Encouraging more users to contribute
Cory Bergman October 11th, 2006
The latest issue of Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox concludes that user participation usually breaks down to the 90-9-1 rule. 90 percent are lurkers. 9 percent contribute infrequently. And just 1 percent participate frequently, which ends up accounting for most contributions. (You may remember all the recent hubbub at Digg over the same issues. And our personal experience here at Lost Remote confirms those general ratios.) So how do you overcome the participation inequality? “You can’t,” Nielsen says, but there are ways to encourage more participation overall by making participation a side effect, rewarding participants and promoting quality contributors, to name a few. “Your website’s design undoubtedly influences participation inequality for better or worse,” he writes.
24 Comments Add your own
1. Frank Catalano | October 12th, 2006 at 3:31 am
This seems to echo other media. When I was in radio, I was told the rule of thumb was that only one of 100 people listening would ever call a talk radio show.
It ain’t the Web, it appears. It’s human nature.
2. Jason | October 12th, 2006 at 6:04 am
It’s an interesting phenomenon when a website goes through growing pains, and those 1 percent of frequent contributors become extremely annoying. It can change the whole tone of a site that relies on contributions, but it’s hard to know what to do about that. The loudest 1 percent drive away the other 9 percent.
3. invitedmedia | October 12th, 2006 at 6:49 am
let’s see, calling your audience “annoying”, hmmm.
maybe that’s why big media is back on it’s heels.
4. Jason | October 12th, 2006 at 7:03 am
I wasn’t referring to a big media site. Haven’t all of us been on sites that rely on comments, and seen a troll or two take over every discussion thread with mean-spirited, hateful, and irrelevant comments? I think it’s part of why some big media sites are afraid (wrongly, in my mind) to open up their sites to comments.
5. invitedmedia | October 12th, 2006 at 7:21 am
well then, you have an apology for me assuming that you might be referring to your own site, wcco.
what site(s) were you referring to going through “growing pains”?
it’s been my experience that the other .9% of the one percent of regular contributors will police the “troll or two” or encourage part of the remaining 90% of lurkers to jump into the mix. having a troll or two is really a blessing…sure hasn’t hurt cory or steve, has it?
big media sites do just what you were referring to in your original comment; they think they know what’s best for the audience. which may explain why they do not open up their sites to comments; to them it’s a one way street.
no wonder folks (and trolls) find alternatives.
6. Ralph Riccardi | October 12th, 2006 at 7:39 am
I wonder if the audience for some of our niche market sites really understands how the whole comment thing works. I think many have submission trepidation. Perhaps it is just human nature thing.
7. qwerqwer | October 12th, 2006 at 8:11 am
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8. Jason | October 12th, 2006 at 8:43 am
Frequent Lost Remote contributor Rex created a site in Minnesota called MNSpeak.com. Often threads are hijacked by people yelling back and forth, and taking personal shots at each other.
9. theminneapolischannel | October 12th, 2006 at 8:51 am
so f’in what?
it’s a community. the community will no doubt self-police itself. if not, it will fail because folks will find another venue.
some of that is probably news to big media’s ears in minneapolis as a site like mnspeak might just catch on and give the entrenched players a run for the money.
10. Jason | October 12th, 2006 at 9:57 am
OK, clearly I’m not the representative of big media, as I’m an active participant in MNSpeak. So simmer down, minneapolischannel. The thread here was about why only 1 percent are frequent contributors, and 9 are occasional. I simply posited a theory. Perhaps I’m wrong.
11. theminneapolischannel | October 12th, 2006 at 11:08 am
“simmer down” sounds like a personal attack to me.
kinda like me telling you to “take a hike”.
12. thomas | October 12th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
C’mon people, whatever happened to Minnesota nice? I know its a bit chilly here today but there is no reason why a friendly discussion should get out of hand. Personally, I think the reason why only 1% comment on a regular basis is because in reality only 1 out of 100 really care about the topic at hand; most of the places I visit on a regular basis rarely have content that I feel needs to be contributed to. Another reason why some people may not comment is because a “registration” is involved, most people dont care to take the time to sign-up for something when they know the information is going to just get turned around and sold. The problem with having an ‘open’ comment system is that you will get SPAM and Troll’s posting more than your actual viewers. Just my 2cents, but what do I know huh?
Thomas.
13. tish grier | October 12th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
only 1 out of 100 really care about the topic at hand;
yes–and to add to this idea, even when there’s anonymity some people are paranoid about being found out or stalked or harmed in some way (even if the only harm is from some stupid troll who gets a certain psychotic jolly out of flaming others.)
as for self-policing–well, even the best self-policed communities can suffer when trolls take “it” off the community. This happened in one community I was part of for 3 years. Most of the “good” group left after that (many of us received attacking, profane email, and our Alpha Male’s website was maliciously hacked)
Overall, though, Nielsen doesn’t get it. The whole “user” term is somewhat insulting–as many “users” are rather well-versed in ‘nettiquette as well as in various levels of HTML etc. They’re more than “users.” Nielsen has a point about promoting quality contribs. And a simple way to “reward” participants is to interact with them. I’ve read a number of Nielsen’s things, and he always seems to be missing the point of interaction–that it’s not top-down “rewarding” but peer-to-peer acknowledgement.
14. invitedmedia | October 12th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
“nielsen doesn’t get it”
i’ve been hearing that alot lately about any number of people.
can i ask who decides who “gets it” and who doesn’t?
i’d like to take that person out to lunch (i’ll pay) and see if they’ll have a quick talk with my WIFE!!!
i ain’t getting “it “lately! ;(
15. Brad | October 12th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
This thread got me to thinking…and motivated to post. What was the winning T-Shirt slogan? Where can I buy one? Did I win? Inquiring minds want to know.
Is this off topic? If so, I apologize, but I have to post something to stay in the 9% infrequent posters group. I don’t want to be demoted to a lowly lurker again .
16. thomas | October 12th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Actually, I decide who gets it and who doesnt, so how about that free lunch? If you need me to talk to your wife about it that will cost you extra..
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