HomePage/Growing NeuroTalk
 

Some ponderings:

I was looking around admiring our progress so far, nice new logo, optional chestnut skin and many forums starting to develop that "family" feel, things rollin' along nicely. :)

Then I clicked on Home, which simply takes you to the full list of forums, (where I just was). I'd kind of like to see a home page with a larger logo, a welcome to all who find us, a short statement about who we are and maybe an invite for first-time visitors to stop first at a forum just for newbies. That forum could include the FAQ's, TOU, Meet the Staff and How to Register, Post Threads and Reply to Threads. Maybe ?'s for the Mods, whatever makes newbies more comfortable.

So many of us are comfortable here because this format is the same as OBT, and we have a lot of experience with it. But for newcomers it can be intimidating to join in, especially when it seems like everyone has a long history together, it can feel risky to post a query. So I feel NeuroTalk should in every way possible welcome and reassure people this IS a safe and supportive atmosphere for those with neurological or other related or undiagnosed conditions (and parents/caregivers!). NeuroTalk's form of administration, moderation and participation is unique, and something we can be very proud of, and should talk up? shamelessly promote? flaunt? Oh what is the word I want? :confused:

I think we have something special here, maybe the NEXT new thing in on-line patient-led support communities, and if we want this to become the place we once knew and loved, only better, we have to grow, and we have to attract attention. What we are doing is WORTH taking notice of, but ain't nobody but us gonna do the braggin'! Am I making any sense at all? :o

There's a need to rebuild the databases too, w/ a plan for how to make that happen. Work to be done...not overnight, but we can't neglect it, either. We all made it clear how much we care about this community, and can be proud of what we have done so far, with the invaluable aid of Doc John, Kimmie Dawn and the Mod Squad, but we're not done yet,are we? I see NeuroTalk becoming more than OBT at it's best, our admin, mods and member input can't help but make it so, if we keep on keepin' on. :D

Thoughts or suggestions? Doc J? Kimmie? Is there a "master plan" of some kind in a secret vault? :D Any new word on the database recovery? :rolleyes:

Proud to be a "NeuroTalkie",
beth :)

Beth - I think it's a great idea.

[I'd kind of like to see a home page with a larger logo, a welcome to all who find us, a short statement about who we are and maybe an invite for first-time visitors to stop first at a forum just for newbies. That forum could include the FAQ's, TOU, Meet the Staff and How to Register, Post Threads and Reply to Threads. Maybe ?'s for the Mods, whatever makes newbies more comfortable.]

I absolutely think that's a wonderful idea and I'm sure it's in the plans a bit down the road...links to resourses, news, forums, all kinds of neat things. :)

Yep, excellent idea that I'd like to see come sooner than later. :)

KD

I agree!........thanks for the suggestion Beth :p

re the recovery of data.........I think that is gonna be up to us members to slog away and keep rebuilding here wherever possible

Regarding data recovery, I previously submitted very specific questions regarding database restoration at the “other site” (links not included here so as to not violate this site’s (NT's) Community Guidelines, but these questions should be easy to find under the other site’s “Forum Feedback”). Thus far, no response of any kind.

It's called a portal. That front page ahead of the forums. And with this being a subdomain of psychcentral, I don't know if that is possible. Liz

Wonderful ideas, Beth! I've been actively doing my little bit on the MG forum to rebuild the database by posting helpful site links, and by opening up threads and inviting comments on subjects I know are of concern to myasthenics. If each of us does that in our own particular forum, in no time at all we will begin to build a usable database.
As far as promoting NT, the only MGers I know are those I met on OBT, and I have no way of contacting them other than on OBT. I haven't felt right about using OBT as an avenue of promotion, though I must confess that when someone else posts a mention of NT (or even a link to NT, as has happened), my scruples do not at all prevent me from mentioning that I enjoy posting on NT. :D
Hugs,

Makes perfect sense to me, Beth. In fact, I think you've got the right idea there. I've been thinking about the same issues myself lately, and wondering how I, as a member, could do more to jump-start some of the forums.

Ya know, I believe it's fine to post NeuroTalk under Useful Websites on OBT - you just can't invite anyone to come join. That's what I got from their "Rules on Posting Other Websites" or some such thread on Forum Feedback.

Have to say it makes me really SAD to visit Forum Feedback :(

there's always PMs to let them know about NT.

you do an awesome job of welcoming people idealist. :D

Why, thank you Curious! (Idealist blushes deeply with embarrassment...but eats it up anyway!) Coming from a Texas girl like you, that really means a lot...:D

I do so agree on welcoming people being a very special way to make a newbie feel part of this community. It immediately makes a stranger not feel strange anymore and helps people to quickly feel comfortable to post about themselves and their needs. It is so good that we have many members here who make a special point of being welcomers:p



Another way I really feel we can grow our community is if each of us individual members work toward building our database in all of the various forums that we participate in, or have an interest/knowledge in.
The more our database grows, the more of that useful info gets indexed on the search engines and so the more people who need that info will find us........and when they arrive, they will also find that we are a warm and caring community that always has the welcome mat out and the light on :)
(and the only online community with a resident yappy monkey who also dispenses comfort food:D)

I love the ideas about the homepage here and will look toward doing something along the lines suggested.

Spread the word about NeuroTalk! The best way for others to learn of this community is really through you -- word of mouth. Nothing speaks more strongly than your endorsement.

John

Google:
 

I have been searching Google for some archives of mine, and others from OBT.

Today I searched myself (mrsdoubtfyre magnesium seizures) and my thread here at Neurotalk was the main hit! (nothing from OBT) Actually two pages of links to here.

I posted links to my magnesium and zinc thread here at OBT last week.
I have 30-40 views there and 495 and 110 here respectively. (The zinc thread is much newer in time, so less viewed).

So this place is very active on Google already. Other Google searches are bringing up mrsdoubtfyre here too. So I was going to remove that connection in my signature..BUT if it is bringing people here through searches, I will leave it up a while longer. I will keep the font faint however, to minimize the "old name".

I plan on several other threads in the Vit forum on other nutrients. This should help too. I am sorry, I am not the "social" type, conversational type like one sees on chats etc, so this will be my contribution.:o

jccglutenfree and rose also are showing up first on several Google searches I did on their subjects.

Something else that helps get us up in the search engines...

If we all use desrciptive titles on our postings when the "bots" crawl sites they pick this type of thing up.

Such as instead of posting "question on meds" we could post "question on Topamax" this way the "bots" would pick up on the word topamax so when someone is serching for info on this particular drug we would come up in the search and hopefully bring new members.

In my opinion this really works very good I have done this myself for a few years.

Just a thought...
I am not saying we are not doing this already...just something to keep in the back of our minds...


hugs

I think that if we had a quick and easy website, it would be easier to spread the word about NT in 'real life'.

I had a neighbor the other day who came over to ask me for help finding info about migraine headaches and TMJ... I had to ask for an email addy to be able to send her a link to neurotalk because the website is a bit long to just write down or remember. (neurotalk.org says it is under construction - will it ever be available to us?).

If you put Neurotalk in your search bar this site comes up with ease.:D

yes, putting neurotalk into google is easy enough... but I always thought that saying to someone "this is the website" is better than saying "type this into google"...

But, if neurotalk.org will not be available, then giving folks the name to type into google is easy enough.

One of the things I have always done with good online resources is to print out a one page description of the site and put in on the bulletin boards or waiting room end tables at my doctors offices and at the pharmacy...

I would like to do that with neurotalk, and it would look better and be easier for folks to remember if the description and website name said "neurotalk.org"