WRC is kind becoming outdated but we can fix it

[plam]

Is there a plug-in that could perhaps just post to social media automatically about new threads or hit threads of the day. It could drive traffic but also not require constant effort.

Meh, you get as much out of it as you put into it. Low effort, I guess, but also low reward?

[jeffster]

Is there a plug-in that could perhaps just post to social media automatically about new threads or hit threads of the day. It could drive traffic but also not require constant effort.

Not sure if that's a great idea, because then you end up with several posts a day that people will eventually ignore.

So regarding social media -- what kind of posts would everyone like to see?

[neonjoe]

Is there a plug-in that could perhaps just post to social media automatically about new threads or hit threads of the day. It could drive traffic but also not require constant effort.

Not sure if that's a great idea, because then you end up with several posts a day that people will eventually ignore.

So regarding social media -- what kind of posts would everyone like to see?

Ideally the threads about new proposals. Any new rumours or renders.

[ac3r]

Yes, news about projects is good. New offices, residential developments, city infrastructure, bike paths, EngageWR surveys, news articles and just stuff that is relevant to the city such as council meetings, political changes, homelessness and other issues. Hard to figure out what niche to aim towards, but since the forum is related to urbanism and the region, anything related to that is probably best. I doubt most residents know about what goes on in the city in terms of, say, bike infrastructure or new condo developments until The Record runs it, but we tend to have people here who find that stuff out first.

You could also use it to generate discussion on things by bringing people to the forum or just generating discourse amongst people in the city. For example, we've had great threads dedicated to discussing what to do with Charles Street versus what to do with The Aud as well as things such as bike/trail infrastructure. It's easy enough to start polling people on Twitter or link to threads here.

But yeah, like plam said, "you get as much out of it as you put into it." Automated posts aren't that good, most people get sick of those sort of things fast, so you have to be willing to put in bit of effort to maintain a social media presence.

[Spokes]

While it would be nice, unless someone has the passion and time to maintain that, it is probably better to just direct people to the forum. The reality is that very few people would likely even use a front page feature like that making any time commitment from a volunteer even less worthwhile.

Would it be that much work?  Or was the original idea to have a constantly updating list of like "this week's popular threads"?

[Spokes]

Is there a plug-in that could perhaps just post to social media automatically about new threads or hit threads of the day. It could drive traffic but also not require constant effort.

Meh, you get as much out of it as you put into it. Low effort, I guess, but also low reward?

Ya I'd agree with that.

You can automate and schedule them, but you still have to input them all

[Spokes]

I think anything that is posted on and discussed on here is fair game to be tweeted about

[Spokes]

Well lets give this a try. The main home page now points to the forum index page. Thoughts?

[danbrotherston]

I saw that, it was a surprise.

I'm curious, do most people hit the forum page? I generally just hit what's new? I pretty much only go to the forum page to start a new thread.

[Spokes]

I use what's new almost exclusively to be honest.

[jamincan]

I use What's New as my entry-point too, but for someone new to the site who might not have an account, the forum index is probably the most sensible entrypoint.

[ac3r]

Personally I always go to the forums when I come here. I'm in my mid 30s so I'm used to the culture of forums as they were one of the main methods of communication on the internet around 2000-2010. While these days you have Twitter and Instagram etc and just need to scroll down to refresh, earlier internet was different, but still perfectly functional though many people aren't used to this sort of environment. My habit is just to hit up the forums a couple times a day if I've got time and check out what posts are new (anything in bold heh). I think it's a good entry point for newbies to the website since they can immediately just start clicking around and see what topics are being discussed. It's much easier and much more organic than manually curating a page of trending threads etc but I guess the admin/mods can see how that works out and adjust anything if needed!

Unrelated, I'm now helping out on the Twitter account so if you have any ideas about bolstering engagement or just have a suggestion for a Tweet or topic to illustrate, feel free to bring it up! I'm hoping to cement its presence as not only a way to bring people to these forums/website, but to share news relating to urbanism, architecture, infrastructure, culture and the cities and region overall in any manner that relates to what WRC is about. The more people know what's going on in their environment, the better the results can be. It has a sizable following with a lot of important people/groups (politicians, municipal services, businesses, developers, architects and everyday people) so I'm hoping it could help engage the community about the evolution of Waterloo Region. I sent out a Tweet today about the upcoming Victoria and Park project, for example: https://twitter.com/WRConnected/status/1...3927286787. I'll also try experimenting with direct engagement with posters so the account feels more active, i.e.: https://twitter.com/WRConnected/status/1...3588527109