buses where people ripped up the seats, and then stopped, usually because their "situation changed." I wonder how many of those people realized they just bought a bus, and have no clue how to actually convert it? Not that life can't throw a wrench into your plans, but how many of those situations are just poor planning and research?

[Mark_In_MA]

Originally Posted by roach711

I've found that death threats, bribery and blackmail are very effective at motivating people to stuff.

Yeah, but those pesky skoolies move.
You've gotta find em first.....

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Mark_In_MA

The short answer is that joining the forum won't answer their question directly. There's a ton of technical knowledge on here, but I don't think anyone has time to just sit around answering specific technical questions all day. (Maybe based on some certain engine-related things there could be.) People want to know that they need this hose, this fitting, and it will be in aisle 6 at the home center. They don't want to spend a few hours searching through threads and reading topics.

I can understand some of the reluctance to sign up for things - sometimes there's just too much on the internet - or more specifically, internet personalities/brands have started to decide they have to be on every social medial platform there is - so you start on Facebook, then you end up on Youtube, with Instagram or Twitter tie-ins, a Pinterest board, a blog somewhere. . . .and as one falls out of favor, it just links to the new one. It's annoying. (Not implying that I've seen that on here, or that it's bad having multiple accounts/platforms.)



In some ways, to do a Skoolie, there's a TON of reading involved. It's a little counterintuitive to some people who get an idea, end up with a bus, and just go for it. . .until they get an oddly specific situation where they've got a pile of parts they think should make up a fresh water system, but they've got no idea how to really connect them together.

There are a lot of half-done skoolies out there (for sale), or buses where people ripped up the seats, and then stopped, usually because their "situation changed." I wonder how many of those people realized they just bought a bus, and have no clue how to actually convert it? Not that life can't throw a wrench into your plans, but how many of those situations are just poor planning and research?

Seems folks see it on Instagram and then its a monkey see monkey do thing. They come up with a brand name with a graphic logo and that's where the technical know how ends. I'm glad this forum isn't full of YouTube "celebrities". They come here from time to time but we're not the "followers" they're looking for.

[brokedown]

While we're griping about instagram I'm getting pretty sick of following a skoolie person or couple and their feed ends up just being clickbait bikini/underwear photos. I assume it works but it gets aun un-follow from me.

[joeblack5]

I think this forum works OK to keep track of your own progress. Just like a journal. In all reality nothing about skoolies has to be complicated. We met plenty of very nice conversion at skoolie palooza that were not on skoolie.net or had even heard of it.

There is a lot of information here but is very hard to get to. Not enough stickies .

Where it gets really useful like a rebuild thread with photos this site fails and you have to get over to forums that deal with those engines.

Roach and some others did a great job for the 7.3 power stroke. There is only one regular contributor here that adds any computer knowledge to the 7.3 te444.

The fear about more advanced engines is a shame and without proper skoolie.net support people do not find what they need when they buy newer buses with more modern equipment.

A sticky on several levels of insulation would take a lot of clutter threads and post out of the loop.
May be without the clutter we can increase and raise the tech knowledge bar of skoolie.net. probably the amount of traffic would go down.

Later johan

[ol trunt]

I think you have to hold the horse's head under water.

[LeahBaker]

Originally Posted by plfking

It's running.

Damn, dred.......are you 6'10", or is Leah 4'3" ?

He’s 6’ 5” and I’m 5’ 4”. Yeah a bit of a difference in height. I look like a shrimp lol! Too funny! I can hardly wait til I get time off again to do more demo. I want this all done like yesterday so I can FINALLY after almost 25 years, be done trucking n on with Skoolie life n home business...