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rhyker2u

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  1. Like
    rhyker2u reacted to bfarber for a blog entry, 5 ways to monetize your community   
    To monetize, or not to monetize, that is the question that preoccopies our administrators!
    Ok, I'm no Shakespeare, but a vital question community owners are faced with at some point is: can we and should we make some money from our community?
    Let's first look at the "should we?"
    Absolutely! You don't need to frustrate your users or risk goodwill by starting monetization. Running a community comes with tangible costs in terms of paying for the monthly cloud plans or license and hosting costs.
    Not to mention your own time which must be factored into this decision. If the community sustained all or part of your income, could you commit more time to help it grow?
    Now lets look at the "can we?"
    Absolutely! You made a great choice by building your platform with Invision Community. We have built in monetization tools that allow you to collect micro-payments from third party systems; and we have tools for selling products and services.
    Advertisements
    An obvious choice, many sites will turn to advertisements through Google Adsense or a similar service to generate income from their community. Whether this approach will work for your community or not is dependent upon many factors.
    Do you generate enough traffic that you will actually earn an income from advertisements?
    Do enough of your audience browse your site without tools such as Adblock installed?
    Is your site compatible with any of the many advertisement services out there? This is worth checking to make sure.
    Advertisement services are a relatively easy solution for generating micro-payments. It's unlikely you'll be able to retire any time soon on advertising payments alone though.
    An alternative approach to using advertisements is to sell advertisement space on your own site through Commerce.
    This can be an especially attractive option if your site holds a captive audience in a specific niche, as advertisers will be certain their ads are targetting the niche they are aiming to target effectively.
    Viglink
    Viglink is a service that looks for commercial product references in user-generated content, and links to those products using referral links that can generate revenue. Generally speaking, there is no real harm in using such a service as the functionality is transparent for most users.

     
    Invision Community features integration with Viglink out of the box. You simply need to enter certain account information into the AdminCPand the software will handle the rest.
    Charging for products
    If you sell digital or physical products, you can leverage Invision Community to help facilitate the sale of such products through your community site.
    If you are an expert or leader in your field, then why not write a short e-book on your subject and put it up for sale? Low cost e-books under $10 tend to sell really well and it's a great way to generate some passive trickle income.
    Sale, renewals, invoicing, shipping, customer support and more are all possible through our Commerce product with powerful features that allow you to easily sell products locally and around the world.
    Charging for additional access
    The simplest way to monetize your community is to charge for VIP access.
    This may be for elevated permissions, such as being able to upload larger files, post more content per day and access specific features like user signatures, special badges and so on.

     
    You can also set up VIP forums that regular members do not have access to. 
    In fact, Invision Community can be tailored towards being an e-learning platform simply by setting up a subscription in Commerce and creating a private forum only the VIP group can access.
    Simply post a new topic with each learning module. Topics can contain embeds from YouTube and Vimeo if you prefer to deliver training over video.
    Be sure to give previews of such areas if you do sell access to additional areas of the community.
    For example, you can allow all users to "see" that a forum exists, but show an error message to regular members who attempt to read topics in the forum, while allowing subscribers full access to those topics. This helps naturally entice users into subscribing to gain additional access by allowing them to see what they will gain access to.
    Charging a fee for facilitation
    Another possible avenue to monetize your community is by charging a fee for facilitating file sharing between your members. The Downloads application allows users to upload and even sell their files to other users on the community, while also allowing the administrator of the community to retain a percentage of all sales. 
    If your community serves a niche that may see online sales of files in a marketplace-type setting, you can earn some money by administering such a marketplace.
    As you can see, there are several opportunities available with Invision Community to monetize your community.
    Do you use any other methods of monetizing your community?
  2. Like
    rhyker2u reacted to Mark for a blog entry, 4.3: Paid club memberships, and other club improvements   
    We released news of Clubs just under a year ago for Invision Community 4.2 and it has been the best received feature to date.
    Clubs opens up new ways to run your community by allowing members to create sub-communities away from the central forum area.
    Since the feature was released, we've collated an immense amount of feedback on the feature. Here's what we're improving for Invision Community 4.3.
    Paid Club Memberships
    If you have Commerce installed on your community, 4.3 adds the ability for members to create paid clubs. Users wishing to join the club will be required to pay a membership fee (which can be one off or recurring) which will be paid to the club owner, minus any commission you want to keep for the site. You can choose which groups can create paid clubs.

    Paid Club Settings
    If enabled, the club directory will show the price for membership in each club.

    Club directory with paid clubs
    The process for joining works a little differently depending on the type of club...
    For open clubs, the user will immediately be prompted to pay the joining fee. Once they have paid, they are added to the club as normal. For closed clubs, the user will need to request to join as normal. Once they have been accepted to join the club, they will then be able to pay the membership fee, after which they'll be added to the club. For private and read-only (a new type in 4.3, which we'll talk about below) users have to be invited to join the club Public clubs have no membership, and so cannot be paid.
    Joining a paid club (a closed club in this screenshot)

    Paid club after request to join has been accepted

    Paying for club membership
    Club leaders can also waive the membership fee, allowing certain users to join the club for free.

    Waiving fee when approving request to join

    Waiving fee when inviting members

    Waiving renewal fees on an existing member
    If a member fails to pay their renewal charge, they are moved into an "expired" state. The club leaders can see the status and renewal date for all members, and use the filter tools to just see active or expired members.

    Club members management
    Paying out membership fees works just as it does with paid files in Downloads. Users receive the amount as account credit. If enabled, they can then request a payout of this via PayPal or a manual payout method you want to use.

    Viewing an invoice in the AdminCP where some payment has been given to a member

    Viewing account credit with options to withdraw funds
     
     
    Club content throughout the community
    Currently content in clubs is only visible within the club itself. In 4.3 a new setting allows you to show the content from clubs throughout the community - for example, if a club contains a forum, that forum can show in the main forum list.
     
    Club forums showing on main forum list
    This is a single toggle: if enabled, all content from clubs that each user has joined will show throughout the community, appearing below the normal categories/etc in that application.
     
     
    New Club Type: Read Only
    In addition to Open, Closed, Private and Public, we have added a new club type in 4.3: read only. In a read only club, everyone can (without joining) view everything in the club, but cannot participate unless they are invited by a club leader.
     
    Following
    Users can now follow a club, and will then receive notifications about all new content in the club - the same as if they followed every content area in the club.
     
    List View
    In addition to the current grid layout of clubs, there is a new list-style.

    Clubs List View
    The admin can choose which views are available and what the default should be.
     
    AdminCP Approval
    You can now filter the list of clubs in the AdminCP to clubs requiring approval and approve clubs from within the AdminCP.

    Approving clubs in AdminCP
     
    Deleting Content Areas
    Club leaders can now delete content areas within their clubs. This can be useful if, for example, the leader added a club feature by mistake.
    Content areas can only be removed if there is no content within it, or if you have granted club leaders the ability to delete content in their clubs (since they would be able to empty it).

    Ability to remove features from clubs
     
    Other Minor Tweaks
    You can now set per-group the maximum number of clubs a member in that group can create. A member invited to join a club can now delete the invitation if they do not want to accept it (rather than just ignoring it).
  3. Haha
    rhyker2u reacted to Matt for a blog entry, Team Talk: Which job would you be terrible at?   
    In between complaining about the temperature of the United Kingdom, a hot topic in staff chat was what jobs we've done in the past, and which jobs we'd be terrible at.
    Mark said that Matt would be terrible at being a software engineer. Once all the laughter and clearing desks and leaving the building immediately had finished, we settled on these answers.
    Jennifer
    I'd be a terrible runway model. For most of my life I've had the height and the general look of a decent runway model (even like people staring at me) however I am terrible at it.

    This was not Photoshopped
    I get really nervous in front of large crowds of people, wobbly knees and everything. My mum does costume design and has used me as her model a few times and that whole "stand at the end of the runway for a few seconds and pose thing"... Nope. Stood there, turned around and walked back.
    Marc
    I think the job I would be terrible at would be 'Handy Man'.
    Picked this rather than just saying a joiner/carpenter, plumber etc, as it encompasses more areas of complete ineptitude. My DIY skills are legendary, but for all the wrong reasons. Whilst I'm actually attempting to learn how to do things myself more lately, I have had a history of doing things incorrectly. I am that guy who has 8 pieces left after putting together flatpack furniture, creates swimming pools whilst fixing a tap, and don't even ask me to put a hole in a wall as I can do so with dramatic effect. [Should have shared the picture of your workbench - Editor]
    I think the one which springs to mind, which most would find simple, would be putting up a shelf. I put up a DVD shelf above my head which was a fair weight. This lasted 1 week before falling off the wall on to my head which was underneath it. [That explains a lot - Editor] Not a problem, because with my 'expert' DIY skills I put it back on the wall with 8 inch screws and to ensure it didnt come down again I covered the wall facing side with extremely strong glue. 3 years later when my wife wanted this taking down to decorate, I took it down along with half of the wall behind it. This was the point where the decorator was called to fix my mistakes.
    Brandon
    I couldn't be President (or any major political position for that matter). I'm a very middle-of-the-road people pleaser type of person usually, and I could never handle having to make important decisions that affect everyone [like in git? - Editor], especially with half of everyone agreeing with me and half of everyone thinking it was the worst idea ever. As much as people like to criticize those in power and feel like they have all the answers, I know it's just not that easy and I would never want to be in their position.

    A nightmare vision of the future
    Jim Morrissey
    Cold call telephone sales/telemarketing. I often say I couldn't sell water to someone stuck in the desert. OK, maybe not *that* bad but definitely cannot get on the phone and convince someone product XYZ is the one for them. I'm also not that big of a talker in person and don't have that personality to just grab people on the phone and persuade them to purchase something they may not otherwise want. Half my personality, half ethics which would make me horrible
    Mark H
    A job at which I would be no good, is a politician. I’d be jailed within a week for strangling other politicians who open their mouth and spew the usual double-speak we’ve come to expect (and loathe) from them. [This is actually a toned down version of the original - Editor]
    Mark W
    I was struggling to come up with anything (because obviously I'd be great at anything, right?) but as the token vegan around here I guess I have to say butcher. The last time I ate meat was about 10 years ago and even walking past a butcher's makes me feel ill.

    Mark is Ultra Spiritual
    FAQ: Lots of things have protein; I kind of miss chocolate but not much else; Yes, I would eat you if we were on a desert island. [Well, that got dark at the end - Editor]
    Andy
    I would be an awful chef. I wouldn’t even be able to heat up pre-prepared meals in a pub [Do you not have a kitchen at home? - Editor]. Apparently I make a good sous-chef in the home but I require strict instruction. In other words I get the job of chopping onions at dinner time.

    Like Gordon Ramsey, except nice
    Ryan
    The job I would most suck at, I actually did. Back in 2008, I was a factory worker for a paving company, where I packaged pavement crack sealant at approximately 160 degrees Fahrenheit, in addition to various other types of sealant (for driveways, parking lots, etc.). It was a lot of heavy lifting, and because the material was so hot, I had to wear heavy long sleeve shirts in a factory that hit approximately 120 degrees each day. I lasted about four months.

    Oozing Confidence
    Matt
    Anything on a production line. I have a very short attention span  and having to do repetitive tasks would finish me off. Back in the 90s [1890s? - Editor] I used to work in a print and design studio. One of the tasks was producing 15,000 copies of a 8 sheet magazine. It'd run through the collator, through the stitching head, under the folding arm and slide out to a tray. For about two days straight a month we'd be running this machine. Counting copies as they came out, freeing jams and filling up the paper. It was really tedious work.
    Those are the jobs we'd think we would be terrible at. How about you? What would be your nightmare job?
  4. Thanks
    rhyker2u reacted to Matt for a blog entry, 7 ways to nurture new members and encourage more participation   
    There are many different reasons to build a community. It might be based on your business or a hobby. It may be to talk about your favourite sports team. Whatever the content, the key to success is to engage your community.
    We've been helping successful communities for over 15 years. During that time, we've picked up a handful of tips that we are going to share with you today.
    Pick one to try this week and let us know how you get on.
    Welcome every single member
    A great way to make members feel welcome at your community is to post a daily or weekly topic welcoming your new members. Post a short message asking them to introduce themselves and tag new members.
    This will encourage them to start a discussion that others can get involved with. It won't be long before friends are made and what may have been a passing member will be part of your core community.

     
    Host a "lurker week"
    Every few months, host a "Lurker week" where you encourage non-posting members to join in. You can explain the benefits of the community and encourage them to say hello. It's a great way to get people to introduce themselves.
    Suzi Nelson pioneered this over at Digital Marketer. She created a lurker themed week and was able to activate 44% of her previously inactive members in only five days!
    Spotlight members you want others to model
    Often you will see a member do something amazing in the community. Maybe they posted a really good question or perhaps they have been very active and helped many other members.
    Create a topic about it. Highlight how and why they are an asset they are to the community. This sends a positive message to other members that these kinds of actions will be celebrated.
    You can even turn this into a weekly or monthly ritual where you celebrate the member of the week or month.
    Educate about notifications
    The notifications system in Invision Community is the best way to get return visits.
    Why not put up a pinned topic in a visible area reminding your members how to get the best from the notification system, and asking them to enable them and follow any interesting forums or topics.
    This way they won't miss out of any discussion while they're away and as a bonus, they're more likely to return to catch up.

     
    Regular Interaction
    This is a very simple but often overlooked tip. As the community manager your purpose is to facilitate discussion. Make sure you show up regularly and create new discussions as well as reply to existing ones.
    People are more likely to post if they feel they will get a reply. Often your reply will send off a cascade of more interaction as different facets of the conversions come out.
    Ask for feedback
    Members love to be involved in brainstorms and to share their thoughts. Asking for feedback works on two levels. You get great ideas on how to improve your community. It is also a great tactic to get discussion going.
    Taking action on feedback makes that person feel more invested in your community and will champion it to others.
    Try and be specific when asking for feedback. Try "How can I increase the level of activity" or "Do you need any articles or topics written on specific subjects". The more specific, the easier it will be for your members to narrow down their thoughts.

     
    Be persistent
    These tips might give your community a short burst of engagement. To build a long lasting and highly engaged community, you have to be persistent and keep at it.
    The key to building a community is simple: put in the work and care about your members. If your members see how much you care and that you are showing up every day, they are more likely to show up too.
    Which of these tips are you going to try this week?
  5. Like
    rhyker2u reacted to Matt for a blog entry, Black Friday Sale!   
    It's that time of year again!
    Have you been thinking about starting your Invision Community? Or perhaps you're currently using another service and want to take advantage of our modern, mobile ready and social media equipped platform?
    This has been a great year for Invision Community. We've added many new features including Clubs, Fluid View, Profile Completion and more.
    We've been adding useful articles such as the benefits of owning your own community versus a Facebook Group, how to optimize your community's SEO, and how to stop spam.
    And we're already working on our next major release due out early 2018.
    To celebrate, we have two new coupon codes for you!

     
    20% OFF ALL CLOUD PACKAGES
    Start with Invision Community today with our hassle free cloud packages. There's nothing to upload and nothing to install. You don't need to know your FTP from your MySQL. We do all that for you!
    Use coupon code during checkout: CICBF2017
    15% OFF SELF HOSTED LICENSES
    Prefer to manage your own hosting? No problem. Grab your downloadable license today.
    Use coupon code during checkout: SHBF2017
     
    The small print
    These coupons are valid from today right through to midnight Monday 27th November (EST). Note, the self hosted coupon is not valid for renewals.
    Thanks and happy shopping!
  6. Thanks
    rhyker2u reacted to Matt for a blog entry, 4.3: Welcome to the future, blog!   
    Good news!
    We've taken Invision Community's Blog app by the scruff of the neck and dragged it into 2018!
    There has been a growing trend for imagery to play a very important part of a blog entry. This update reflects that.
    Introducing Grid View
    We have added a new view that shows your blog entries as cards with space for a cover photo.
    We've very visual creatures, and a good photograph can entice readers into your blogs to read more. 
    As you would expect, you can disable this mode from the Admin CP for purists that prefer the traditional list format.

     
    For those who's sense of adventure runs deep, the new grid mode allows you to show a list of latest blog entries as the blog home page.

     
    This puts valuable and engaging content right in front of your audience.
    This list view persists when you view a blog's entries giving a consistent feel.

     
    Viewing an entry
    We've given the blog entry page a little make-over by featuring the cover photo above the content. The slimmed down blog details bar allows your audience to focus on the content.

     
    Default Cover Photos
    You may have spotted that entries without a cover photo have a rather fetching geometric pattern in different colors.

     
    This is a new micro-feature of Invision Community 4.3. Currently, if you do not have a cover photo on a blog, profile or event, the bar is a rather sad shade of black.
    The new default cover photo feature makes it much more cheerful. Here's what a profile looks like.

     
    Much better.
    Here's a few technical details for those that love to know all the things.
    The grid view feature can be turned off in the ACP (but doing so will make me very sad) You can choose the default home page view: Latest Entries or List of Blogs. You can still view a list of blogs when you're on the latest entries page. This choice is stored in a little cookie (GDPR friendly, it doesn't contain any identifying data) so navigating back gets you the last view you chose. Let us know what you think! We love it, and hope you do too.
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