I wasn't sure where to post this, but – apart from suggesting this site to friends, etc., does anyone have any good ideas on how to get more members. This is a great forum, but we need more members. How can we publicize this site?

It would be good to increase both the number of members and the activity of those who already belong. However, forum post quality is more important than quantity, because no one wants to waste their time reading a large quantity of irrelevant nonsense to find a few items of interest. Though our actively level is rather low, the ratio interesting posts to irrelevant nonsense is considerably better here than on many of the more active forums.

Most people initially find websites either by using search engines or by taking links from other websites. The best way to increase new-visitor traffic from search engines is to increase the number of incoming links from other guitar-related web pages, because search engines rank the importance of individual websites primarily according to the number of incoming links from web pages containing related content. Links from guitar-related pages at other websites therefore help increase traffic both by providing direct link paths for new visitors to follow and by improving our rankings with search engines. Links from pages with unrelated content are far less valuable, both because people reading those pages are not apt to be interested and because search engines give websites little credit for links from unrelated pages. However, links from anywhere generally tend to help a little.

So, one of the best way existing members can help boost traffic is by providing links from guitar-related web pages they have at other websites to the the Old School Flamenco Foro.

-Bob

Happy to link from my own website too, if it's ok with the management


Alan

That will be great. Every additional link will help.

-Bob

I will also put a link on my site.

Fernandez

Have you got a graphic that you'd like alongside the link? You can e-mail it to me at alan@rollmopmusic.co.uk

The picture of the boy with the hat and guitar at the top of this page would be ideal.


Alan

Alan Green wrote:Have you got a graphic that you'd like alongside the link? You can e-mail it to me at alan@rollmopmusic.co.uk

The picture of the boy with the hat and guitar at the top of this page would be ideal.


Alan

Hola Alan

I think the painting is by Julio Romero de Torres and the muse ( a girl) is La Chiquita Piconera who he painted several times.
This painting may be called La Guitarrista.

Saludos

Tomás

Hola Bob and all
I do not really understand about reciprocal links but have the impression that when used search engines put the site lower.
As my signature on here acts as a link if I make a link to here will it be considered reciprocal?
I did add links to various guitarreros ion my site and I seem to be lower down in Google than before.
If I can of course then I will.
Saludos
Tomás

Done

http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk/html/links.html

The painting is by Julio Romero de Torres but I wasn't able to find a title for it for some obscure reason


Alan

Alan, The link with the foro Torres painting on your site looks great. Good idea.

Tomas, I have had a similar experience in the past where linking to other sites seemed to lower my google ranking. However the amount of visitors to my site increased. You may want to put a counter on your site and keep track of actual visits instead of a search engine ranking. I don't understand how it works very well, but it depends on what key words are googled. For instance if I google Tomas Jimenez flamenco guitarist, you are number 1. If I google flamenco guitarist, it might takes several hours to find you. I think adding relevant links to your site can help, especially if the links you add, also put your link on their site.

Now my opinion is what we need more than a lot of new members, is members to be active in making post and responding to post. This forum will never be a large active forum because we are a specialty forum. As Bob says our focus is quality post. Post that are informational and/or educational and/or entertaining and relevant to the forums focus.

Another reason for the slowing of any forums popularity is facebook. Because facebook offers privacy and selection of friends and groups, it is becoming popular for those of like interest to visit. I have connected with many flamencos on facebook that will never join or visit a forum.

I do think linking the forum to your site and also posting your link on this site, is a win win situation for all. I put the OSF foro link on my facebook site and we picked up some new members, but not much activity.

I am looking forward to more members posting audio and video clips, especially those that sing. Also any with utube accounts can put the OSF foro link there. It all helps let people know we exist.